Meeting House Management Committee Agenda 2025-11-17
Monday 27 November, 5.15 p.m., in 7 Victoria Terrace

* Attendance: JP Ascher, Rachael Fitzgerald, Chris Jardine, Katrina
  McCrea, Laragh Quinney, Sammi Searle, Henry S. Thompson, Andy
  Tucker, Duncan Wallace

* Matters Arising
  * Suggestions from Local Meeting (LM)
    * Blankets
      *Action HST* to inform LM: Done, and acknowledged by Juliet
      Henderson (JH, co-Clerk to LM)

  * Unpaid leave for Eliza Giles 3 months in August-November 2026: EAPPI
    We now have firm dates:  12th August to 9th November 2026.

  * 2026 Room Hire pricing

    *Action* HST and Managers to share a proposal wrt rates from
    January 2026 with RF and DW by 10 November for review: Done, but
    not until 12 November, delay was HST's fault.

    *Action* RF to share the local comparators info: Done

* Convenor's report
  * Suggestions from LM: Bow Room
    The original minute from LM read in part:

          "We ask the Meeting House Management Committee to consider the
           following recommendations [wrt a contribution of £3700 from
           LM]:
           ...
           • money to be spent improving accessibility and ambience of
             foyer and Bow room. A ramp is needed for the Bow Room;

     I've learned that Richard Williams (long-time member of LM, was
     Assistant Treasurer way back, most recently member of Clerking
     Team), has visited the Meeting House and informally discussed
     possible improvements to the Bow Room with staff a couple of
     times recently.

     I wrote to JH to say that I'd asked Majk Stokes (Assistant
     Manager for Projects) to arrange a meeting with him and
     suggesting that he could act as an informal liaison between
     staff/MHMC and LM as we work to put a plan together for upgrading
     the Bow Room. (see item below)

  * Defend our Juries

  SS and HST offered to staff the Meeting House if in the event it was
  needed as a fallback recovery venue for the planned actions in
  support of Palestine Action on 18 and 29 Edinburgh

* Finance report

* Managers' report

* Quinquennial review/News from Trustees

  Martin Ward (MW) has proposed a meeting with HST to discuss
  coordination.  Perhaps we should suggest a meeting with MW and any
  other Trustees who can make it with any of us who can make it at
  1815 on (Tuesday) 13 January, just before Trustees' next meeting at
  1845.  We might also schedule our next meeting for 1715 that same
  day?

* Works to be undertaken Bow Room
  [note error in heading of this item in the Minutes from 2025-10-20,
    which had "Upper Bow"]
  - Report from Majk Stokes
  - Role for Richard Williams (RW)?
  - Meeting with Majk Stokes (MS), RW, someone from Trustees,
     someone from MHMC

* Staff escalation route if they need backup

  [see Minutes on this item from 2025-10-20]

* Date of next meeting

* AOB

* Time without staff (if needed)  

ht