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 (via Zoom), Laragh Quinney (via Zoom), 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;

     We've learned that Richard Williams (RW, 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, and mentioned that he himself might
     also want to contribute.

     I wrote to JH to say that I'd asked Majk Stokes (MS, 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.  This would not mean RW would be making decisions,
     rather being someone responsible for keeping LM up-to-date on
     planning and, eventually, works. (see also 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.  Update
  post-meeting: no arrests on the day, so not needed.

* Managers' report

  * Fringe

  Email to Hartley saying he's got a place for three years, he's
  acknowledged, no new document yet.  He would like so discussion
  about possible joint-funded building improvements.

  HK asked if we would ask Trustees about alcohol.  This would not
  only improve the financial picture for CVenues, it would also make
  the venue more attractive for (some) groups.

  SS suggests a week before the hire and and after the get-out with no
  bookings and no annual leave.  We *Agreed*.

  * YFGM

  We still don't know if YFGM made a contribution for their weekend
  here in spring 2025.  We *Agree* to support them for this event and
  in the future, on the same basis as in the past (reference email).

  *Action* HST to look at the emails from last time to find out what
  the expected donation was.  Update post-meeting: Our minute *Any
  other business* from 2024-12-09 reads in part:

  "Young Friends General Meeting will be using the meeting house for a
   weekend in 2025 and they have asked for a steer on what level their
   donation should be at. The market rent for the space they’re using
   would be in the region of £400. We agreed to ask them for a
   donation of £250, if they can afford it.

  "ACTION: Sammi and Andy to relay this information."

  Unfortunately that message never got to YFGM.  

  *Action* on HST: Ask YFGM for feedback about other venues after the
  upcoming visit.

  * Staffing

  James Kemp is away for the first few months of 2026

  EG will also have two weeks of EAPPI training in June 2026

  Further to a request from MS when he started his new position as
  Assistant Manager Projects: We *Agree* to approve one month of
  unpaid leave in 23 March-19 April and one at either end of EG's, so
  that we have one 4-month gap to fill with a temporary hire.

  * Meeting House closure

  Closed 22/12--3/1

  21 Dec Festive Lunch
  24 Dec No Midweek Meeting
  25 Dec MfW 1100--1130 (John Phillips to be key-holder for the day)
  28 Dec MfW, no lunch
  31 Dec No Midweek Meeting
  4 Jan Normal service is resumed: MfW and Lunch
 
  HST to be on 'phone cover during Managers' absence, dates TBD

  * 2026 Prices

  The Managers gave us a very good presentation on this, attached.  We
  *Agree* the details as given, resulting in an estimated 7.76%
  increase in income from the proposed changes, which are all in the
  range 7--9%, near the RLW increase of 6.7%.

  We noted the need to prepare the ground for this next year in more
  detail, further in advance, with a strategy discussion aimed at
  building a model for the decision, including considerations such as:

    - Who are the core customers/other parts of the customer base?
    - What are the priorities/what's our mission?
    - Where are the opportunities:
      Library; Bow Room; Creche?
    - A distinction between Products/Services vs Packaging
    - Do we need to vary pricing by time-of-year? 

  We will consider whether to vary the focus in our meetings between
  strategy and operations

  Managers also proposed an increase for our Catering charge for
  Tea/Coffee and Biscuits from 1.20 to 1.50 (== 25%).

  We *Agree* to increase the charge
    - to 1.50 for Concession-rate bookings
    - to 2.00 for Standard-rate bookings

  * Monday bookings / Protecting Community Groups

  The Managers presented a proposal prepared jointly with EG for a
  weekly "Community Evening", attached.

  Briefly, the proposal is for a two hour slot at half-price for
  Community Evening on Mondays: by application, citing the
  organisation's purpose and activities and how the requested access
  would make a difference for their operations. 'Award' is for a
  semester (3 per year).  Some regular bookings from groups not
  qualifying would be protected.  Some priority for new applicants
  might be needed. A few already-booked SESAM meetings are in the way
  of a consistent offer to a larger group needing a large room.

  Net-net: generate extra income, help the community, low risk.

  Six months in, please report back.

  We are minded to approve this.  In the absence of any input to the
  contrary by 28 November, I will give the go-ahead as a
  between-meetings decision.

* Financial Report

  [slides attached]

  High points: good expenditure control, highs and low of income
  balancing so in total we're nearly at a zero deficit.

  We thanked Chris for another very useful report, agreed that the
  Managers and Chris would start regular meetings

* Quinquennial review/News from Trustees

  Martin Ward (MW) has proposed a meeting with HST to discuss
  coordination.  We *Agree* that HST should propose to MW:

    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.  Done, and MW has agreed.
  
  There might be time to at least open discussion on general
  coordination, budgeting and maybe QiS prospect.

* Works to be undertaken Bow Room
  [note error in heading of this item in the Minutes from 2025-10-20],

  - We *Agree* that a meeting with 
      Majk Stokes (MS), RW, someone from Trustees, AT, someone from MHMC
    is a good next step.
  
  See attached summary from MS wrt the state of play.

  We liked the idea that we should be prepared to divide the project
  in two, postponing (internal) accessibility if no good internal
  solution emerges but a clear set of other works is agreed.

* Staff escalation route if they need backup

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

  Postponed to next meeting.

* Date of next meeting

  Tuesday 13 January, 1715, at 7 Victoria Terrace.  LQ is prevented
  (it's her birthday).

* AOB

  * Access to the building for early arrivers

  What is the policy wrt Friends opening the front door when they are
  in the Foyer, there are no staff present and someone knocks or
  rings?

  This may arise if for example someone with a booking arrives more
  than 15 minutes early, a tourist wants to ask questions or look for
  Major Weir...

  This is clearly complicated, and begs the question of how a Friend
  came to be in the Foyer alone.

  Which interacts with the "be a welcoming place for SESAM" goal.

  *Action* to HST to put this on the agenda for a future meeting.