Minutes 17/01/2017, 10.00

MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum Trust Committee

 

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 17 January 2017

 

Present:

Councillor Newton (Chairman), and

Councillors M Burton, Cox, Cuming and Mrs Wilson

 

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24.        Apologies for Absence

 

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Round.

 

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25.        Notification of Substitute Members

 

It was noted that Councillor M Burton was substituting for Councillor Round.

 

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26.        Notification of Visiting Members

 

There were no Visiting Members.

 

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27.        Election of Chairman

 

RESOLVED: That Councillor Newton be elected Chairman of the committee for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

 

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28.        Election of Vice-Chairman

 

RESOLVED: That Councillor Cuming be elected Vice-Chairman of the committee for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

 

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29.        Disclosures by Members and Officers

 

Councillor Wilson disclosed membership of the Museum Strategic Board but confirmed that this would not affect her ability to take part in the committee and vote.

 

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30.        Disclosures of Lobbying

 

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

 

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31.        To consider whether any items should be taken in private because of the possible disclosure of exempt information

 

RESOLVED: That all items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

 

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32.        Minutes of the Meeting held on 20 January 2016

 

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

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<AI10>

33.        Report of the Director of Finance and Business Improvement - Accounts 2015/16

 

The Senior Finance Manager presented the report detailing the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum Trust’s accounts for the year ending 31 March 2016 for approval by the committee before submission to the Charity Commission.

 

In response to questions the Committee was advised that:

 

·                The Trust had to generate income in order to cover the service fee, and there was not much excess after the service charge had been paid. If additional work was required then further income would need to be raised.

 

·                As there were strict rules around the sale of items in the collection these could not be realised as assets regardless of value and had therefore not been included in the accounts as such.

 

·                A touring exhibition would be resource intensive and expensive. There were schemes in place for the museum to loan out fine art, however there had been low uptake due to the cost of transporting and insuring the items. Items that were in storage were mostly used for educational purposes.

 

·                While an audit of the collection was being undertaken a hold had been placed on accepting new items. A Collections Development Panel had been formed to assess donations before acceptance. Potential donators were advised whether their donation would be placed on display or kept in storage so that they could make an informed decision.

 

·                In the short term the Museum was busy undertaking the refit of the Egyptian Gallery into an Ancient Civilisations gallery. However new projects could be scheduled with an 18 month lead in, such as the suggested extension of the World War 1 exhibition.

 

During discussion the committee noted that an annual meeting was not sufficient to consider the business of the Trust, and that a changing Membership allowed for no continuity from year to year. It was therefore proposed that the committee meet biannually, and that an explanatory note on the Museum’s structure and the Regiment Museum’s place within it be presented to each January meeting of the committee. In addition it was proposed that an update report on the Strategic Board be brought to each meeting of the committee.

 

RESOLVED: That:

 

1.        The Accounts for the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum Trust for the year ending 31 March 2016 be approved for submission to the Charity Commission.

 

For – 5        Against – 0           Abstain - 0

 

2.        The committee be scheduled to meet biannually in January and July of each year.

 

For – 5        Against – 0           Abstain – 0

 

3.        An informative paper explaining the structure of the Museum, and the placement of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum within it, be presented to each January meeting of the committee, and an update report on the Strategic Board be presented to each meeting of the committee.

 

For – 5        Against – 0           Abstain – 0

 

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<AI11>

34.        Report of the Head of Commercial and Economic Development - Annual Report 2015/16

 

The Collections Manager introduced the report detailing the activity of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum during 2015-16 for approval before submission to the Charity Commission.

 

The Collections Manager, in response to questions, replied that:

 

·                The suggestion that local news media be involved in reporting on an item of interest from the museum on a weekly basis, as well as greater promotion of exhibitions on internal communications, would be taken forward to the communications team for further consideration.

 

·                There was an active volunteer programme across many areas such as research, collection auditing and cleaning of items. All volunteer opportunities were advertised on the museum website.

 

·                The Kent Archives could provide historical information regarding casualties from the Regiment. Enquiries from members of the public who are seeking written records were directed to the Kent Archive. The Museum Director would be exploring opportunities to further develop the Museum’s relationship with the Kent Archive.

 

The committee considered the £15 flat fee for research undertaken by officers on behalf of members of the public, and requested further information on this to the next meeting, to include detail on the amount of time and resources allocated to each research request, and comparisons with local authorities who provide a similar service. The Museum Director agreed to provide the requested information and investigate charging options for presentation to a future meeting of the committee.

 

RESOLVED: That the 2015/16 annual report for the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment museum Trust be approved for submission to the Charity Commission.

 

For – 5        Against – 0           Abstain – 0

 

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35.        Duration of Meeting

 

10.00 a.m. to 10.59 a.m.

 

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