MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 20th APRIL 2017
PRESENT: Cllr Rob Lee (President), Mark Morgan (Treasurer), Chris Smart, Alun Edwards, Cllr Lorrie Desmond-Williams, John Berry, Stuart Bentley, Peter Fenton, Lindsay Morgan, Les Tallon-Morris, Mary Emment-Lewis, Bridget Hall (Minutes)
1 Opening remarks by the President
Rob thanked members for electing him as President and said he looked forward to his term of office with enthusiasm.
2 Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Margaret Minhinnick, Claire Bridge, Jeff Bond, Jane Bond, Marija Lewis, Bobby Lewis, Cllr Mike Clarke.
3 To consider and approve the minutes of the last meeting
The minutes were confirmed as accurate.
4 Matters arising
- i) Public Toilet Facilities
Although there had been no further developments in this matter, it was confirmed that a survey had been carried out and a licence to run the Griffin Park toilets having been applied for by the Council and approved by BCBC.
- ii) Mayor’s Ball
Rob said that there were a few tickets still available for this event, which promised to be most enjoyable.
iii) People’s Plan
Stuart said that this consultation open to all residents of Porthcawl, with the first meeting held last February and attended by approximately 90 people. It was a positive meeting with ideas and comments having been put forward on how Porthcawl should be developed. Further consultations were planned for the future, with the Harbourside development of great interest to everyone.
4 Financial Report
Mark circulated the financial report and explained the points outlined. Mark queried the invoice for advertising in the Jazz Festival programme and it was confirmed that no one from the Chamber had authorised this. It was therefore agreed that the previously approved donation of £100 to the Jazz Festival should include this advertising cost.
5 Correspondence
- i) Signage in John Street
Bridget said that she had received an email from Margaret Minhinnick regarding a matter of signage for the John Street. Lorrie said that this would be a matter for BCBC Highways Department.
- ii) Carnival Programme
Bridget said that she had received an email asking if the Chamber would like to advertise in this year’s Carnival Programme. It was agreed to advertise with a quarter page at the cost of £40.
6 Events
- i) Summer Festival
Mark queried the location of the Summer Festival and Les confirmed it would be situated on the seafront. Les explained that BCBC would not allow John St car park to be used free of charge on a Saturday so it could not be used as a location for the Summer Festival.
Chris thought it would be a good idea for the Chamber to set up an events committee to attend the joint meetings with the Town Council, as had been done previously, and for the Chamber to then receive reports on expenditure, etc. Les said that he would speak to Sarah about this.
- ii) Easter Event
Les confirmed that this event had been successful, with 500 mini eggs being distributed to children in the town. He thanked everyone who had helped, including Rob and Lorrie, as well as the Museum for the use of a room.
iii) Porthcawl Show
Les outlined plans for the proposed annual Porthcawl Show, which would be a food/agricultural event similar to shows in other nearby towns. The grassed area at Salt Lake car park was the proposed location with the August bank holiday weekend as the earmarked date. Ideas were discussed for this event and Bridget suggested linking with the annual Porthcawl flower show if that were possible.
Les asked if the Chamber would be agreeable to being involved in this proposed event. This was agreed in principle.
- iv) Inventory
The list of equipment owned by the Chamber was considered and the location of where it was being held was confirmed as far as possible.
John asked about the testing of electrical equipment. Stuart confirmed that any portable electrical equipment should be PAT tested annually, with different regulations depending on the type of equipment.
It was mentioned that Emmaus had a PAT tester that could perhaps be borrowed. It was then suggested that the Chamber could purchase its own and offer this as a service to members for the testing of their electrical equipment.
7 Membership Secretary
Bridget said that she had received a letter from Ceri terminating her post as Membership Secretary due to the conflict of interest following her appointment as Town Clerk. Members were sorry to hear this and it was agreed that a letter would be sent to Ceri wishing her well for the future.
Bridget said that, due to a change in her employment commitments, she would now be in a position to take up the role of Membership Secretary and commence a membership campaign in May as soon as paperwork was prepared as well as the website ready for advertising. This was approved.
8 Any other business
There was no other business
Date of next meeting
The next meeting would of Chamber will be held on Thursday 18th May 2017.
