Report on November PCC

Our meeting was opened with a welcoming prayer from Rachel. The initial administrative items were discussed – apologies, declarations of interest, approval of the minutes for 16^th September. The following matters arose from these Minutes - the appointment of solicitor for the Church House lease.

Other additional items were the unanimous approval of Ann Mason as an Eucharistic Minister. Also notes from the Standing Committee Meeting were received with thanks. Elizabeth Thorne and now Christine Garrett have decided to stand down from PCC; we offered them our thanks for all they have done in this role. It was felt that PCC has adequate membership until APCM (26 April 2026), although if a member of the congregation would like to participate, they could be co-opted.

An update on MAP (Mission Action Plan) was shared.

There was an update on the Church House. As a charity, the trustees (PCC) must seek the advice of a professional on the proposed disposition. The professional invited to comment was Rae Levene, a retired charity solicitor and member of the congregation. His report and presentation to PCC was for guidance and with his personal opinion. The PCC, and in particular Andy Redfearn gives huge thanks to Rae for his invaluable inputs. At this point Rae left the meeting and the PCC proceeded to unanimously approve the next steps of the process to let the Church house to a local charity.

There was a review of the Safeguarding Action Plan. This action plan works on a traffic light system. The current red items are currently waiting for a risk assessment review. Once these risk assessment reviews are complete then the item will become green.

One update since the document was circulated involved Toastie Club which is now green.

A second item involved Coffee and Company. Recently the co-ordination of Coffee and Company has changed from Diane Barlow to Sue Ambrose. The PCC would like to both thank Diane for her efforts and for Sue in taking this on into the future, in addition to her Anna Chaplaincy role. We now have some Emmaus volunteers at this event but this creates additional safeguarding work to be undertaken; this work will be ongoing.

Additionally, it was noted that there is a real culture of Safeguarding at St Andrews. We are currently 94% compliant on the dashboard. It was noted that due to the dynamic, ongoing nature of safeguarding work means that achieving 100% is practically impossible.

The PCC would like to thank Jo Newton and the safeguarding team for all their work and support, including all members who have undertaken their part.

Finally, Safeguarding Sunday is Sunday 23 November 2025.

CCMC (Church Centre Management Committee) reported. Information has been requested about batteries to match our solar panels and future desire for electrification. However, two items were brought up. Firstly, the diocese needs to be involved, and the sizing and use of the batteries needs to be considered holistically, that is including future projections with the potential inclusion of heat pumps. Therefore further discussion on batteries should be suspended until the overall strategy and requirement is clear. The decision should also involve Creation Care.

The H&S policy was discussed and approved.

The Finance Report and Budget Forecast were discussed. The proposed salary increases were thought comparable to local employers including the civil service. It was noted however that in the future perhaps some thought needs to be given to the pay differential, which this year will reduce due to the real living wage increasing having a higher increase. The proposal was voted on by the PCC and approved unanimously by all members present.

The reserves policy was discussed, and the work of the finance committee was greatly appreciated. As has been the case for some years, St Andrews will carry one year of reserves in unrestricted funds. However, we now have a much better framework for evaluating the required levels, and PCC welcomes the work that has been undertaken. PCC is also grateful to LM for his current set of long-term projections. It was noted that the Finance Committee has it on its agenda to move toward a more comprehensive long-term financial plan. This will include considering the use of reserves held in excess of our stated policy.

The financial policies were voted on by PCC and approved unanimously by all members present.

The Mission and Outreach Team (MOT) Report was received. The MOT team would like to thank the input from the congregation and are happy to announce that Hands at Work will be the new international partner. Additionally the MOT team would also like to thank Rebecca Stockman for her contribution and guidance.

The Deanery Synod report was accepted. In the Diocesan Synod report it was noted that Prayers for Love and Faith were kicked a “long way down the road”.

Under ‘Any Other Business’, the recruitment of four additional sides people was welcomed.

Tim Papworth