Archived decisions

AT A MEETING OF THE SIR GEORGE STAUNTON COUNTRY PARK JOINT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE HELD AT THE Sir George Staunton Country Park, Havant on 21 November 2006

PRESENT:

Hampshire County Council

p  Councillor E F Gale, MBE (Chairman)

a  Councillor Mrs A Buckley

a  Councillor I F E Beagley

p  Councillor Mrs A Edwards

p  Councillor R C McIntosh

East Hampshire District Council

p  Councillor Mrs D K Denston

p  Mr S D'Este-Hoare

Havant Borough Council

   Councillor K Moss

p Mr Tony Lee (Business Development Manager)

Also in attendance: Councillor Mrs E M Byrom.

29 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Councillor Mrs Buckley gave her apologies as she was attending a Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

30 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should, normally at the time of the debate, declare their interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.

31 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

There were no Chairman's communications to report.

32 DEPUTATIONS

No deputations were received.

33 MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2006 were agreed and signed by the Chairman subject to the following amendment:

Councillor McIntosh's initials be changed to read R C.

34 NOTES OF THE STAKEHOLDERS FORUM

The notes of the Stakeholders Forum held on 19 September 2006 were received and noted.

35 PARK MANAGER'S REPORT

The Committee considered the report of the Park Manager (Item 6 in the Minute Book) outlining the work undertaken since the last meeting.

Membership and visitor numbers continued to rise and this year had been the busiest so far with over 16,700 visits and 4,600 members respectively.

The Park's catering operation continued to perform well this season and queues and waiting times for its tea rooms had been greatly reduced. Conference and meetings business had proved slow to establish although this was fairly common with similar businesses. It was also reported that the Park was now becoming a more popular wedding venue following details posted on its website.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

36 PRICING STRUCTURE 2007/08

The Committee considered the report of the Park Manager (Item 7 in the Minute Book) regarding the proposed entrance charges to the Country Park, ornamental park and gardens for 2007/08.

A detailed discussion ensued regarding the proposed pricing structure for 2007/08 and whilst appreciating that in some circumstances no increase was being proposed for some target groups, namely senior citizens, special needs groups, etc., Members felt it was appropriate to increase these figures by a minimum 2%. This made the "Overall Average Increase" figure 6%.

RESOLVED:

That entrance charges for 2007/08 as set out in the appendix attached to these minutes be approved.

37 REVISED BUDGET 2006/07 AND FORWARD BUDGET FOR 2007/08

The Committee considered a report of the County Treasurer (Item 8 in the Minute Book) concerning the revised budget for 2006/07 and the forward budget for 2007/08.

The Treasurer outlined financial challenges facing the park over the next couple of years. The main one was to reduce the historic accumulated deficit. It was noted that the forecast outturn for the current year was very close to budget, and would require a tight control on expenditure, particularly on supplies and services in the latter part of the year.

Visitor numbers continued to rise and had outstripped budget predictions. Visitor numbers were up by 32% and entrance income has risen by 24% on the same period last year. This was largely explained by the growth in repeat visits from season ticket holders.   

RESOLVED:

a. That the revised budget for 2006/07 be approved.

b. That the partner contributions for 2007/08 be approved.

c. That the budget for 2007/08 be approved.

38 HERITAGE LOTTERY BID - UPDATE

This item was withdrawn.

39 LEIGH PARK NURSERY SITE UPDATE

This item was withdrawn.

40 NOTES OF THE OFFICER'S GROUP 17 OCTOBER 2006

The notes of the Park's Officers Group meeting held on 17 October 2006 were received and noted.

41 DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

Tuesday 10 June 2007 at 10.00am

Tuesday 20 November 2007 at 10.00am

Tuesday 10 June 2008 at 10.00am (provisional)

Tuesday 18 November 2008 at 10.00am (provisional)

Appendix