Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Londesborough Room, Alexandra Palace Way, Wood Green, London N22

Contact: Felicity Foley, Acting Committees Manager 

Items
No. Item

283.

FILMING AT MEETINGS

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

 

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

Minutes:

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

284.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for lateness were received from Val Paley.

285.

URGENT BUSINESS

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at items 15 & 22 below)

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

286.

DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

 

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

 

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

 

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

287.

QUESTIONS, DEPUTATIONS OR PETITIONS

To consider any questions, deputations or petitions received In accordance with Part 4, Section B29 of the Council's Constitution.

Minutes:

Two questions had been received from Jacob O’Callaghan, which were as follows:

 

  1. Do officers consider (with the greatest of respect)  that all the non-commercially confidential material in the items 19 and 20 listed as exempt, really needs to be kept secret, in particular the presentation on "branding", according to the criteria in the Local Government Act 1972 s100, and should some of this this in any case have been subject to consultation with the APP Conservation Area Advisory Committee and other interested parties?

 

  1. Have there been any developments regarding restructuring the governance of the charity, please?

 

A written response had been provided to Jacob O’Callaghan before the meeting and circulated to Board Members including::

 

“The branding is for both the charity and the trading subsidiary. It is not in the best interests of either entity for incomplete and unapproved branding proposals to be in the public domain. The marketing decisions of neither entity is subject to consultation with stakeholder committees. We will be more than happy to share our revised branding with our recognised stakeholder committees once the Board has had the opportunity to agree on the revisions.

 

The Council’s Legal team are consulted in the preparation of all reports.Information provided in items 19 and 20 were exempted as defined in Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972; Paragraph 3 – information relating to the business or financial affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

The branding is majority funded by APTL and the Trust’s contribution is a small percentage of the costs of the work.  In any case, the element provided by the Trust is charitable not public.  The Charity has an obligation to consult the SAC on planning permission.  Listed Building Consent is not planning permission and the Trust has not routinely consulted on LBC as the LBC process itself includes a statutory consultation requirement. 

 

The Colour Strategy has been withdrawn from this Board meeting and will be presented to the board at a future date. 

            There have been no further developments on governance restructuring at this      moment in time.

288.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 131 KB

i.          To approve the unrestricted minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board meeting held on 19 July 2018.

 

ii.         To note the draft minutes of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee held on 12 July 2018.

 

iii.        To note the draft minutes of the Joint Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee and Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee held on 12 July 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

An Amendment was noted with regard to the draft minutes of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee, held on 12 July 2018, where under ‘Appointment of SAC Advisory Urgency Sub-Committee’, Cllr Emery had erroneously been named in place of Cllr Dogan.

 

RESOLVED

 

     I.        To approve the unrestricted minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board meeting held on 19 July 2018.

 

    II.        To note the draft minutes of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee held on 12 July 2018.

 

  III.        To note the draft minutes of the Joint Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee and Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee held on 12 July 2018. – trust has a duty to consult cc on some items.

289.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S REPORT pdf icon PDF 167 KB

This report updates the Board of Trustees on current issues and projects at Alexandra Park and Palace.  It also provides additional information on the events programme and a range of activities of the Charitable Trust.

Minutes:

The Chief Executive, Louise Stewart, introduced this report for noting which provided an update on current issues at Alexandra Palace and Park as set out.

The Board was notified that:

  • The Great Fete was successful in cementing local partnerships and was well received by members of the public.
  • A 5th October 2018 fundraising deadline had been set for supporters to have their name included on the Donor Board in time for the opening of the Theatre. The Board were encouraged to advocate the fundraising campaign.
  • With regard to noise management for the Kaleidoscope Festival and Great Fete that took place on 21st July 2018 and 18th August respectively, it was noted that a small number of noise complaints regarding both events were made. However, it was acknowledged that all endeavours were made by staff to ensure that noise levels were managed appropriately and, in all cases investigated, noise levels were found to be within the limits of the Park Events.

 

The Board acknowledged the Green Flag Award achieved again for the Park. The Board also praised the entire staff of Alexandra Palace for their efforts in the restoration of the Theatre and the hosting of the Proms, and noted the positive reaction from performers, especially in relation to the acoustics.

Following discussion, it was noted that:

  • Regarding the dog walking signs that had been included in the Park as part of the ‘Walk This Way’ scheme run by Keep Britain Tidy and The Dogs Trust, they were meant to assist dog walkers by providing  on routes that had dog bins well placed at regular intervals to encourage the tidying up of dog waste. 

 

  • It was queried how necessary the increased number of new signs and posts were around the Park and that, where possible, the Park should remain a neutral canvass. In response, it was clarified that the intention was not to take away the Park’s natural feel but to strike a balance between ensuring that signage was right for customers, and leaving areas as natural as possible whilst also giving the impression that the Park was a managed space. It was important that dog owners were aware that the Park was a managed space as, if not, it might see an increase in the number of dog owners not clearing up after their dogs. There was broad support amongst the Board for the trial and its objectives.

 

  • Alexandra Palace had been shortlisted for the following Live UK Music Business Awards:

o   Best Venue Teamwork (Arena); Campaign Event Awards 

o   Best Venue Team; and London Venue Awards

o   Best London Event / Exhibition Venue

o   Best Venue with a View

o   Best Unusual or Unique Venue and Most Versatile London Venue

 

Resolved

To note the content of this report.

290.

COLOUR STRATEGY pdf icon PDF 97 KB

This report seeks approval of the Colour Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

This item was withdrawn ahead of this meeting to enable the full Colour Strategy to be finalised. This would also allow time to seek the advice of   the Alexandra Park and Palace Statutory Advisory and Consultative Committees on 25th October 2018, and then the Alexandra Park and Board on 6th November 2018.

291.

BRAND REFRESH pdf icon PDF 113 KB

This report seeks approval of the Alexandra Palace brand refresh approach.

Minutes:

The Head of Marketing and Communications, Martin Keane, presented updates on the brand refresh. The Board was informed that the branding of Alexandra Palace had been carefully re-evaluated, taking into account the views of the Board from previous meetings.

 

The Board noted that, since their inception, the new branding (including the monogram and ‘Full Name Logo’) had received positive reactions from members of the public on recent marketing literature.

 

Resolved

To approve the brand refresh (further to the presentation in the exempt session of the meeting).

 

292.

TRUST FINANCIAL RESULTS pdf icon PDF 477 KB

This paper sets out the results for Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust for July 2018 including the annual forecast of incoming and outgoing resources. 

Minutes:

The Director of Finance and Resources, Dorota Dominiczak, introduced this report for noting which sets out the results for Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust for July 2018, including the annual forecast of incoming and outgoing resources.

The Board was informed that, with regard to an update on the latest cash flow forecast for the East Wing Project, the Trust was not in a position to provide this information but would present such an update at the next Board meeting. It was anticipated that there would be a slight increase in cost but the Board was reassured that there was an existing cash fund of up to £600k available to cover this, in the event that it did go over previous estimates.  Any increase on the project overspend would need to be made available from the 2019/20 budget.

Resolved

To note the financial performance of the Trust.

293.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FABRIC MAINTENANCE PLAN pdf icon PDF 92 KB

This cover report summarises the annual review of the Fabric Maintenance Plan and seeks the Board’s approval to proceed with the recommended priorities.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Deputy Chief Executive, Emma Dagnes, introduced this report which summarised the annual review of the Fabric Maintenance Plan and sought the Board’s approval to proceed with the recommended priorities. The Board was provided with an overview of the history of the 10-year Fabric Maintenance Plan (developed by the Surveyor to the Fabric, Purcell), which provided a year-by-year framework for spending £14.7m on building fabric repairs, services repair/renewals, and improved roof access. The Fabric Maintenance Plan broke down different spending areas into sectors, and then into priorities, with full details contained at Item 11, Appendix 1. If the Board wished to discuss the full details of the percentages further, they were invited to do so with the Deputy Chief Executive.

The Board’s attention was drawn to the progress of individual sectors to date against the 10-year Fabric Maintenance Plan.

Following discussion amongst the Board, it was noted that:

  • With regard to climate control, issues still existed in controlling the variances with a combination of ventilation and heating but this was being addressed.
  • There was particular emphasis on prioritising commitments that the Trust was able to afford and that would create long lasting solutions to the problems associated with up keep and maintenance.
  • Regarding the progress of the Plan, whilst the targets were underachieved, the Plan was created as a guidance tool in assisting the Trust with determining priorities and the funds required maintain   the building in accordance with modern requirements and legislation. The Trust needs to source the funding required to implement the Plan.  
  • It was possible to revise the scheduling of some of the sectors but life safety systems were being prioritised. The Trust had a duty to ensure that all visitors and staff were safe when at the Palace.  
  • FMP priorities are built into larger restoration projects such as the East Wing in order to attract necessary funding, that would not be forthcoming if the FMP projects were presented in isolation.
  • It was important to communicate the decisions taken by the Trust and ensure stakeholder understood why certain projects were prioritised.

 

Resolved

To approve the Fabric Maintenance Plan priorities for 2018/19 presented in the PowerPoint document during the meeting.

294.

POLICY REVIEW REGISTER pdf icon PDF 155 KB

Minutes:

The Board considered this report for noting which detailed the Board Level Policy Review Register.

Resolved

To note the Board Level Policy Review Register and that the annual review of the Safeguarding Policy had been deferred to enable updates to statutory guidance on 1st August and 1st September 2018 to be considered as part of the review.

295.

ANNUAL REVIEW OF WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY pdf icon PDF 85 KB

The Board is asked to review the Whistleblowing Policy attached at Appendix 1 and/or make amendments as part of the annual policy review process.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive introduced this report. It was noted that the review enabled General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 to be included. . The CEO informed the board the cover sheet would be prepared in the future  to clearly identify where and what changes have been made.

Following discussion amongst the Board, it was noted that the policy refers to individuals by their positions rather than the name of individual currently in that post to safeguard against having to make amendments to the policy if such individuals leave.

Resolved

To approve the amended Whistleblowing Policy at Appendix 1, subject to the inclusion in the policy of a direct whistleblowing telephone number and email address.

296.

BOARD MEMBERS EXPENSES POLICY pdf icon PDF 82 KB

The Board is asked to approve the Board Member Expenses Policy attached at Appendix A.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive introduced this report. It was explained that, as a trustee Board and in accordance with proper governance, it was necessary that board members were made aware of how to claim expenses if incurred during the course of their duties.

Following discussion, it was noted that this was a new policy and that, whilst there was currently no budget set aside for board members expenses as it had not been necessary to date, a budget could be made available if needed in the future.

It was further noted that it was important that the Board had an effective Board Member Expenses Policy that encouraged diversity amongst its members. For example, child care costs could be covered for members with small children and travel fares could be covered for those without the means to fund this.

Resolved

To approve and adopt the Board Member Expenses Policy at Appendix A.

297.

ANY OTHER UNRESTRICTED BUSINESS THE CHAIR CONSIDERS TO BE URGENT

Minutes:

None.

298.

FUTURE MEETINGS

6 November 2018

26 February 2019

30 April 2019

Minutes:

6 November 2018

26 February 2019

30 April 2019

 

Noted.

299.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS

Items 18-22 are likely to be subject of a motion to exclude the press and public from the meeting as they contain exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972; Para 3 - information relating to the business or financial affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

Minutes:

Resolved

 

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting for discussion of Items 18 – 22 of the Agenda as they contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972; Para 3 - information relating to the business or financial affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

Clerk notes – Val Paley was present for the remainder of the session.

300.

MINUTES

To confirm the exempt minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 19 July 2018 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

Minutes:

Resolved

 

To confirm the exempt minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 19 July 2018 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

301.

BRAND REFRESH (presentation)

Minutes:

The Board considered exempt information pertaining to Agenda Item 9.

302.

ANNUAL REPORT ON RESTORATION LEVY

Minutes:

Resolved

 

That the annual report on the Restoration Levy be noted.

303.

ANY OTHER EXEMPT BUSINESS THE CHAIR CONSIDERS TO BE URGENT

Minutes:

None.