Committee Minutes 21st April

LANEHEAD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Minutes of committee meeting held at Newhouses, Wednesday 21 April, 7.00pm

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Ross Anderson, Neil Astley, Pat Cooper, Rex Cooper, Preston Hoggan, John Holland, Pamela Robertson-Pearce and Jenny Swaile.

1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The previous meeting was the inaugural meeting of the Lanehead Residents Association held on 12 April at which the committee members were appointed by those present. The minutes were taken by Neil Astley and approved by the appointed committee as a true record of what was discussed and agreed.

2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Chairman: Rex Cooper (proposed by Neil Astley, seconded by Jenny Swaile.
Secretary: Neil Astley (proposed by John Holland, seconded by Preston Hoggan).
Treasurer: Preston Hoggan (proposed by Ross Anderson, seconded by John Holland).

3. BANK ACCOUNT
(3.1) Preston Hoggan agreed to ask Lloyds TSB to open a bank account for LHRA at Lloyds TSB in Bellingham. Signatories needed to be Lloyds TSB account holders: Preston Hoggan, Ross Anderson, Neil Astley and Rex Cooper.
(3.2) Preston Hoggan will prepare a budget to cover the cost of hiring Tarset Village Hall for LHRA community meetings and other activities such as coffee mornings. Thanks to a start-up donation LHRA currently holds £50 in cash.

4. PUBLICISING LHRA
(4.1) As noted in the previous minutes, LHRA now has a responsibility to inform all members of the Lanehead community of its initiatives, activities and meetings using whatever means is appropriate, and this could be a mixture of emails to people with computers, hand-delivered notices, notices on the Village Hall notice board and announcements in the Tarset News or on the Tarset website. Advertising in the Hexham Courant will not be necessary for a residents association covering just under 40 households, but the North Tyne stringers should be notified of events and meetings. Future communications could be more manageable if email addresses and opt out requests were collected the first time LHRA tries to circulate everyone in the community.
(4.2) Rex Cooper has compiled a list of around 40 properties in the LHRA area using the Post Office online database, but this does not include the name of residents. The Parish Council should have this information: Ande Jameson to be asked to provide names to complete the list. LHRA will then add emails where there are known, and a circulation list can be drawn up and households notified by email or hand-delivery.
(4.3) Information about the formation and nature of the LHRA to be sent to the Tarset website and Tarset News, including the web address of the Lanehead Residents Blog: http://laneheadresidents.blogspot.com. The constitution has been posted on the Blog.
(4.4) First mailout to Lanehead to establish which members of the community wish to opt out of membership of LHRA, and which issues people would most like LHRA to address in line with the purposes agreed under section 4 of the constitution.

5. CO-OPTING NEW MEMBERS
The committee elected has eight members, which means there are currently two vacant places which other members of the Lanehead community can be invited to take up. It was agreed that the Tarset Village Hall trust and/or committee should be asked if one of their members is willing to serve on the LHRA committee, and that the second place be left vacant for someone with special knowledge of or expertise in particular issues which may be raised over the next 12 months.

6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Date and time to be agreed by the committee members after email consultation