Subjects:

Fire extinguishing tips
Fire Regulations: be ready for 1 October deadline
Metal thieves
Churches Main Committee Circulars
New Big Lottery scheme could fund church building improvements
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme change
Licensing Act 2003 and PCC's responsibilities
Ladders: Working at height regulations apply to churches

Fire extinguishing tips Top [DON Oct/Nov 06]
Avoid dry powder extinguishers:
Ecclesiastical Insurance are warning against dry powder extinguishers. Whilst effective in fighting fire, the powder causes corrosion. Vandals recently sprayed a Grade 1 listed church interior with a dry powder extinguisher and as a result scaffolding has had to be erected to clean every inch of the church to ensure no corrosion occurred. The work included dismantling the organ. A combination of Co2 and water extinguishers, rather than dry powder, is the recommended option.
Good deals on maintenance:
Chubb Fire Ltd, Major Accounts Division, Manchester, operates a Fire Extinguisher Service Contract for churches. Contract services are offered at a price of £6 per unit from now until 31 March 2009. If you deal with a Chubb service engineer make sure your PCC is on a Major Accounts Contract as other Chubb branches contracts can be more expensive.

Soaring metal prices attract thieves to church Top [DON Oct/Nov 06]
An attempt was made to remove the lightning conductor at Bulwick on 11 September. This followed previous attacks by thieves after copper. The price of copper has soared on international markets to the point where stealing it is worth the risks of climbing onto church roofs and towers.

The thieves at Bulwick were identified as two men, said to be aggressive, thought to be using small red lorry. Registration Number N955 XDB. Please keep your eyes and ears open and report anything suspicious to the Police immediately. Ecclesiastical Insurance has received more than 90 claims in just over four months for theft of lead, copper and other metals from churches.

Beware of workmen bearing tarmac Top [DON Oct/Nov 06]
A church in Wellingborough Deanery has recently been conned into signing a contract for resurfacing a path in the churchyard. The contractor assured the Churchwarden that the Incumbent had authorised the work the previous week and now he "just needed a signature to go ahead".

The result is an invoice that the PCC cannot afford to pay, threatening conversations with the contractor and unnecessary work in the churchyard for which the PCC did not have permission from the Archdeacon or a Faculty. Please do not commit to work unless you have both written permission and total confidence that the contractor has been approached by the PCC. Do not assume that wearing a badge or having a letterhead means the contractor is trustworthy; these things can be run off on the simplest computer and made to look very official.

Churches Main Committee Circulars Top [DON Oct/Nov 06]
The Churches Main Committee Circulars are a mine of information about legal matters and regulation. A list of the topics covered since 1980 is available online at: www.cmainc.org.uk (click on Circulars). Some of the Circulars deal with the subject in depth. Others contain briefer references or summaries of developments. Some are booklets for sale, which contain full guidance on the subjects which they cover. Others can be sent on request to 020 7898 1861. The more recent ones, from the year 2000 onwards, can be e-mailed.

Don’t forget that a great deal of useful information, including DAC guidance notes, is available on the Peterborough Diocesan Registry website: www.peterboroughdiocesanregistry.co.uk/dac.html

New Big Lottery scheme could fund church building improvements [DON Aug/Sept 2006] Top
On 11 July the Big Lottery Fund launched its Community Buildings Programme which will make £50 million available over three years to improve, replace or introduce a building into a community that provides services and activities to meet the needs of a range of people.

Faith based community organisations and church-based faith organisations are amongst those eligible to apply. Grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 are available. The grants are intended to broaden access to and increase the use of existing services; create a greater number and wider range of new services; improve opportunities for the community to access a wide range of learning; and improve the skills, knowledge and capacity to respond to community needs. Applications need to demonstrate accessibility and the meaningful involvement of the local community in both the use and management of their building.

Applications to the Community Buildings programme will be assessed in two stages and applicants wanting to apply for a grant, must submit their first stage application form by 30 April 2007. Guidance notes and application forms are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

There is a special guidance note for church-based faith organisations on pages 24 and 25 of the Programme Guidance notes. Currently, this guidance is a little ambiguous and officers at Church House are seeking clarification. They have also asked to see a copy of the contract that will need to be signed if a grant is awarded, to check that it takes into account the particularities of the church.

Fire! Be ready for October deadline [DON, Aug/Sept 2006] Top
As reported in the last issue of DON, the Fire Regulations are changing with effect from 1 October 2006. This affects all places of worship and all PCCs will have to nominate a responsible individual and undertake a fire risk assessment. A set of guidance notes is available in advance of the changes coming into force and all PCCs should get hold of a copy and implement the requirements.

Fire Safety Risk Assessment - Small and Medium Places of Assembly
Published: 5 June 2006. ISBN: 978 1 85112 820 4. Price: £12 (or free from website - see below).
This guide is for all employers, managers, occupiers, and owners of small (accommodating up to 60 people) and medium (accommodating up to 300 people) places of assembly including churches and other religious centres.

On the internet you will find it at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1162110
Or call the Enquiry Helpdesk on 020 7944 4400. They are open between 8.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday. The guide can be printed off the website freely.

Change to Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme [DON April/May 2006] Top

There has been an important change in the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. Mr Geoff Heap, a PCC Treasurer in Chester Diocese,is challenging the restrictive interpretations of eligible drainage works. This has resulted in a change of policy.

Briefly, the original claim for VAT reclamation was ineligible as it related to “external drainage”. However, Mr Heap pointed out that in the original notes for eligible expenditure (note 3.3, repair or maintenance) the fabric of a protected building includes drainage, and that drainage is not listed among the items deemed ineligible.

In reply to Mr Heap, Mr Mark Smith from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) stated: “In the light of your query, we have agreed to review our policy and conclude that as long as work carried out on drainage is within the boundary of the church, such as in your case, it should be deemed eligible under the LPW Scheme.”

Peterborough DAC hopes this news will be of encouragement to PCCs. If you have any issues with LPW Scheme over drainage, do quote this case. Equally, this demonstrates that good reasoning does have an impact on the way the Scheme is interpreted, so please argue your case with DCMS and let the DAC office know the outcome. DAC Office: 01733 887026

A PCC's responsibilities under the 2003 Licensing Act [DON April/May 2006] Top

Many PCCs have contacted the Diocesan Office to make enquiries about the impact of the Licensing Act on parish life. Whilst PCCs do not need an entertainments licence for events in the church building, they may for events in church halls or elsewhere. There is no exemption in respect of alcohol.

The following notes are based on a leaflet issued by the Northamptonshire Licensing Partnership, and research undertaken on behalf of Oundle PCC by Alan Rayden (to whom thanks are due).

However, this article can only give pointers and PCCs should consult their local licensing authority for official guidance and necessary application forms. A copy of the Act and associated guidance can be found at www.culture.gov.uk

Temporary Event Notices

The Act introduces a system of permitted temporary activities. This involves the event organiser in giving a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to the licensing authority and copying this to the police. TENs can be used to authorise relatively small-scale, ad hoc events in or on any premises and involving no more than 499 people at any one time.

The premises user must, no later than 10 working days before the day on which the event is to start, give duplicate copies of the notice to the relevant licensing authority, together with a fee of £21. A copy of the notice must be sent to the relevant chief officer of police at the same time.
Anyone aged 18 or over can give a maximum of five TENs per year. No more than twelve TENs can be given in respect of any particular premises, covering 15 days, in a year. Each event covered by a TEN can last up to 96 hours, but there must be a minimum of 24 hours between events in the same premises. In terms of the Act, “premises” means any place, whether indoors or outdoors.

Serving alcohol

It appears that a licence is not required if a person brings their own alcohol or it is given away at an event. However, a licence is required if tickets are sold and alcohol is included in the price, or when alcohol is given away but donations are accepted. It is the responsibility of the user of the premises to give a TEN, and the person who applies is responsible for the event.

Timing

PCCs need to be careful about the number and timing of TENs. Remember that it is not possible for one event to finish at 9.30pm one day and another to start before 9.30pm the next.

Careful planning is needed to ensure that non-PCC bodies using PCC premises are not giving TENs that will “use up” the 12 TENS per year allowance, thereby limiting the PCC’s opportunities to hold events.

Where to find out more or make applications

For Kettering Borough Council, East Northants Council, South Northants Council, Borough Council of Wellingborough, Daventry District Council and Corby Borough Council you can make enquiries at:

Email: licensingunit@east-northamptonshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01832 742 102
Website: www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/ppimageupload/Image8462.PDF

For other local licensing authorities in the diocese call:
Northampton Borough Council, 01604 838750. Mr B Sturgess
Peterborough City Council, 01733 747474. Jane Bosworth
Rutland Council, 01572 722577
See also: www.rutland.gov.uk/ppimageupload/Image21279.PDF

This information is offered in good faith but PCCs must not consider that this is a legal opinion or that it is in any way a substitute for advice from the local authorities.

Working at height regulations do apply to churches [DON September/October 2005] Top

The 2005 Working at Height Regulations apply equally to church buildings as to other settings. The Regulations specify that any work at height must be properly planned and appropriately supervised. Work must not be carried out at height where it is reasonably practicable to carry it out in a safer way. For example, light fittings could be taken down for cleaning and repair, rather than worked on in situ.

When it is essential to carry out work at height, reasonable measures must be taken to prevent a person falling far enough to cause personal injury. If access is regularly required at high level, for example to clear gutters or maintain parapets and roofs, the installation of fall arrest systems may be necessary.

Using ladders safely

Schedule 6 of the Regulations states that ladders may only be used for work at height if a risk assessment, under regulation 3 of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations, has been carried out. This must demonstrate that the use of more suitable work equipment is not justified. The reasons for this may be the low risk and short duration of use, or existing features on site which cannot be altered.

Ladders must be placed on firm surfaces to provide support so that the rungs remain horizontal. They should be positioned to ensure stability during use. Portable ladders must be prevented from slipping by securing the stiles at, or near, their upper or lower ends by using an anti-slip mat or other effective stability device, or any other arrangement of equivalent effectiveness.

Ladders used for access must be long enough to protrude sufficiently above the place of landing to which they provide access, unless other measures have been taken to ensure a firm handhold.

More information

More information from the HSE, guide no INDG401form www.hse.gov.uk
The guide Falls from Height can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e051/33.htm

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