Synopsis of the minutes of the meeting of the PCC held in Royston Parish Church
Tuesday 7 April 2026 at 7.00 p.m.
There were 14 present, the meeting was chaired by the vicar.
Being the first meeting since the APCM the vicar welcomed new members and referred to those attending in a different capacity.
The meeting was opened in prayer.
There were 6 apologies.
The minutes of the meetings of 2 March and 22 March were approved.
The proposed dates of PCC meetings were circulated.
The standing committee had taken action concerning a technology issue, its action was ratified.
There is a potential issue with the boundary, this is receiving attention.
1. Development Project (including the development of the vestry)
It was noted that the Fabric Committee had prepared a paper on development opportunities, with the aim of better accommodating Junior Church. It was intended to make a submission to grant-making bodies. It had earlier been agreed by the PCC that complete refurbishment of the vestry was a high priority, but, beyond that, a small number of possibilities are being considered.
There was further discussion about the continuing use of the vestry for Junior Church. The PCC was informed that the junior church leaders can currently cope, but that there were problems with using a space shared by so many people and that some people had indicated that they would have helped with Junior Church, but were prevented from doing so by accessibility issues, this is undergoing consideration by the fabric committee who will report again.
There was no financial report.
Other Committee Reports
a) Sustainable Living Committee
The Sustainable Living committee informed the PCC that the Energy Audit had now been completed, making a number of recommendations, notably for secondary glazing in the vestry.
She also noted that in 15 years the gas boiler would be at the end of its life. This would need to be replaced by a heat pump, at a cost of £160,000 at today’s prices.
The PCC agreed to ask the Finance Committee to consider the detail of how to build up a suitable reserve fund.
It was also agreed that solar panels should be an agenda item for a subsequent PCC meeting.
There were no questions on the committee’s Environment Policy, which was unanimously adopted.
b) Fabric Committee
The Fabric Committee reported that:
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two flickering lights over the desk in the vestry needed to be replaced.
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a flickering light in the small toilet needed to be replaced.
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emergency lighting for the stairwell to the upper room needed to be installed.
The replacement lighting would cost a total of £450 + VAT, whilst the new lighting would cost £500 + VAT. This expenditure was approved.
In the longer term we would be moving towards lighting that we could replace ourselves in both the kitchen and the vestry.
c) HR Committee
The HR committee suggested that the Safeguarding Officer should be added to the committee, joining the Vicar, one Warden and the Treasurer. This was agreed.
The safeguarding officers would be attending training at St Albans in the near future.
They would be formulating a lone working policy.
The church was pleased to receive the bell ringers’ annual report. It was agreed that the report should be amended so that it did not mention individuals by name.
One of the pianos in church is on loan and may be returned, in this case, it was agreed that a replacement should be purchased.
It was also noted that the church had recently received a legacy to cover the cost of a grand piano which is being considered.
The meeting closed with Grace.