Attending: Davie Newton, Jo Firminger, Danny Gorman, Corinna Calder, Reagan Nunn, Tom Dalziel, Sam Gardener, Ben and Jenny Ruddle, John Cocker, Andrew Baldrey, Helen Evemy, Trisha Birch, Jane Hollowood, Fiona Lennie
Apologies: Tom Harris, Richard Williamson
Declarations of Interest: None
Minutes of Previous Meetings inc. single item agenda meetings
September Board Meeting minutes – Approved.
Matters arising
Actions from Last Meeting- None
Accountant letter – on agenda
Appointment of directors- Sam Gardner and Danny Gorman. Appointed as replacement directors and as such will have to stand again next year.
AP- Corinna Calder to inform companies’ house.
Updates
Knoydart Climate Action Group Update – No Update
Deer Management Update– No Update
Ranger Service Update– No Update
Knoydart Trading Update– Trading is now forecast to make a profit of £12K this year which may increase with the sale of the Hilux. There will be no significant donation to KF in this financial year.
KRL update– Tom Dalziel, interim KRL chair, presented update.
- Kyle Smith of Energy Mutual contracted for the operations manager position.
- Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Reports will be distributed monthly.
- Frank has stood down. AP- Corinna Calder to inform companies’ house.
- Quarterly board meetings will be open to members of the community
- Working with local energy Scotland to formalise grant offer for network resilience project.
- Display for community land week and offering trip to the turbine house- next Thursday.
- Shortlisted for Scottish green energy awards in Edinburgh on the 30th November for the best community project award.
- Accounting will use foundation services in the short term and plan to review going forward.
Foundation Office update– Written Report Available
IT update– Written Report Available.
Items for decision
- Landowner commitment statements. Signed off by Davie Newton on behalf of KF. Written Document available.
- Date of meeting re plot eligibility. – Calum Wilsons plot. 01.11.2023 @6pm in Hall
Reports
Accommodation Project Officer report– Written Report Available- Sara Donald went through at meeting.
- Milburn design unchanged except woodsheds added
Preliminary findings from flood risk- some risk at east side of cottage- 22mm- based on extreme event from the sea and moderate event from Milburn. – Recommendations outlined in report.
- Chris Curry- West Highland Construction in Arisaig new contractor that may be a possibility for workers accommodation.
AP- Davie Newton to contact John Leyshon regarding final grant letter for workers accommodation.
- SD discussing VAT claimable on funding. KF have had VAT registration in place from 1st October 2023 and effectively VAT registered since December 2021.
AP- Sara Donald to let EQ know about VAT claim.
- EPC deadline 2028- all properties need to be D by 2025 and C by 2028. Even some of the new properties are E as they use electric heating, and this lowers rating- doesn’t take into account hydro.
- Sara Donald looking for clarity regarding her responsibilities over housing maintenance. Day to day maintenance VS upgrading properties to meet government reform.
AP- Meeting to be arranged with SD, Board and CC to discuss. SD to provide board with her availability.
- SD asks if directors are happy for her to claim ferry and phone expenses through funding. Also, a percentage of stationary costs can go through her funding including desk rental. SD asks if directors are happy for her to claim ferry and phone expenses through funding. Also, a percentage of stationary costs can go through her funding including desk rental.
- Jennifer for HIE said KF could get assistance for digital overview
- SD question if there is an easier way to report to accountants regarding specific funding. And how funding is dealt with in accounts- to be added to meeting agenda.
Items for discussion:
Financial Position and accounts/minimal info for board- Looking at £85K deficit over the year. Includes £30K to KRL. No real income from KT over the last 2 years. Making small savings as go through the systems, unlikely to have a significant impact. Accountants are still not overly productive with information. Need to sit down and redesign the cost centers. If change to a cost center then loose the comparison with previous year. JF doesn’t feel that there is a major problem with some of them but a lot of them are meaningless. Discussion of how to sort this moving forward.
AP- DN to arrange a working group to look at finances.
Decision- JF to explain balance sheet at every meeting.
A balance sheet explains financial position at any point in time. Up to date is not always accurate as some accounting practices still to happen.
End Aug 23- £49,000 in cash. £255,000 in reserves. Outstanding debtors £40,000. Money in- VAT to reclaim for current year expected but no figure yet (need to check with Jim if fencing funding VAT has been claimed). Money to pay out £32,000 interco owed to trading. £25,000 advanced deposits received for stalking, some for 2024- approx. £5,000. KF is solvent currently.
- Management letter and reply- End of audit letter from Auditors. Replied and signed off.
- Budgets. AP- Corinna Calder to ask managers for budgets for 2024.
- Restricted and designated funds particularly Ranger designated fund. Ranger fund holds 82K of 250K in reserves. There is more profit in this cost center than there used to be as camping is now in it. Suggestion (DN) that want to change this.
AP- Ask accountants what’s the best way to do this and still cover future ranger salaries. All that need to do to undesignated it is to minute it. Will come up with solution and minute that.
- . National Parks – Lochaber asking if Knoydart interested in putting name to an application. Board agrees that there is a need to understand the implications of it and where the push is coming from. If land manager (Jim brown) / ranger/ grant don’t want to do it, then won’t proceed with it.
- Masts/Ofcom letter- deferred to next meeting/email. Gatley Hamer have still not paid for our time.
- Recruitment – identify needs. Within a month of Louise leaving, the office needs will be identified, and a job role produced/ advertised.
Items for information only
Place plans- Scottish Government. Extension until September 2024 of deadline for local development plans.
AP- DG to make aspirational list and look into place plans to see what’s needed.
AOB
Working Groups/ Important things to do:
- Domestic Leases
- Employment Contracts incl. casual and links with housing. Lots of knowledge in community
AP- CC to identify where things are currently.
Landlord registration number. Landlord forums may have useful information to help with this. Scottish Land and Estates have a knowledge base also.
Next Meeting: 20.11.23 at 6pm at Hall.
