The Etiquette of Committees

[lapwing]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, but the question does involve finance.

As a member of a committee running a village hall, I would like to have more details of the income breakdown than is currently given by the treasurer to the committee at meetings. Would it be permissible for me to approach the treasurer between meetings and put some questions? I should like to do this without having to go through the chairman.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[dzug2]

Having been the Treasurer of a Village Hall I would not have minded such an approach - not sure about the Chairman though. He does have the right to know what's going on, but he may not be concerned either.

What's the cause of your concern? Possible impropriety? To suggest improvements?

Maybe your best course is to raise it in committee - say you don't feel you have enough information to carry out your duties as a trustee (which you are) and that you would like more detailed financial statements.

The Treasurer may welcome it - it's very difficult to gauge the amount of detail needed when most of the Committee couldn't care less

[buildersmate]

I am also one of these (Treasurer) for a village hall, and echo what Dzug says.
When I took it on, I enhanced the amount of management info provided as I felt it was essential to knowing what the income and the outgoings were. We now produce a summary of the income (from letting the hall to the various clubs and societies) and the same for the outgoings, split into the big buckets of expense - energy, council tax, insurance, maintenance costs, caretaker costs, water.

[lapwing]

Thanks for the answers. Having had a very secretive Treasurer for many years, we now have a much more open situation and are gradually getting more and more information at the meetings. No impropriety is suspected but I would like breakdown of the income from hirers, which is shown as a lump sum. Is that a reasonable request?

[buildersmate]

I don't think so. I consider it critical to planning and to capacity management of the available hiring space.
We produce details of income from each of the 'regular hirers' - the clubs and societies, as well as the occasional use folks (kids' parties, one off bookings by commercial organisations).