Cornish Manor Owners’ Association
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 16th November 2013 at St. Ives Holiday Village Cornwall
Present Jean Tolchard Chairman
Michael O’Neill Vice Chairman/Membership Secretary
David Lappin Secretary
Trevor Healing Treasurer
Site Representatives: Paul Hunter, Barrie Hockley, Liz Ashenden,
Sandie Newberry, Anne Earl, Simon Arkell, Ted Hand,
Christopher Nell
Attendance 90 Members
Apologies 92
Madam Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed all for attending including our new members.
Before proceeding with the normal agenda the Secretary took the opportunity to give a visual tour of CMOA website. The demonstration was a live visual projected display and highlighted the features and benefit of each section. Members are urged to visit CMOA website on a frequent basis to keep up with the latest developments and to use the members forum.
Matters Arising
Accommodation Grading System
At the Spring meeting members were informed of an accommodation rating system that had been introduced. CMOA were critical of the system as it took no account of the condition of the accommodation and lumped properties into arbitrary categories of Gold, Silver and Bronze. JFH were asked to revisit the project. This has been done and a new system of grading will be introduced for next season. Each property let through JFH has or will be assessed on the standard of accommodation i.e. furniture and fittings plus standard of décor. It has been agreed that each site manager will inform the owner of the grading awarded and how to achieve a higher grading if that is required. The brochure price will then reflect the grading for the property.
Perran View
At the Spring meeting it was reported that a number of improvements had been carried over the winter period and early bookings were showing an increase on the previous year. CMOA had requested improvements to the reception entrance foyer. Ideally to knock down the existing structure and replace with a new one. Due to budget constraints that cannot be achieved in the short term, so Gavin is going to refurbish as much as he can to make it more attractive and welcoming. Owners have complained about the external appearance of properties, which due to its location takes the full force of whatever the weather has to offer. The proposed remedy is to repaint the exterior; however it needs all owners to agree. Gavin now has new cost proposals which will be put to owners for approval. He considers it will make a vast improvement to the external appearance and will be attractive to visitors.
St.Ives
Members were disappointed that Ray Rushforth had decided to retire as he done a sterling job on the turnaround of St. Ives and they were concerned that his hard work would be undone. St. Ives has seen a couple of changes in management this year, but now Matt Mitchell has been appointed and has been busy making improvements, which he will discuss with members.
Tolroy Manor
Praise was heaped onto Kevin and his team for their excellent work at Tolroy. Members did raise issues about recycling and repair/replacement charges.
Recycling – this has now been addressed with the provision of recycling bins around the site.
Charges – Kevin has agreed the following:
- Items costing over £100 that need to be replaced, then the owner will be contacted for approval
- Items less than £100 will be replaced as required during the season. The old item will be retained for inspection, which may be subject to a guarantee claim.
Kevin has further plans which will be discussed with owners.
Kenegie Manor
The focus of attention at the Spring meeting covered the possible buy-out by owners. At the meeting a working party was established made up of owners who have relevant business skills. A separate report will be issued to Kenegie owners. Since the spring meeting Heather and Paul have resigned and Kevin has assumed responsibility for Kenegie as well as Tolroy. A number of changes have been implemented during the year and he will discuss future plans and ideas with members.
Chairman’s report – see attached
In her speech the Chairman said it was to be her last and reflected the time she had spent in that role and was pleased in the way CMOA has developed and barriers have been broken down; annual meetings with Martyn Fowler and site managers attending the AGM, plus better communication with and between members through the CMOA website. As Chairman she was proud to have overseen the celebration of 21 years of CMOA.
Madam Chairman paid tribute to John Youdell and Mike O’Neill having also decided to retire from the committee after representing members’ interests for many years. John has given 15 years of his time to look after his fellow owners on Perran View and Mike has given 20 years of his time to serve in various roles over the years and his last as Vice-chairman and membership Secretary.
A thunderous applause was award to all of them.
Treasurer’s report
The Treasurer took the meeting step by step through CMOA audited accounts for the year ended 31st March 2013. He paid attention to extraordinary items in the accounts relating to the 21st Birthday celebration held in November 2012 and explained the money raised by the raffle and ticket sales was presented as a donation to the RNLI.
The Secretary then asked the Treasurer to clarify the situation with funds held on deposit with the Britannia Building Society which is part of the Co-operative Bank, who have been experiencing funding difficulties.
The Treasurer confirmed he had sought and received assurance that monies on deposit were covered by the FSCS compensation scheme which protects deposits up to £85.000.
Election of Offices
As required by CMOA constitution all committee members are required to stand down at the AGM and can if they wish stand for re-election.
1) Chairman – Mrs Jean Tolchard announced her retirement at the last meeting and would not be standing for re-election. Mrs Elizabeth Ashenden was nominated by John Bennett and seconded by Les Rose. As there were no nominations from the floor Mrs Elizabeth Ashenden was duly elected Chairman.
2) Vice-Chairman – Mr Mike O’Neill announced his retirement after serving 20 years in various capacities on the committee. Mrs Jean Tolchard was nominated by Liz Ashenden and seconded by Ted Hand. As there were no nominations from the floor Mrs Jean Tolchard was duly elected Vice-Chairman.
3) Membership Secretary- Mr Mike O’Neill also stood down from this combined role. Mrs Anne Earl was nominated by Ted Hand and seconded by Richard Ashenden. As there were no nominations from the floor Mrs Anne Earl was duly elected Membership Secretary.
4) Secretary – Mr David Lappin announced that he did not wish to be re-elected, however no nominations were received prior to the AGM and no other nominations received from the meeting. In view of this the Secretary agreed to continue in role for a further 12 months to ensure the smooth running and continuity of CMOA. He explained to the meeting that he was not standing down for the sake of it, but having been in the role for number of years it is important that new Secretary takes over with fresh ideas to keep moving CMOA forward. There must be someone among our members who has the enthusiasm to do this? Mr David Lappin was nominated by acclaim and duly re-elected as Secretary.
5) Treasurer MrTrevor Healing agreed to continue as Treasurer, but informed the meeting that after many years in this role and reaching his 80th Birthday this would be the last year of his tenureship.
6) Site Representatives
Perran View
Mr John Youdell has represented Perran members for the past 15 years and has decided to stand down. Two nominations were received to represent Perran, Mrs Judith Hasell and Mr Nick Muller. Both nominees were elected by acclaim as site representatives for Perran View.
St. Ives
Mr Ted Hand, Mrs Sandie Newberry and Mrs Anne Earl agreed to continue to represent St. Ives members and were duly re-elected.
Tolroy Manor
Mr Christopher Nell and Mr Simon Arkell agreed to continue to represent Tolroy members and were duly elected.
Kenegie Manor
Mr Paul Hunter and Mr Barrie Hockley agreed to continue to represent Kenegie members and were duly elected.
Committee 2013/14
Chairman Liz Ashenden
Vice-Chairman Jean Tolchard
Membership Secretary Anne Earl
Secretary David Lappin
Treasurer Trevor Healing
Site Representatives
Kenegie Paul Hunter, Barrie Hockley
Perran Judith Hasell, Nick Muller
Tolroy Simon Arkell, Christopher Nell
St. Ives Sandie Newbury, Ted Hand, Anne Earl
List of committee members attached
TV Licences
Thanks to Kevin Waite, Tolroy owners letting through JFH scheme enjoyed a reduction in TV Licence fee this year. Kevin was able to organise a Hotel licence permit which is based on multiple users covered by the standard licence fee of £145.50. This has worked out to £40 plus Vat to each owner saving £105.50. The scheme is now being extended to Kenegie through Kevin and Martyn has agreed the inclusion of Perran and St. Ives.
The Hotel scheme is only available to owners who use the JFH letting scheme.
In due course you will be notified of the licence details held by JFH as this is required to claim exemption from the normal domestic TV licence scheme.
Important – If your licence is due for renewal before the new scheme comes into force then it is wise to pay as you could be deemed to be operating without a licence and be hit with a £1000 fine. If you have paid the licence in full then you can claim for a refund of the balance. All you need to do is go online to the TV licence site and print off the refund form, complete it and send it back.
Matt at St. Ives and Gavin at Perran will organise the licence on behalf of owners letting through JFH.
Emails
When the good news about TV licences came to the fore there was a flurry of emails bouncing around with everyone’s email address being exposed. As this was being done through CMOA, we were in contravention of the Data Protection Act which prevents the exposure of people’s personal data, if they have not given prior consent.
It also exposed peoples computers to Cyber-attack, scam emails etc. The Secretary explained that the CMOA email address was on the list and scam emails were being received, some reporting that other CMOA members were on holiday and had been mugged, losing money, passport etc. and could money be transferred out to them urgently. Most members would have experienced this type of email before.
What to do.
If you have a need to contact a group of owners then it is wise to send it BCC. This way allwill receive it, however individual addresses will not be exposed.
Any emails you receive from CMOA will come this way.
Business Rates
During the past 3 years those who pay business rates have enjoyed 100% rate relief, therefore not paying anything. You may be aware of press debates recently, as to how unfair and damaging business rates are for high street businesses. The government has decided to abandon the 5 year rate review due in 2015. Therefore it seems likely that the current business rate relief scheme wil be maintained for the life of this parliament i.e. until May 2015.
Water Rates
Thanks to one of our members who spotted an announcement by South West Water saying people could claim a £50 rebate on their water bill. The reason for the rebate which is not being made by any other water company is due to special legislation introduced in Parliament. The £50 rebate is aimed at addressing the perceived unfairness of 3% of the English and Welsh population living in South West water area having to fund the clean-up of 33% of the country’s bathing waters. As a result of this work South West Water customers were paying the highest water charges in the country and the Government felt that this was unfair and enabled this legislation to allow Government to fund the rebate to South West Water customers.
John Fowler Holidays are the re-seller of water to us and so they have now applied for the rebate on our behalf. It is envisaged that this money will be credited to your account at the end of the year. Now there is good and bad news. The good news is this rebate will be paid each year until 2020. The bad news is that it appears to be only available to Council Tax payers, so if you pay business rates then you might not qualify, however we are waiting further clarification.
Action: D Lappin
Side Meetings
The respective Park Managers kindly agreed to attend the Q & A sessions with each group
Kenegie Manor – Paul Hunter and Barrie Hockley – please refer to site report
David Lappin appraised the meeting on the progress of the working group in respect of the proposed buy-out. Refer to attached report for Kenegie members only.
The meeting was then joined by Kevin and his wife Carenza, (Carenza has been appointed as a JFH manager) and they outlined their plans for Kenegie next season. The Q & A session also addressed ongoing problems such as lighting, road surface and the grounds in general. Kevin has assured CMOA that all paved areas will be jet washed before the start of the new season. It was pointed out they have not been cleaned for the past two years despite promises to do so.
St. Ives – Ted Hand, Sandie Newberry and Anne Earl – please refer to site report
St. Ives reps have taken the initiative to set up bi-annual meetings with Matt Mitchell, the purpose being to address issues but more importantly to encourage owners to seek solutions rather than problems for the betterment of St. Ives as a holiday attraction. St. Ives has suffered from bad press in the past and that is difficult to shake off. Members are urged to encourage visitors who have had a good experience to report it on the likes of Trip advisor. Matt also outlined his plans during the Q & A session.
Tolroy Manor – Christopher Nell & Simon Arkell – please refer to site report
The Tolroy group raised a number of issues during the Q & A session with Kevin and Carenza. Such as:
- New grading system- It is felt that it is not objective enough and therefore greatly influenced by the opinion of the assessor.
- Contents – It is difficult to maintain standards when contents migrate or disappear from properties.
- Damp problems – An ongoing problem that is not being addressed. Please refer to Christopher Nell’s report on “Damp and Condensation in Holiday homes”
- Sea Gulls – How to deal with them
- Gutters & window cleaning – An ongoing problem, however Kevin has asked for feedback from owners as to whether they wish him to provide a service at a reasonable cost.
Perran View – Nick Muller & Judith Hasell (John Youdell) – please refer to site reports
The Perran group were full of praise for Gavin and the improvements he has achieved, notably the cleaning standards have risen. The site is looking more attractive with the grounds getting much needed attention. During the Q & A session Gavin also outlined his plans for:
- Crazy Golf
- Extension of visitors car park
- Improvements for the Showers
- Improvement in the lighting system.
- Reception/bar/arcade and dining area
Gavin discussed the painting of property exteriors with the group and informed them he had negotiated an attractive price to carry out the work, but it was dependent upon all owners’ approval and acceptance, as the properties could not be painted on an ad hoc basis. The group also raised the issue of bedding and believed the bedding would be changed to neutral colours in line with modern décor. CMOA had asked for the change, which was agreed but would be part of a programme of change. The Secretary will take the matter up again with JFH.
Action: D. Lappin
General discussion
Both Tolroy and St. Ives members discussed the problems of damp, mould and mildew etc. Christopher Nell has issued an excellent report on the problems and causes of damp in properties (report attached). Both site representatives have recommended “Dry Air” units as a good solution to the problem. There are various makes on the market as well as dehumidifiers. Attached is a leaflet on an Ecoair appliance.
No further questions were raised by the meeting. The Secretary then thanked our retiring Chairman Jean Tolchard for all the help and support she has given to him and CMOA and never failing to attend meetings particularly with Martin Fowler at the annual meeting.
CMOA new Madam Chairman closed the meeting and thanked JFH managers for their valued input as well as Matt Mitchell and his staff for looking after everybody so well. Madam Chairman also thanked all our members who attended and wished them a safe journey home.
Next meeting
The Secretary advised that next meeting would be at De-Veres Village Hotel Swindon and the date is to be advised.
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