Minutes of Annual General Meeting

Sunday 3^rd November 2018

Tolroy Manor Cornwall 

Present           Liz Ashenden              Chairman

David Lappin              Secretary

Arthur Saunders          Treasurer

Site Representatives:   Ted Hand,

Kaye O’Neill

Nick Muller

Attendance     65 Members

Apologies        82

Madam Chairman opened the meeting at 2pm and thanked all for attending.

Minutes

Madam Chairman asked the meeting to approve the Minutes of the Spring meeting held on 18^th March 2018.  Arthur Saunders proposed the approval and was seconded by Mike O’Neill

The Secretary also offered a warm welcome to members who have made that extra effort to support CMOA today.

Matters Arising

Welcome to our holiday home – Notice

The Secretary confirmed that JFH sites were now using the new version advising visitors that the property was privately owned. JFH kindly organised the printing and distribution of the new notice.

Service Providers list

Members who provided updated information were thanked and all members were reminded to keep providing details of trades people used and recommended, to the Secretary. Also to remove ones who are no longer trading.  Keeping the list up to date will enable all members to benefit.

Pet Income

The Secretary was able to confirm owners allowing pets will receive a statement each year of the income allocated to their account. This process will now be a standard feature of JFH accounts.  Pet Income statements are not currently provided for Kenegie Manor owners.

It has been agreed that Kenegie owners allowing pets will be provided with the information on the booking statement as from season 2019.

Wi- Fi

There has been no further update on Wi-Fi distribution on the JFH sites, however the Secretary was pleased to report that Kenegie Manor now has fully operational Wi-Fi covering 90% of the site so far.

Chairman’s Report

Madam Chairman opened her address by reminding members of the importance of CMOA and the role that each and everyone of us play to get the most out of the association. Madam Chairman informed the meeting that today the agenda will deviate from normal protocol with Ted Hand starting off with a presentation on “Our CMOA – The future”

Election of Officers will start with site representatives before election of Chairman – Treasurer and Secretary.

Please refer to Chairman’s report.

Treasurer’s Report

Annual Accounts for the Year Ended 31^st March 2018

The accounts show a loss for the year of £165.00.  This is due to a fall in the number of members resulting in lower subscription receipts combined with higher costs in particular for printing, postage and stationery.

The current bank balances are as follows:

National Westminster Bank             £  1,262.00

Britannia Building Society              £18,369.00

Total                                                £19,631.00

There are still some members who have not paid for the current year. The Treasurer announced he was happy to accept payments after the meeting if anyone would like to pay today. Members were reminded that if they were paying by bank transfer please make certain that your name and membership number are clearly shown so that I can send you your receipt and sticker.

I would like to thank Mike O’Neill for his kind help in checking the accounts of the Association the past year.

Please refer to annual accounts enclosed

Our CMOA – The future

To start the ball rolling Ted Hand has kindly agreed to address the strengths and weaknesses of the association.

Ted began by emphasising that CMOA wasn’t his or other members of the committee, it was for each and every member and collectively it was our CMOA.  He then provided a power point presentation dealing with all the attributes of CMOA as outlined below.

Ted ended his presentation by urging all to make greater use the CMOA website in particular using the forum to record their experiences good or bad for the mutual benefit of all.

Madam Chairman thanked Ted for his most valuable contribution and presentation.

Election of Officers 

Madam Chairman made a plea to the meeting for volunteers to serve as site representatives to replace the ones lost.

Madam Chairman then went on to explain that long serving members have had to stand down as they were longer owners and others had work commitments that prevented from giving the attention they wished to give as a site representative.

All were thanked for their service.

Nominations

St. Ives – David Toman

Kenegie – Mike Beresford

Tolroy – Jana Britton

Tolroy – Martin Dale

At this stage no members from Perran View were able to offer their services.  Nick Muller and Kaye O’Neill agreed to continue to represent Perran View and Kenegie respectively.

Madam Chairman informed the meeting that at some point she would have to stand down as she would be selling her property and therefore asked for a member to think about taking over the role.  Full support would be provided for the new Chairperson to ensure a smooth transition.  Madam Chairman agreed to continue in the role for the time being and would keep members informed if a sale was imminent.

Secretary again informed the meeting of his desire to stand down and hand the role on to somebody, explaining that he had been in the role far too long and was running out of steam. He again reiterated that full support would be provided for the new Secretary to ensure a smooth transition.

Treasurer agreed to continue in office.

The meeting elected all by acclaim.

Changes to Constitution

The Secretary announced that two changes to the constitution were being introduced today.

Subscriptions

Members who in the past have joined from January have paid part of the annual subscription before paying the full amount on the 1^st April.  Since the introduction of credit/debit card payments via PayPal on CMOA website it has not been possible for an amount less that the annual fee to be made. The Treasurer proposes members joining from January and paying the normal subscription will not have to renew until 1^st April of the following year and that the constitution wording be changed to reflect this.

Subscriptions: existing constitution clause 4

1. The annual subscription shall be that voted upon and carried at the General             Meeting each year.

b.         Subscriptions shall become payable on 1^st April each year.  Members joining at other times will pay the full subscription except when joining in March when membership will start from the next April.   Non-payment of

subscriptions within 3 months after the due date will automatically disqualify membership.

Amendment to clause 4

1. Subscriptions shall become payable on 1^st April each year. Members joining at other times will pay the full subscription except when joining from January onwards when membership will be valid until April the following year.  Non-payment of subscriptions within 3 months after due date will automatically disqualify membership.

Amendment proposed by Arthur Saunders and seconded by John Bennett.

Madam Chairman then called for a show of hands to adopt the amendment which was carried unanimously.

Additional clause to constitution

General Data Protection Act – GDPR

The Secretary reminded the meeting of the changes to the Data Protection Act that came into force on 25^th May 2018. In that all clubs, associations etc. who hold member’s details electronically must comply with GDPR. In order to comply member’s data must be held securely with controlled access. Member’s information is held by the Treasurer and Secretary. The Treasurer is deemed to be the controller and has access to all information supplied by the member.  The Secretary is deemed to be the operator and has limited access to holding only names and addresses on a database. Security protection and data back-up storage is also required.

It is a requirement of membership to agree to CMOA holding the information and documented proof has to be held.

A compliance form was posted to all members to complete and return to the Treasurer. Unfortunately not all members have done so. A new form to complete will be sent to members who have failed to return the original.

New clause 6.-  Data Protection

Members data shall be protected and safeguarded in accordance with the General Data Protection Act 25^th May 2018.

Madam Chairman called for a show of hands to adopt this new clause.  The meeting voted unanimously in favour.  Please refer to amended Constitution attached.

Changes to JFH owner accounts

During the past few years dissatisfaction has been growing amongst more recent owners and some of longer standing ones who let their property through JFH in regards to the transparency of the income statements and the clarity of the surcharge.  CMOA has been working hard to persuade JFH to change the system.  At last it has now been agreed to revert to pre 2007 accounting which excluded the surcharge feature.

Existing Structure

• Amount – Gross amount of letting income
• Surcharge – 20% Handling/Admin charge
• Commission – 18% of total gross letting income
• Cleaning
• Linen
• Net – Amount due to owner after deductions

Proposed Structure

• Amount – Gross amount of letting income
• Commission – 22% of total gross letting income
• Facilities Charge – £25.00 per booking per week (£15.00 applied for short breaks)
• Cleaning
• Linen
• Net – Amount due to owner after deductions

The new system will be in place for season commencing 2020. Net income after all charges should equate to the net income currently received.

Dealing with complaints

Ted Hand proposed a procedure in dealing with complaints and issues that can get out of hand, if the member cannot resolve it amicably with the management of the site.

All CMOA committee members offer their services to help members resolve issues that cannot be dealt with easily.

Ted recommended that in order to achieve a positive outcome expediently the following procedure should be adopted.

Letting Income JFH & MJL (2017/18)

Comparison Figures 2017/18

After going through the letting income figures the Secretary wished to address two other items that were not on the main agenda.

Business Rates

In the budget statement announced by the Chancellor Philip Hammond on Monday 29^th October is a change to business rate valuations.  Business rates will now be revalued every 3 years instead of 5 years.  The next revaluation will be 2022.

Business Rate Relief

The majority of members claiming business rates enjoy 100% relief, therefore paying zero rates. Some members who have more than one holiday property do not enjoy the same benefit.  However for the next 2 years from 1^st April 2019 the business rates payable will be reduced by one-third providing the rateable value is less than £51,000.

Building and Contents Insurance

Members insuring their properties through JFH’s broker Arthur J Gallagher have been advised of a payment change for this year.  JFH will no longer renew insurance on an owner’s behalf and charge to owners account. Policy renewal documents will be sent to the owner directly by Gallagher with payment direct to them. An explanatory letter was sent out in September, but some members did not receive it and others did not take the appropriate action leaving them uninsured in October. It is important to note that Gallagher’s policy does not give a rebuild figure as it refers to Caravans and Chalets. Most buildings on the 4 CMOA sites are brick built. CMOA has been assured the policy covers rebuild with no set limit.  If a member wishes to have such a statement included in the policy, please contact Gallagher direct and they will issue a confirmation letter.

The system for payment for Kenegie members has not changed. MJL will pay the premium on behalf of the owner and debit the owner’s account in the usual way.

Side Meetings

Perran View – Nick Muller (Please refer to Judith Hassel site report)

Nick Muller reported that Perran was running very smoothly and Amanda was doing an excellent job.

Car Park – a section of the car park has now been re-surfaced and has made a big improvement to the parking area, giving a better impression to visitors. The grounds, hedges and grassed areas are immaculate.

Entertainment area and bar – there is a major problem with the sound proofing of the venue and a considerable investment is required to resolve the problem or their music licence will be revoked. Unfortunately due to this additional cost there are no funds available this year for other improvement schemes.

Cladding

The programme of cladding the front facade of properties is well under way.  Initially there was some resistance from owners to invest, but now the take up is in excess of 75%. Properties without cladding look very dowdy.

Pets

Fouling of common areas by dogs and owners failing to clean up is proving to be an increasing nuisance and health hazard.  Amanda and her staff will increase efforts to make pet owner aware of their responsibilities.

St. Ives – Ted Hand – David Toman Please refer to site report (David Toman)

David  reported that St. Ives had won a bronze award as one of the best park/village in Cornwall.

Smoking

There is evidence that smoking by visitors in properties is increasing. No smoking notices will be re-issued and displayed in a prominent position.

Bus Service

The Bus Service Ted Hand was instrumental in establishing for the beginning and end of season has not met the agreed objectives. Ted has kindly agreed to re-address this with the bus company.

Parking

Vehicle parking is problematic during the busy season as spaces are not allocated. This is being addressed with the company development team.

Tolroy Manor – Jana Britton

Jana gave a brief report having just volunteered as a Tolroy representative and informed the meeting that Tolroy has also received a David Bellamy green parks silver award.

Bin Bays

Housing bays for household and recycling bins have now been installed. Clear signage is provided for waste disposal.

Parking

Parking of vehicles at Strawberry Hill is now more organised by fencing off the designated areas.

Seagulls

Permission has now been granted to keep the Seagull population under control, by removing eggs from nests.

Kenegie Manor– Kaye O’Neill

Kaye reported on items that were discussed by the Kenegie group.

Wi-Fi

The news that at last the site now has virtual Wi-Fi coverage was well received. The Barns area does not enjoy this benefit yet due to technical difficulties associated with the stone building construction.

The payment of and control is provided by Club Wi-Fi Limited, who operate on a number of holiday parks in Cornwall and Devon. There are a variety of payment options for usage available from Club Wi-Fi, however due to the large capital outlay by MJL it is desired that all owners subscribe to the service on annual basis.

Members letting through MJL will have their properties promoted as having free Wi-Fi and this will be an added benefit to the renter and property owner. Very few holiday parks are offering this facility at the present time.

Pet Income will appear on booking statements as from March 2019

Owners Booking Portal

Since the acquisition of Kenegie by MJL, CMOA has been trying to get the facility previously provided by JFH re-instated. Since then many promises have been made by MJL which have not been fulfilled.  A new date has now been promised to provide owners with a booking portal rather than having contact site for an email update to be sent.  The magic date is Easter Monday 22^nd April 2019.  Members will be kept updated on progress.

Lighting during winter months

During the winter period 2017/18 owners complained of poor or no lighting around the site. CMOA has received an assurance that adequate lighting will be maintained during this winter 2018/19.

Breakages/Damage

MJL management will make every effort to secure payment from visitors who break or damage items in an owner’s property during their stay.  One owner present reported that they had been recompensed for damage to a bed.

TV Reception

Distribution of TV signals around the park is not good enough and is causing picture break-up or loss of picture with owners and visitors complaining.  MJL do not consider they have a responsibility for the TV system and are therefore not liable for any costs. The solution is probably re-engineering of the system at considerable cost. MJL has no desire to have individual externally mounted aerials festooning the site, however members present stated that MJL were having external aerials installed. One member was charged £182.00 without being consulted.  On the face of it this is an excessive charge and exceeds the £100.00 spend limit without authorisation.  The Secretary agreed to pursue the matter with MJL.

Dilapidated outbuilding

Behind the swimming pool area lies an old stone single storey outbuilding with a crumbling roof. Members have complained that this is an eyesore and off- putting to visitors. Ed Newbold acknowledged the situation and said it was in theirs plans to demolish.

General Discussion

As there were no further items to discuss Madam Chairman closed the meeting by thanking members present for their support and also to thank Gavin and his staff for providing the facilities of Tolroy for CMOA AGM.

Next meeting – Sunday 17^th March 2019 – Swindon