The Public Hall is managed by Shirehampton Public Hall Association, which is a Registered Charity. It runs the Hall in partnership with the City Council. In recent years it has been very successful in attracting new users to the Hall. This has meant that the Association has taken on much more work and responsibility. At present it has the legal status of an Unincorporated Association. This is no longer appropriate for the range of activities which it now undertakes and is planning.
The Association’s Committee has decided that it should become a Company Limited by Guarantee, whilst remaining a Registered Charity. Legally, the only way to do this is by dissolving the existing body and transferring everything to a new body with the correct new structure. This is what the Committee wishes to do.
A number of steps have already been taken. A new Charitable Company has been formed, and registered both as a Company and a Charity. The new body has the same name, and the same charitable objects, as the existing Association. It is a Company Limited by Guarantee. This means that it has no shareholders, and pays no dividends. All of its assets must be used for charitable purposes.
The final stage of the conversion is to dissolve the existing Charity. A formal notice of a meeting to do this appears below. The meeting is open to any adult living in Shirehampton.
David Thomas, the Association’s Chairman, said "I want to reassure everyone that we are not winding up the Association, and there is no threat to the Public Hall, or to any of the activities which take place in it. We are actively exploring the possibility of taking on a Lease of the Hall, which will give much greater security of tenure than we now have. The conversion to a company will give us a structure which is much more suitable for holding a lease than the current one. We believe that the company structure will help us to ensure that the Hall enters its second century of service to local residents on a firm basis."
Ed Amphlett, the Association’s Treasurer, said "We will continue with business as usual after the conversion. All the Hall users will pay the same membership fees and hire charges as they do now, and any debts will be paid by the new company. Our funds will be held more securely, because we will now be overseen by Companies House, as well as the Charity Commission."
Shirehampton Public Hall Community Association - Notice of Meeting to Dissolve the Association
At Shirehampton Public Hall, Station Road BS11 9TX at 7.15pm on Tuesday 21 March 2006
AGENDA
To consider, and if thought fit, pass the following Resolution:
This meeting RESOLVES that Shirehampton Public Hall Community Association (Registered Charity no. 1013520) should be dissolved, with effect from 31 March 2006
Notes