FoGP trustee meeting 6 February 2024 minutes

Present

Francine Lawrence (chair)	Helen Goodsell	Cllr Liz Dixon	Hazel Glenister
Gill Close (minutes)	Paul Hurst	Lia Colacicco	Mark Cummins
Sajjad Dar

Apologies

Cllr Tariq Dar

Sylvia Gauthereau

Actions are shown by initials in bold.

Approval of minutes

Minutes approved.

Constitutional matters

Trustees unanimously approved the following resolution, “The Friends of Gladstone Park trustees appoint Sajjad Dar as a trustee of Friends of Gladstone Park”.
Trustees noted the retirement of Sally Long and Dick Heath-Brown and thanked them for their work. LD would coordinate the presentation of flowers to Sally and thanks for her work as chair.
GC reported that Sylvia Gautherau had apologised for being unable to attend the meeting and had tendered her resignation by email as she was moving out of the area. Trustees thanked her for her work.
Trustees decided to have the following officer roles: chair, deputy chair, treasurer, secretary and that the tenure for each role would be three years.
All officers stood down, then the following were all elected unanimously: chair Hazel Glenister, deputy chair Francine Lawrence, treasurer Paul Hurst, secretary Gill Close.
Dick Heath-Brown had stated that he was happy to continue to monitor Facebook postings and new members. Trustees expressed thanks for this and accepted his offer. FL to share the monitoring of Facebook with him.
Trustees agreed to share any concerns with all trustees.
Trustees agreed that the trustees’ line on issues needed to be recorded and followed by trustees when they were speaking on behalf of the trustees. Individual trustees would make it clear whether they were speaking as individuals, commenting on what Friends of Gladstone Park or users of Gladstone Park had said, or were conveying the FoGP trustee line.
Trustees agreed that all trustees would be informed of actions that individual trustees took or information that individual trustees received in relation to the park, such as when council officers informed them about an issue.
Trustees agreed that communications made by trustees regarding the park would be copied to the chair.
Trustees agreed to hold meetings in person on weekday evenings between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at trustees’ homes and, where possible, at the rugby clubroom, so that trustee activity was seen to be transparent. Trustees recognised that Kelly Eaton (Head of Parks, Leisure and Cemetries) could not attend evening meetings in person but could attend online evening meetings, so trustees might occasionally hold meetings online.
Trustees agreed to invite to trustee meetings people who had expressed interest in becoming a trustee, who would need to be sent the constitution and latest annual report and accounts.
Trustees requested that minutes of the meeting were circulated in time for actions to be taken, usually two weeks after the meeting, and that all trustees read the minutes.
Trustees agreed that minutes (but not agendas) would be published on the website, where they would be available publicly. The minutes would therefore not contain the address of the meeting. In contrast, the agenda, which would not be published, would contain the location of the meeting which would remind trustees where it was being held. There would be only one version of the minutes, not different ones for the trustees and for the website.

Finance

Trustees accepted the treasurer’s report. Donations exceeded outgoings by £168.50 since last meeting. Spending on plants in last accounting year was £134 below our notional £1000 budget.
Trustees agreed that a vote at a trustee meeting was needed for expenditure in principle, such as for the copse.
A majority of trustees agreed spending on rustic benches for the copse. PH requested expenditure of £30.78 for a rustic bench, which was agreed.

Working with the Parks Service

Updates from the council were provided with the agenda:

contract for clearing drains, pond maintenance and clearing leaves gives no set time frames: Sam Haines (parks officer) will log an action with Continental Landscapes
no further action from FoGP needed at the moment on park warden role, car park, broken railings, resurfacing of lower playground
council still seeking external funding for drinking fountain opposite end of Cullingworth Road
Sunday football impact on the hedge to be checked by FoGP to update council if a concern

GC reported that the steep path with many holes was 4^th on the council’s list of path resurfacing and due to be done soon. GC had asked Sam Haines for the creation of a surfaced path along the short muddy desire line to the lower playground from opposite Melrose Avenue to be added to that job while the contractors were on site (Kelly Eaton said on 9 August 2023 that the council hoped to put a Breedon Gravel path along the desire line opposite Melrose Avenue by next financial year).
After the theft of 5 benches, the screws and bolts of those new ones likely to be stolen were spot welded to prevent any unscrewing of them.
The wall on the rose terrace had been repaired.
Helen is providing input into the meadow board contents but they are not yet in place.
Sam Haines had been informed by Network Rail that the council’s highways and infrastructure section had taken responsibility for works on the high footbridge. GC to follow up with them putting a new mirror in the corner where the old one had not been replaced, leaving walking up one section of stairs unsafe, and to have the missing step riser repaired.
Puddles were gathering in places other than where drains were blocked so asphalt was needed to fill in dips, such as near the bottom of the wide path up to the middle playground. GC to contact Sam Haines.
GC to ask Sam Haines about the possibility of netball on the MUGA, which had been mentioned.
LD meets Kelly Eaton and Sam Haines about the two cafes. LD reported that Kelly Eaton is asking for a meeting with the providers about opening hours, including staying open on Bank Holidays and until 5pm daily.
Playgrounds: updates could be funded through CIL and applied for by the council when funds are available in 6 months’ time.
Officers have now arranged for Brent Magazine to contain a feature on the Gladstone Park gardening group.

Feedback and actions from 13 January public meeting

The meeting in the rugby clubhouse was packed. There was input from Continental Landscapes, the new parks contractor, from Dollis Hill police safer neighbourhood team and from Kilburn Cosmos Rugby Club.
The main issues raised for response from Continental Landscapes and the council were about litter and the poor condition of paths. Sam Haines will be providing trustees with a response. GC to inform Sam Haines that we want litter collection at the end of the day and larger fox-proof bins, similar to those in Regent’s Park, that need to be emptiable efficiently with Veolia machines. Trustees agreed that a litter campaign was wanted (Hazel to lead on it).
Carter Quinn from Kilburn Cosmos had been asked to provide a flyer to publicise the club. GC to ask Carter if anyone had expressed interest in joining the club since the public meeting.
Trustees thanked FL for chairing the meeting.
At the meeting, Fitzroy Lee and Owen Plummer had expressed interest in becoming trustees. Trustees agreed to invite them to the next meeting. GC to invite them and send them the constitution and latest annual report and accounts.
LD said she would ask a local young man, Bassil, if he was interested in becoming a trustee and find out his surname.
FL said she would follow up a person who had attended the public meeting and let GC know if they were interested in becoming a trustee.
Trustees agreed to hold the next public meeting from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday 20 April if the rugby clubhouse was available. SD to check availability. The focus would be on information from and questions for council parks officers. GC to invite Kelly Eaton and Sam Haines once the date has been fixed.

Focus of our work

Held over until the next meeting.

Actions for trustees from 3 October meeting not elsewhere on the agenda

FL to draft wording about FoGP and how to become a friend for a small notice to display on the park noticeboards and circulate draft to trustees.
GC provided with the agenda a pdf of the Brent Parks Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) notice that is on display alongside parks noticeboards. FL and GC to write wording for Facebook on how and why to report PSPO breaches using the QR code or url on the notice.
FL to work on the wording for a small notice about StreetLink.

Any other business

LC asked if there was a category of membership for friends of Gladstone Park who wanted to consider being trustees and for trustees who wanted to step back from being a trustee.
Any other business was held over until the next meeting.

Date of next meeting

6.30pm to 8pm Monday 4 March 2023 at Tariq’s house

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