Manse Report to Circuit Meeting of 11^th November 2008.

The four new ministers to our Circuit were installed in their manses without too many serious headaches and I would like to thank, on behalf of the Circuit Stewards, those who worked so hard to prepare the manses for their new incumbents. About 25 volunteers from the circuit helped to get the manses ready. It was particularly gratifying that a number of the volunteers helped at manses with which their own Church had no connection.

I would also like to thank the new Ministers for their forbearance once they were aware that we were having to re-house four of them. David Butterworth agreed for his furniture to be transferred to store for nearly two weeks, which allowed a decorator to redecorate most of the rooms at Church Street. The Cornell family who set to and decorated several of the rooms themselves, much to the admiration of the professional contractors, and Alistair who delayed moving in until the end of the month.

Some concern has been expressed about the amount we spend on manses, particularly redecoration. If you go home and remove a picture from a wall, particularly an external wall or over a radiator, and stand back, you will see a ghost of the picture. This will be apparent within about three years of decorating. No problem when you live in a house for 15 years but unless all a new resident’s pictures are the same size, the ghosts will show. Also re-decorating, laying new floor coverings is easy in an empty property. They, and curtains, count as a benefit-in-kind for tax purposes, except when carried out around the time of a change of occupant. During August 2 sets of hall, stairs and landing carpets and floor coverings in 12 other rooms were replaced. We redecorated 3 halls, stairs and landings and 14 other rooms plus 6 or 7 decorated by the Cornell family. An old aluminium patio door was replaced at Church Street and three aluminium windows a Keswick drive. Methodist Insurance paid for one of the carpets; the cause, damage by a very sick cat!

Certain other work had to be delayed. This included some essential expensive work at the London Road manse on a chimney, a dormer window, the replacement or cladding of fascia boards, soffits and gutters – the latter are old cast iron and are potentially hazardous. A considerable amount of redecorating will have to be done, some carpets replaced, a new cooker purchased and new garage doors fitted. We are reviewing the work needed but the roof/gutter work is likely to cost around £6000 of which the necessary scaffolding will be a significant part of the bill. A similar figure is likely for the other work.

Significant work at the other manses includes the likely need to replace the cooker plus two old gas fires at Queen Elizabeth’s Drive which, although safe, because of their age spares are no longer available. At 34 Hoodcote Gardens the large old inefficient gas boiler will be replaced during the first week in December with a new high efficiency boiler. At Church Street we had to replace the old double glazed aluminium patio doors because moisture had got between the glass and we have one bedroom to still to redecorate and re-carpet. It was omitted during the summer due to lack of time. There is nothing of significance to do at Keswick Drive or 25 Hoodcote Gardens. It would be good if we could replace the gutters soffits and fascia boards at one of the manses in addition to London Road. It was agreed in principle at a previous Circuit Meeting to progressively do this to minimise the cost of redecoration. I recommend that we see how the finances go before putting this in hand.

In addition, the kitchens at three of the manses are well beyond their best before dates and it is proposed that they be refitted during. The Stewards and Treasurer propose that this is done during this year using money from the Advance Fund.

Going back to the amount we spend on the manses, in 2002 the connectional property department indicated that we should expected to spend about £3,650 per year on repairs and maintenance at manses. This includes everything from general repairs, through lawn mowers to re-roofing. Allowing for inflation that approximates to about £4,400 or about the amount we propose to spend this year excluding the kitchen refurbishment. The figure they recommended made no allowance for the higher costs associated with repairs and maintenance in the London area. Over the next few years we will have to replace the remaining gutters etc and two further kitchens will need to be refitted. Once this is done I anticipate that manse expenditure will fall significantly as the benefits of the reduced interior and exterior decorating costs resulting from replacement of windows, gutters, fascia boards and soffits with UPVC become apparent. If we had had to re-paint the windows of all the rooms we redecorated the cost of this years work would have been significantly higher and could not have been completed redecoration in time.

Regarding the future management of the Manses, Colin Rickard has agreed to take responsibility for three manses, the two manses in Hoodcote Gardens, and that in Church Street with Sid Baldwin being on hand to deal with routine problems at the Church Street manse. Peter Dane has agreed to be responsible for the London Road manse and I will continue with QED. We have not yet finalised who will look after the Keswick Drive manse.

I would like to stress on the Super’s behalf that there is no truth in the rumour that he and his family will offer a redecoration service as part of his pastoral care, or that David Butterworth will be offering a landscape gardening service as part of his!

I have enjoyed my time as manse steward over the past 12 years and would like to thank all the Circuit Stewards and both treasurers for the support I have received during that time. Also my wife who has been on hand to answer the telephone, provide editorial (spelling and grammar!) for my various reports, letters and e-mails and practical help at time of manse exchanges.

I have had some insight into the work done by our minister’s. They do a tremendous job with little financial reward and work well beyond the statutory working hours. It is up to the Circuit to ensure that they have a comfortable base from which to work. As I was told when I first became manse secretary, if we do not provide good accommodation for the ministers we are short changing them!

Colin Williams

Acting Manse Secretary.