Synopsis of the minutes of the meeting of the PCC held in Royston Parish Church on Friday 17
October 2025 at 7.00 p.m.
There were 10 members present and a reader in training, present as an observer.
The meeting was opened in prayer
There were 9 apologies
The minutes of the meeting held on 15 September were approved.
Under matters arising plans are still in hand for a children’s cinema, it is hoped to start this initiative
in the spring of half term, license requirements are in hand.
No decisions have been made by the standing committee since the last meeting
1. Finance
Under finance it was reported that the first nine months of the year had been better than expected.
This was because the repairs to the south wall had been less costly than anticipated and because we
had not been paying for a permanent organist. However, a more expensive period was approaching,
with higher gas bills and the payment for the new storage cupboard. The recent stewardship
campaign had been successful and the PCC expressed its thanks to those who organised the
campaign and the many who contribute to the church.
Under Fabric it was reported that the new cupboard was being installed and should be ready by
Christmas. The installation of the related perspex cover will follow . The fire alarm was serviced and a
fault found, this is in hand.
After hearing from the sustainable living committee PCC members agreed that our recycling should
be improved and additional bins obtained to better separate our rubbish.
The Outreach committee reported that progress had been made in all areas, especially social media.
The committee had decided to consider adjusting its distribution of mission or charity money and
that at the next committee meeting, they intend to formulate an overall strategy clarifying what
types of body could be eligible for our missions giving.
Considerable time was spent considering safeguarding policies and the policy statements on
Domestic Abuse and the Recruitment of Ex Offenders
Although a Minister of Music has not yet been appointed the matter is being advertised and is in
hand, as a side issue the PCC approved looking at improving the organ stops.
At the vicar’s Ministerial Development Review, the possibility has been raised of him building links
between us and the cathedral and him becoming a Day Chaplain. This involved acting as a pastor in
the cathedral from time to time, the PCC was pleased to hear of this possibility and could see
advantages to Royston Parish church. The PCC offered its full support but was aware of the vicar’s
already busy schedule.
The meeting closed with the Grace at 9.05pm.

ROYSTON PARISH CHURCH
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (PCC)
Synopsis of the minutes of the PCC meeting Monday 15 September 2025.
The meeting was opened with prayer, There were 17 Present, it was chaired by the vicar.
There were four apologies.
The minutes of the meeting of 13 June were approved.
The issue of car parking is still under consideration and will be discussed at a future meeting
The Standing Committee had approved the expenditure of £200 to move the AV socket, this was
noted by the PCC.
The financial report was considered, The request for funds to purchase ear defenders was approved.
There are sufficient funds for a cupboard to be used for table storage. The PCC unanimously
approved proceeding with this.
The outreach committee confirmed that they would undertake complete reviews of missions giving
and church communications.
The fabric committee are aware of the worn carpet in the vestry which could be dangerous, It was
agreed that quotations for the necessary remedial action be obtained.
It is proposed that the church hire a coach for Jaime’s priesting at St Albans on 4 July 2026..
There were no reports concerning safeguarding
There had been a presentation on Christian Aid at the recent deanery synod meeting as explanation
was given on how the charity works in close co-operation with other agencies
The issue of The letting of the church building was discussed at great length, it was agreed that we
could gradually and cautiously progress towards a policy of increased letting of the church building, a
proposal may be made at a future meeting.
Steven explained that whilst we already allow quite a wide variety of uses, it is now timely for him to
produce some proposals for a future meeting.
It was agreed to have a permanent record of legacies and substantial donations to the church.
It was agreed to proceed and further investigate the proposal to have a community cinema in the
church, aimed at children and their families notably in the school holidays.
The meeting closed with the Grace at 9.00pm.

Synopsis of the minutes of the meeting of the PCC held in Royston Parish Church, on
Monday 28 July 2025 at 7.00 p.m.
There were 17 present
The Meeting was opened with prayer
There were 3 apologies
Revd Jamie, the newly appointed curate, was welcomed to the PCC (under church
governance rules Jamie is automatically a member of the PCC).
the minutes of the meeting held 13 June were approved with the correction of a spelling
mistake.
Under matters arising:
It was agreed to consider a permanent records of legacy donations.
Further consideration is to be given to the proposed community cinema.
A presentation was made to the former PCC secretary in recognition of his work over a
number of years.
There was further brief discussion about car parking provision. It was suggested that the PCC
members involved should view the provision at Harpenden and Redbourn Commons and,
closer to home, at Coombes Hole near the allotments.
It was decided that some items no longer used could be stored at the town’s museum.
No decisions have been taken by the Standing Committee or the PCC since the last meeting.
Under finance the PCC was pleased to receive the accounts for the first half of the year
which were better than the budget forecast the reduction in expenditure had been because
the cost of repairs to the south wall had been lower than expected, and spending was
reduced by not having a Minister of Music in post.
The purchasing of electricity is still in hand .
There would be stewardship campaign in September along similar lines as in the past.
The fabric committee reported that a request had been received from the Royal British
Legion for two further standards to be displayed. This would necessitate the fixing of a two
further brackets, the costs would be met by RBL. and the church would check the possible
need for a faculty
Some routine work is needed on the door locks and the PCC approved the necessary
expenditure.
We have now signed a service agreement for the fire alarm and are awaiting the annual test
on the lightning conductor. Further CCTV equipment and streaming facility is to be
considered.
Pigeon gel and plastic spikes had been obtained.

The cistern for the small toilet keeps failing to refill and the flush apparatus may need
replacement. The taps also need to be adjusted to a lower water pressure as water often
end up on the floor. The PCC approved the necessary expenditure.
The appointment of a new architect is in hand.
It was noted that the flickering light bulb in the chancel has now been replaced. However,
there is still a problem which is in hand.
the issue of using the loft space above the vestry for storage was addressed, some work was
needed to achieve this, the PCC approved the expenditure.
The new phone system will soon be live and consideration now needs to be given to the
church’s broadband.
The notice board needs to be updated the PCC agreed on the wording and approved the
expenditure.
No reports had been received in connection with safeguarding.
Committee reports were received from the Sustainable Living Committee, the outreach
committee and the Events Committee which commented that more crockery was needed
along with another storage unit, the PCC was sympathetic to this but no decision was taken,
in the light of other priorities..The second comment concerned alcohol licensing. Currently,
we have paid fora license for each separate event However, although having an annual
license would cost more initially, it would cost less in the longer term. Following discussion
the PCC members voted in favour of applying for a license by a majority.
The Minister of Music vacancy has not yet been filled but is in hand.
It was agreed that the church’s policies on maternity leave/ paternity pay and sick pay
should be considered by the HR committee and the PCC advised accordingly.
The PCC was pleased to hear the now available statistics show that this synopsis is being
read and it was agreed to continue with its publication
The meeting closed with the Grace at 9.20pm.

A meeting of the PCC was held in church on, Friday 13 June 2025 at 7.00pm
There were 13 present and 7 apologies
The meeting was opened in prayer
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with the correction of a spelling mistake.
Under Matters arising the future dates of PCC meetings and the 2026 APCM were advised It was noted that no decisions requiring ratification had been taken by the Standing Committee since the last PCC.
This was followed by the financial report, the PCC was pleased to learn that the church was due to receive a grant from the “listed places of worship scheme” and had also received two legacies.
The PCC was advised that the church is currently in the Church of England’s Energy Basket arrangement whereby rates for electricity supply are negotiated for a considerable number of churches as a bundle. The current 3-year scheme ends in September 2025 and options are being investigated.
Work needed on the south wall and is being looked into by the relevant sub committee.
The PCC was pleased to hear that the refurbishment of the curate’s home was complete and was under budget.
The PCC was reminded that all who help at church in various ways need to repeat the Safeguarding course every 3 years.
The possibility of a limited number of parking spaces in the churchyard was being investigated by the fabric committee.
The ongoing problem of finding enough storage space in the church was discussed and a number of options were considered.
The PCC concluded that in the first instance the church needs to be firmer in what we retain and store, and that we should have a day allocated when a team systematically analyse what we are storing and aims to reduce what we tore and utilise the space more effectively.
The boiler controls need attention and this is in hand.
The PCC agreed to pursuing the idea of corporate membership of the town twinning association.
The PCC agreed that the vicar should have the authority to make a decision for offering the use of the church to suitable organisations as the requests arise without reference to the PCC
The possibility of obtaining a licence to show films in the church with a focus on children’s entertainment is still undergoing consideration.
The closing date for applications for the post of minister of music is 23 June after which a short list will be decided and interviews arranged.
The retiring Church Warden was thanked for their service and the meeting closed with Grace at 20.30.