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HAMPSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST

Present:                       
John Adams (Chair); Barbara Bryant; Bob Lisney (from minute 105 onwards); Keith Riley; David Wrighton .

Also in attendance:

Ian Avery (Executive Officer); Kevin Gardner (Secretary); Dave Wootton (for the Treasurer); Roger Freeman.

99.              Apologies

None.

100.          Declaration of Interests

No interests were declared.

101.          Minutes of Meeting on 25^th June 2004

The minutes of the meeting held on 25^th June 2004 were agreed as a correct record.

102.          Matters Arising

None.

103.          Updates on Variations to Overdraft and Alterations to Trust’s Objects

Kevin Gardner informed members that two written resolutions had now been signed and returned by all Council of Management members. The first resolution was to alter the Trust’s objects; the second was to approve the action of the Treasurer in negotiating an increase in the bank overdraft facility.

Members noted the progress made and agreed that the Treasurer should be authorised to negotiate a continuation of the revised overdraft facility, should he consider this to be in the interests of prudent financial management of the Trust’s affairs, although any further increase in the overdraft limit should be referred to the Council of Management for approval.
 
Resolved:-

1. That the Treasurer be authorised to negotiate a continuation of the revised overdraft facility, should he consider this to be in the interests of prudent financial management of the Trust’s affairs.

2. Any further increase in the overdraft limit to be referred to the Council of Management for approval.

104.          Cash flow Statement

Dave Wootton presented a cash flow statement dated 5^th October 2004 (Item 6 in the Minute Book). There was discussion of an issue relating to prompt payment of invoices by the Onyx Environmental Trust. Keith Riley stated that he had looked into this and was satisfied that invoices were being paid promptly. Ian Avery noted that there had been some improvement in this respect recently.

The Chair reported that additional funding from the Environment Agency was anticipated.

Resolved:
1. That the cash flow position be noted.

105.          Update on WEEE Project and Further Funding Opportunity

Roger Freeman presented a copy of a progress report that had been prepared for the Onyx Environmental Trust (Item 7 in the Minute Book). It was noted that a meeting had taken place with Professor Porteous on 29 July 2004 at which progress and future plans had been explained. Profesor Porteous was comfortable with the position.

Progress since the meeting had been slower, with entry not having yet been gained to the proposed facility. This was attributed to discussions over the terms of the lease, but Seek-it expected to gain possession before the end of October. Progress had also been made in preparing the application for the waste management licence. There was no change to the planning position so further planning permission was not required. It was expected that actual operations would commence in January 2005.

Barbara Bryant advised that the waste management application be submitted without awaiting completion of the lease, to avoid delay. It was agreed that this advice should be fed back to Seek-it, who would be the holder of the licence. It was felt that a future meeting should be held at the plant.

Roger Freeman also outlined an additional funding opportunity via a CRED bid involving bodies called Scratch and the St. James’s Mission. The Scratch bid involved waste furniture, and the St. James Mission bid involved waste electrical equipment. Roger Freeman was due to meet with both to explore the possibility of a combined bid. The intention would be to extract waste electrical equipment from domestic consumers and invest further in expanding the waste collection systems.

David Wrighton had some knowledge of both bodies, and offered to assist in the discussions.
There was discussion as to whether to give authority to proceed. It was felt that a special meeting should be held if necessary to authorise the bid.

Resolved:
1. That the progress report on the WEEE Project be noted,
2. That Seek-it be advised to submit a waste management application without awaiting completion of the lease, to minimise delay, and
3. That a further meeting be held to authorise submission of a CRED bid should it be intended to proceed with this following discussions with the other bodies involved.

106.          Possible Landfill Tax Bid for Biodiversity Project at Minley Wood

Ian Avery explained the background to a landfill tax funding bid being developed by Southampton University. The bid concerned the research into fungal growth in a stream near an old landfill site at Minley Wood, which may have national significance. It had been suggested by the University that the Trust may wish to sponsor the bid, so that  a sum could be included to cover administration costs. The administration that would actually fall to the trust would be the handling of the financial transactions and any legal issues that may arise.

Keith Riley supported this and pointed out that this technique was used by the Resource Recovery Forum to cover its administrative costs.

Barbara Bryant queried whether this may result in the Trust losing its focus for the sake of a small contribution of £5,000 towards its funds.

The Chair sought clarification that the project was a biological study rather than analysis as to liability for remediation. Ian Avery confirmed that this was so. He said that the contribution would enable the Trust to maintain a secretariat, providing a core service to the Trust, and then utilising spare capacity to support the project.

There was guarded support for the proposal, and it was felt necessary to agree relevant limits to the liability the Trust could take on in return for the financial contribution proposed.

Resolved:
1. Ian Avery discuss the project further with Southampton University to develop detailed terms of the proposal, to be brought back for further consideration.

107.          Material Resources Strategy

Ian Avery provided an update on progress with the Material Resources Strategy. Hampshire County Council, together with Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils, were identifying other bodies with a role to play in taking the strategy forward. He felt that the Trust had an important role to play in seeking funds, commissioning research and development, and facilitating pilot and demonstration projects. The stakeholder workshop that the Trust was seeking to organise would need to involve bodies from all sectors involved in natural resources, and seek agreement as to how these bodies could work together to maximise impact in a co-ordinated way. 

Barbara Bryant said that it was necessary to focus on other media in addition to materials. Bob Lisney confirmed that there was a wish to focus also on air and energy.

108.          Proposal from Roger Freeman for Undertaking Trust administration

Roger Freeman’s proposal for undertaking Trust administration (Item 9 in the Minute Book) was considered only briefly, due to lack of time. There was general support for this proposal but it was felt that further consideration should be given at the next meeting.

Resolved:
1. That the item be considered further at the next meeting.

109.          Arrangements for Stakeholder Workshop

This item was deferred due to lack of time.

Signed:………………………………………..(Chair)

Date:                            November  2004

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