Finance
The PCC has a very dedicated Treasurer who has been in the post for the last eleven years. The parish accounts have been computerised since January 2003.
In the last financial year (2004) total income was £86,608 and expenditure £74,352, although much of the surplus income was ring-fenced for specific funds or projects. At the end of 2004 the parish had investments of just over £55,000, most of it in Church of England Board of Finance accounts, and four bequest trust funds with a current capital value of nearly £45,000. The church hall and contents are valued at just over £90,000.
The parish has a policy of encouraging individual planned giving through stewardship. The last renewal took place in April 2005, in response to a letter from the Vicar to everybody on the electoral roll. There is an envelope scheme, a gift aid scheme and the facility for payment by bankers order. There are 110 people in the freewill offering schemes, 80 of them include gift aid. In 2004 almost £39.000 was received through these schemes, with an additional £5,000 from the Inland Revenue. Regular giving has increased by 21% over the last three years and we continue our effort to improve it from year to year.
Fund Raising
In addition to regular giving, the parish uses its active social life to raise funds for a variety of reasons by holding regular social and fund raising events. Over the past 15 years or so we have raised around £250,000 to pay for the church heating, organ restoration and other improvements.
The Parish Share
The PCC always seeks to pay the Parish Share in full and has, in the past, made additional donations. The increase from £6,086 in 1989 to £44,661 in 2004 has, in common with many other parishes, caused some difficulties, however, and in 1997 only £26,000 of the required £29,441 was paid. In 1998, because of the urgent need to fund the new heating system, the PCC decided to pay only £20,000 of the required £32,187. Since 1998 the Share has been paid in full by monthly standing order. The share for 2005 is £50,253 but, as we paid our Share in full last year by direct debit, we get a 2% rebate which means finding £49,138, an increase of £4,477 on last year.
Financial Planning
Financial planning is undertaken on behalf of the PCC by the Finance Committee. The PCC has recently invited the Finance Committee to analyse historic income and expenditure and prepare a Parish Budget and Financial Plan. On the assumption that the parish is unlikely to attract a full-time organist and choirmaster from Easter 2006 without offering an appropriate salary, this needs to be included in the plan. The current scale recommended by the RSCM is £2,704 - £3,259. Non-routine items to be included are:
Charitable Giving
Each month 10% of regular collections is given to a nominated charity chosen by the Charities Committee. In addition, the Christmas Day collections are given to specific charities. Special events and retiring collections are organised as needed. Figures for the last three years were £6,815 in 2002, £7,006 in 2003 and £6,799 in 2004. This represents around 13% of our regular income.
Administration Costs
Working expenses to cover all expenses of office, currently £250 per month, are paid to the Vicar on the first of the month in advance. The PCC also pays the bill for one telephone line in the house, one in the Parish Office and the electricity used by the Parish Office, which has a sub-meter.
Secretarial help is provided specifically for the Vicar up to a cost of £165 per month. The utilisation of hours was left to the Vicar and the secretary.
The Curate was paid £185 per month but the present Curate prefers to bill the Treasurer at the end of the month as she rarely makes full use of her expenses.
