Guernsey Press

St Andrew’s votes up to £100,000 for rectory repairs

ST ANDREW’S parishioners have approved up to £100,000 being spent on carrying out repairs to the church rectory.

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The Dean, the Very Rev. Tim Barker, who is also the rector of St Andrew's, lives in the rectory, but it is used for events as well. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 26456988)

About 20 people attended the extraordinary public parish meeting at St Andrew’s Community Centre. Constable Peter Ward told the meeting how there were severe problems with damp in the building. This had originally been identified in 2018 when £20,000 had been approved on the remede to get it investigated. £12,000 of that remained in the account. The constables had sought three tenders for the work. One building firm was unable to do the job at the time required. A second had quoted £85,000 for what it classed as a 17 week contract while a third had priced £114,000 for what it estimated would be 20 weeks. A further £11,000 would be required for surveyors to oversee the work. The £85,000 estimate included £5,000 for contingencies. Mr Ward proposed that the quote was accepted but that the contingency sum was raised by £4,000 to give a maximum budget of £100,000. The parish had the money to do it and it was hoped that it would not need to draw on the reserve fund which currently stood at £37,000.

Responsibility for the rectories had been vested in the parish constables in February last year. By law each parish had to provide a wind and watertight home for its rector. St Andrew’s rectory had been valued in its current state at £1,000,095.

Charted surveyor Peter Brewin, who did the survey, said it was an old building that was susceptible to damp.

There were historic and ongoing issues with damp and five rooms were affected. Part of the problem had been caused by a blocked hopper head and down pipe for rain water.

In answer to one question, Mr Ward said the parish could buy another home for the rector.

There would not be the capital to do it though as the work on the rectory would still need to be done.

Peter Humphry asked if the parish could sell some of its other assets. Constable Martin Thwaite said it did not need to do so as it already had the money for the work.

Mr Humphry asked why no monetary figures had been printed in the publication in La Gazette Officialle. He said people might be shocked to see expenditure of this level left in the hands of so few people.

Mr Ward said they had taken legal advice on what needed to go in the publication.

Mr Humphry said there was a difference between what was needed by law and what might have been useful to know.

Mr Ward said they also had to consider commercial sensitivity.

June Hicks asked if the Dean of Guernsey, the Very Rev. Tim Barker, who currently lives in the rectory, needed such a large building.

Churchwarden Roddy Ray said the building was more than just home to the rector and it was used extensively for meetings and the likes.

The meeting approved the extraordinary repairs and acceptance of the tender documents.

It also approved that previously accumulated parish funds would be used to pay for the work and that the parish reserve could be drawn on if necessary.

It is hoped that work can begin in mid-January.