MINUTES OF BENEFICARIES MEETINGS

THE BENEFICIARIES:

1. Does the definition of ‘employee’ depend on length of service?

No, the Trust deed does not specify a length of service (although it does specifically exclude casual workers). There have only been a small number of applications from people with a short period of service. The Trust has usually made a small contribution to such applicants. The trustees are considering setting a minimum period of service.

2. If spouses are beneficiaries, why aren’t they eligible for the sports membership grant?

Sports membership is currently only available to former employees themselves. The trustees will consider this issue further; they have a duty to think about how the funds can be used to most effectively provide benefit to the beneficiaries.

APPLYING FOR GRANTS:

3. Is advance approval really necessary for medical grants?

Yes, prior approval is needed and this should not present a problem in most cases. If the situation is urgent, then the applicant should say so in the application and this will be borne in mind. Applications will not be disqualified if they are made after the event, but the trustees will not commit to paying these. Each claim will be considered on an individual basis.

4. Is there a restriction on the number of medical claims you can make?

No, the Trust can, and does, help people with repeat problems. The Trust may query some ongoing treatments, but there is no restriction on genuine claims.

5. Is the computer grant means tested?

No, the computer grant is not means tested. A grant for computers is available up to £500 (one per family).

6. Can beneficiaries claim while residing abroad?

Yes, the Trust deed does not make any reference to the country of residence of beneficiaries. The Trust has paid-out for overseas claims recently.

7. Why was it so difficult to claim/ why did the process take so long in individual cases?

The procedures to apply for grants are not meant to be difficult. The forms have already been updated to make them easier to use. The forms will be reviewed again and the whole claim process will be looked at to see what can be improved. Individual requests are usually turned around in 6-8 weeks. Suggestions for improvements are always welcome.

8. Can the trust accept a copy invoice instead of the original if this would allow a claim to be made to a health insurer for part of the cost (as they also require the original)?

Yes, although it may need to be verified.

TYPES OF GRANTS:

9. Can the health screening be re-introduced? And, can this be made available to spouses?

Yes, health screening can be run for the beneficiaries (including spouses and dependants) if the beneficiaries suggest the kind of services they want. It was noted that a ‘general check-up’ seemed to be a popular option.

10. Could glasses be covered by the medical grant?

This will be considered by the trustees. It would probably be most appropriate to cover the lenses rather than frames.

11. Did the Trustees think the availability of private medical services could be a ‘benefit’ in itself, instead needing to use NHS services? (the clear suggestion being that private care had a higher standard of treatment compared to the NHS)

No - using private medical care in every instance could not be regarded as a ‘benefit’ as required by the Trust deed. The standard of treatment offered by the NHS is generally quite good. The trustees need to look for ways to provide benefit to the beneficiaries by offering required treatment which is not available on the NHS or where there would be an unreasonable delay in receiving treatment on the NHS.

12. Have the trustees considered making a grant to all beneficiaries similar to the redundancy payment made at the time of the closure of the brewery?

The answer to this is twofold: firstly, the redundancy payments made when the brewery closed were based on the specific circumstances at the time, any new claims will be considered on their own merit; secondly, the trustees must consider the many other potential beneficiaries when distributing the funds of the Trust. There are many other beneficiaries who the trustees are not yet in contact with.

SPECIFIC CLAIMS:

13. Can the Retired Members Association have more secretarial support from Denise?

The trustees were unaware that Denise was providing the Retired Members Association with secretarial support. The trustees will discuss this to decide what support should be available to the Association. Many such groups survive without formal (and free) secretarial support.

14. Why has the request for funding to edit videos of the old brewery to produce a DVD not been answered yet?

This is a pending application which will now be approved.

THE TRUST:

15. Who is Browne Jacobson Trustees Limited?

Browne Jacobson Trustees Limited is a corporate trustee which acts through a team of people under the direction of William Colacicchi and Wenna Thompson. It is part of Browne Jacobson LLP, a firm of solicitors based in Nottingham with offices in Birmingham and London and an established reputation in the field of trusts and charities.

Richard Chadburn organised a selection process and shortlist to find a suitable corporate trustee when the Public Trustee indicated that they should no longer be involved in the trust. An informed decision was made in selecting Browne Jacobson.

16. Who are the new accountants?

Grant Thornton are employed by the Trust as investment advisors. The accounts are reviewed by Cooper Parry.

17. Can the minutes of the beneficiaries meeting be placed on the website along with a list of proposed actions?

Yes, the minutes can be made available. In particular, a summary of the Q&A session will be prepared.

18. Can further beneficiaries meetings be held in the future?

Yes, further meetings can be held if this is what the beneficiaries want (there seemed to be general support for this). A beneficiaries meeting could be arranged every other year, but a meeting could be held earlier if there were big changes to be discussed.

19. What is the alternative emergency number for the office?

If you need to make an urgent claim when the office is closed, the answer machine will provide you with a mobile number to call.