PCC News

Every five years, your appointed inspecting architect/surveyor will visit the church to check the building over from top to bottom and collate his/her findings in a report which will help you plan the work that you will carry out to the building over the next few years.

The Care of Churches office will send a reminder letter to the PCC, and to their architect/surveyor when the QI is due. The PCC should then contact the architect/surveyor and make a date for the inspection to take place.

Before that day arrives:-

• make sure that everything is in place to allow for a thorough inspection of the church
• Ensure that all necessary keys are to hand, make sure that any ladders or access requirements are
  in place, and think about any safety precautions required
• make sure up-to-date log book and terrier, test certificates for heating and electrical installations,
  inspection records for fire safety equipment, details of any Tree Preservation Orders, all previous QIRs and all recent faculty papers are available.

When you receive the final report – which should be within four weeks of the inspection taking place – it will itemise the priorities for the repair of the building.

Works are divided into:-

• urgent
• those recommended to be carried out during the next 12/18 months
• those to be done over the next five years.

The Diocese has adopted a standard format which makes the report easy to understand and will include photographs of any areas of concern. A copy of the report will be sent to the Archdeacon, the incumbent, the PCC, the Norfolk/Suffolk Churches Trust and to the Care of Churches office that, in this Diocese, also pay for the report.

Once the PCC has read the report, its members will be able to make strategic decisions on which works to budget, and fund-raise, for over the next fi ve years. Your inspector will be prepared to visit the PCC to present his/her findings to you and to go through the main points highlighted in the report. He/she will explain why certain works have been prioritised and clarify any concerns you may have. The PCC will then be able to decide how best to implement the list of prioritised repairs as funds become available. Should the required funds amount to a significant figure then expert advice is available from the Parish Funding Support Office, based in Diocesan House. Please don’t panic: we are here to help!

Do keep going back to your QIR for guidance along the way – it is an invaluable tool in the care of your church building.

QIR Tips

Written specifi cally for the PCC to help plan future work.

• If you don’t understand any part of your QIR, ask your inspector
• Walk round the building together while he/she is explaining – it’s easier to understand if you can see what he/she is talking about
• Keep the report somewhere safe and accessible – you will need to refer to it again and again.

BY THE DAC TEAM