Finance Sub-Committee: May 14th 1928

The General Manager presented the following report with regard to the terms of tenancy by the Bank of premises No 44 Easy Row:

Report to Finance Sub-Committee re the tenancy of 44, Easy Row.

The original terms relating to the occupation of the above premises by the House Purchase Department of the Bank, and the Treasurer's Stationery Department have been revised and the position is now as follows:

Rent. (on basis of outstanding loan charges) £600. Of this sum £350 is payable by the Bank Committee and £250 by the Finance Committee for the Stationery Department.

Tenancy. In each case to be for three years from the 29th September last, the rent to accrue as from the 11th November 1927.

Central Heating. The Bank Committee to pay £30 per annum and the Finance Committee £21 per annum towards cost of central heating.

Repairs. The respective Committees to keep their portion of the interior of the premises in good and tenantable repair, and in the event of the tenancy being extended beyond the period stated, to paint and decorate the whole of the interior in every fourth year.

Glass Insurance. The respective Committees to insure the glass in sufficient sum against breakages.

Rates and Taxes. The  respective Committees to pay all rates, water rate and taxes (including Landlord Property Tax).

The Rateable Value of that portion of the premises occupied by the Bank has been agreed at £476, and the same figure has been accepted by the Inspector of taxes as the Net Schedule "A" Assessment.

It is pointed out that these assessments are paid on Commercial Values and not on the basis of loan charges, it being considered that the Income Tax Authorities and the Rates Department are entitled to levy tax and rates respectively, on the basis of a fair commercial rental, without regard to any inter-departmental arrangement which may exist.

204     RESOLVED:- That the foregoing report be approved and the terms therein set out with regard to the tenancy of premises No 44 Easy Row be adopted.

Finance Sub-Committee: December 12th 1927

The General Manager submitted particulars of the arrangements made with the City & District Window Cleaning Co Ltd, for the cleaning of windows at the Easy Row premises on similar terms to those in force in respect of the Head Office.

152    RESOLVED:- That the arrangements referred to be approved, and that the General Committee be recommended to instruct the Town Clerk to prepare and seal the necessary supplemental contract.

General Purposes Sub-Committee: January 9th 1928

The General Manager presented his annual report for the year ended 31st December, 1927, as follows:

Head Offices.

During the year the greater portion of the ground floor premises at Easy Row have been rented, and the House Purchase and Stationery Departments accommodated therein. Whilst relieving the congestion in the House Purchase Department, the transfer has brought no relief to the Savings Bank Department at Edmund Street. This shortage of accommodation at Edmund Street makes it impossible to deal with the business satisfactorily, and is a serious drawback. The cramped space behind the counters does not conduce to accuracy, and the crowding together of depositors destroys that degree of privacy which is expected in a Savings Bank. The patience of the depositors is being tried, and we are likely to suffer in transactions. The present arrangements of part of the business being conducted at Edmund Street and another part at Easy Row, are extravagant. For Edmund Street premises we are paying £790 per year as rental, whilst for Easy Row the rental has been assessed at £650 plus £30 for heating, etc, making  a total of £1,470. For such a yearly rental we ought to have premises adequate for our needs. The City Surveyor intimated that the Blue Coat School buildings would be available in about two years' time, and I strongly urge the Committee to secure that site for the Head Offices of the Bank, so that we may have a really permanent home. It has been urged that the Bank should be in close proximity to other civic buildings, but I do not think administrative reasons should outweigh the convenience of the public who use the Bank. The Blue Coat School is centrally situated from a Bank depositorship point of view, and I venture to assert that with such a prominent site business would increase substantially.

As a temporary expedient in providing relied at the counter, which will be necessary at the end of March, the screening forming the private offices might be removed, but it will mean that enquiries would have to be dealt with across the open counter.

1219   RESOLVED:- That the General Manager be instructed to enquire as to the possibility of obtaining possession of premises adjoining the Head Office with a view to extension.

1220   RESOLVED:- That the General Manager be instructed to make arrangements for the screening dividing the counter in the Banking Hall at the Head Office to be removed so as to afford increased counter space for deposits.

Finance Sub-Committee: February 13th 1928

Window Cleaning Arrangements.

Letters were submitted from the Clerk to the Officials' Advisory Committee stating that they had under consideration the question of window cleaning arrangements for the Corporation Departments. The General Manager stated that Contracts had been entered into for the cleaning of Edmund Street and Easy Row premises which involved the cleaning of glass and other parts of the interior of the Bank premises, and he did not consider it advisable that the arrangements should be disturbed; neither was it desirable that there should be any interference in the existing arrangements whereby each Branch made its own window cleaning arrangements.

179     RESOLVED:- That the Officials' Advisory Committee be informed that the Committee are quite satisfied with the existing arrangements so far as the Bank is concerned, and cannot consent to any alterations.

Rental of Easy Row Offices.

The General Manager reported that the Estates Department had provisionally decided upon a rent of £650 being paid by the Bank in respect of accommodation for the House Purchase etc Departments at Easy Row, plus the sum of £30 per annum towards the cost of the central heating system. The Bank Committee had not agreed to that figure and had pointed out that it was understood the matter was to be investigated by the City Treasurer and the General Managers of the Bank and Estates Committees. In the meantime the Finance Committee had gone into the question so far as the Stationery Department is concerned and, as a result, at the meeting of that Committee held on the 27th January a report was submitted by the Treasurer showing that the rental figures decided by the Estates Committee worked out at £650 for the Bank and £450 for the Stationery Department, whereas the Treasurer had worked out the rental on the basis of outstanding loan charges with the result that the Bank's charge would be £350 and the Stationery Department £250. The Finance Committee had passed a resolution approving the figures prepared by the City Treasurer on the basis of outstanding loan charges and had informed the Estates Committee that they did not approve of the principle of charging Corporation Committees on the commercial value of premises.

After careful consideration, it was decided that the Bank Committee should take similar action to the Finance Committee, and it was therefore:

175     RESOLVED:- That the Bank Committee be recommended to inform the Estates Committee that the principle that Corporation Committees should be charged rentals for properties owned by the Corporation on the basis of commercial values is one they do not agree with, and they cannot therefore agree to the terms proposed by the Estates Committee in respect of No 44 Easy Road, but are willing to accept a rental calculated on the basis of the apportionment of outstanding loan charges, which in accordance with the Treasurer's calculations would be £350 per annum.

Finance Sub-Committee: March 12th 1928

188 The General Manager reported that an intimation had been received from the Estates Department stating that the rental of the Easy Row premises would be based on outstanding loan charges, plus a additional apportionment of £30 per annum in respect of lighting, heating etc.

Bank Committee: March 19th 1928

3028 The following report of the Finance Sub-Committee was presented:

Rental of Easy Row Premises.

Your Sub-Committee report that it has now been agreed with the Estates Department that the rental of the above premises shall be based on outstanding loan charges, which means a rental of £350 per annum instead of £650 as originally proposed.