{"content":[{"text":"• building contractors can be reluctant to carry out routine maintenance work, as \n they can usually obtain more profitable repair work elsewhere. \n • congregations say they are less able to find members who can climb staircases \n and ladders to carry out routine maintenance tasks. \n The scheme overcomes these problems by providing a simple, no-frills service. \n This service will save church communities tens of thousands of pounds within a short \n time, since a major cause of disrepair will have been removed, leaving them better \n able to carry out their ministry, free of the burden of unplanned major repair bills. \n How the Gutter Clearance Scheme works \n The basic idea is that the Diocese puts churches in touch with accredited contractors \n available to visit your church and clean out its gutters and downpipes. \n Getting a Quotation \n First, if you would like a quotation, you contact two or three accredited contractor(s) in \n the usual way. They may need to make a preliminary visit to the church to assess how \n long the work will take to carry out, what the access arrangements are and whether \n there are any unusual health & safety issues. \n There may be a charge for obtaining the quotation, so we hope that you will request \n one only if you are seriously considering joining the scheme. \n If you accept the quotation, you are asked to sign a simple agreement with the \n Contractor (attached at the Appendix). You can ask for one or more visits; it’s up to \n you. \n Other Buildings \n You can ask for a quotation for a visit to other buildings, such as a church hall. It will \n often make sense for the contractor to visit this at the same time as the church. \n Before the Visit \n You must tell the contractor or any particular hazards you are aware of – for example, \n any building defects you are aware of (a loose gutter, perhaps) – and tell the contractor \n if there are likely to be any other contractors visiting the site at the same time. \n The Visit \n If you accept the quotation, the contractor will arrange a date and time with you. The \n work is likely to take about half a day, including travelling time, setting up and removing \n everything later. \n It is important that the agreed time is adhered to and communicated to all the key \n people – for example, the incumbent and keyholders – so that access is \n straightforward and time is not wasted finding someone to open a door or gate. . \n Please be aware that the terms and conditions give the contractor the right to make an \n abortive visit charge of £50 if they cannot get access as agreed.","bbox":{"left":0.127451,"top":0.091163,"width":0.7532030000000001,"height":0.771978}},{"text":"2","bbox":{"left":0.871448,"top":0.919942,"width":0.010905000000000054,"height":0.016927000000000025}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}