South Wirral Art Society
Minutes of the AGM held on the 11th October 2011.
1. Notice of the Meeting.
The Secretary read the notice of the meeting and called it to order.
2. Apologies.
Barbara Bennett, Winnie Martin, Irene Grayson, John Green, Norma Green, Emrys Williams.
3. Minutes of the AGM 28th September 2010.
The Chairman read through the minutes of last years AGM and the members approved them. Proposed by Malcolm Wainwright and seconded by Cathy Mc Nellis.
4. Matters arising from the minutes.
There were none.
5. Chairman’s Report.
The Chairman had reported that this had been a busy year. The variety of demonstrations had been maintained although not everything was to everyones taste. Exhibitions had also been mixed with some successes but sales continuing to be very low. The highlight of the year was the talk by Stephen Broadbent with over 200 students attending from West Cheshire College, and this was a partnership we should continue to nurture. Our general spirit as a society seems to have improved over the year, and the Chairman thanked the Committee members for their work during the year. A couple of questions arose from the floor , the first about the new daytime meetings which the Chairman confirmed and the second relating to the Christmas party which the Chairman referred onto the Committee to determine. Proposed by Peter Appleton, seconded by Malcolm Wainwright, the report was approved.
6. Secretary’s Report.
The Secretary reported that the priorities for the year had been to boost membership, and although he had found new members the overall membership was fairly static. The diversity of demonstrations had been maintained and this was important if we are to continue to develop. The web site was proving to be a significant success and we are now appearing on other web sites. The programme had been delivered for about £200 less than in previous years, but we must be careful to get the right balance between being frugal and getting good quality demonstrators. Due to pressures of his studies the Secretary informed members that he would be stepping down this year but may be interested in future years. Proposed by the Chairman and seconded by Cathy McNellis the report was approved.
7. Treasurer’s Report.
Due to her sudden illness the Treasurer was unavailable to give a full report on audited accounts. This will need to be rectified at a later date. The Secretary gave a brief summary for the members as follows;
· Balance as at the end of August 2010 £1760.
· Balance as at the end of August 2011 £2110.
· Expenditure in September 2011 £154 on room hire, Willaston Hall hire and the demonstrator brought that balance down to £1956.
· Althought the position is healthy brought about by the Financial Plan current expenditure and income levels would reduce that balance to about £700 to £800, and this should be bourne in mind when considering fees for next year.
This was approved by the members subject to future updates.
8. Proposed Constituional Changes.
The following changes were debated and approved by the all 18 members present;
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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4. Membership.
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What this section says now.
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There shall be two classes of membership.....
(a) Full Members and Junior Members......
(b) Applications for Membership must be made in writing and supported by two members....
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What it is proposed it will say.
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· That there will only be one type of membership. (Full Membership)
· That application to join will not need two other members to propose it
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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· Custom and practice has overtaken these arrangements and we currently have unrestricted membership and no junior section.
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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· The constitution will now be in line with current practice.
· The lack of restrictions on membership encourages a wider range of people to be involved.
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Proposer
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Cathy McNellis
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Seconder
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Chris Fletcher
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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5 Officers.
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What this section says now.
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The Officers of the Society shall be a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The Chairman of the Society shall not be eligible for re-election in the year following his second year consecutive year of office.
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What it is proposed it will say.
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The Officers of the Society shall be eligible for re-election after their 2 year term of office.
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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· Section 5 currently contradicts Section 6.
· This change will put all Officers of the Society on the same footing.
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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· Continuity of leadership.
· Ensures regular change in all the Officers.
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Proposer
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Mike Redding
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Seconder
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Chris Fletcher
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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6. General Committee.
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What this section says now.
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· The managemant of the Society will consist of the 3 Officers and 6 Members.
· The Officers and half of the elected Members shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election.
· Quorum at present is 5.
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What it is proposed it will say.
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· The management of the Society will consist of the 3 Officers and 4 members.
· The Members of the Committee shall be in place for 2 years after which they will stand down and will be eligible for re-election.
· Quorum will be 4.
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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· Currently with our level of membership, 9 members represents about 25% of membership and it is difficult to recruit to Committee, and seems to be over representative of the body of members.
· It will be consistant with Section 5.
· It follows custom and practice that we have at present.
· Continuity of Committee and this is helpful when forward planning events etc.
· The issue of quorum simply follows the change to Committee.
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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· A manageable and efficient Committee structure that will give people time to bed down and make a contribution before having to stand down.
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Proposer
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Mike Redding
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Seconder
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Malcolm Wainwright
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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7 Powers of the General Committee
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What this section says now.
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(b) ...and to borrow money and such sums...and to charge the property and assets as security.
(c) Casual vacancies that arise can be filled but would retire after one year.
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What it is proposed it will say.
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· Delete the power to borrow and use the Society as security.
· Any casual appointment would retire at the same time as the other Members.
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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· Currently we do not borrow and our Financial Plan urges us to work within the revenue we generate.
· It would stop disjointed elections and bring it into line with Section 6.
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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· We avoid debt, live within our means and curb the powers of the Committee who would under these proposals be in office for two years.
· Continuity of Commttee Membership.
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Proposer
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Mike Redding
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Seconder
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Shiela Sarson
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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9. Membership Subscriptions
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What this section says now.
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· ...each class of membership...
· Annual subsciptions shall become payable on the 1st September....
· New Members when elected by committee will have to pay the full subscription immediately...
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What it is proposed it will say.
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· There is only one class of membership.
· Subcriptions shall be payable at the AGM.
· Members joining part way through the year will have to pay subscriptions as determined by Section 4(c) of the Constitution.
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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· This will be consitant with the proposals for section 4(a).
· This ensures it ties into the current practice of payment at the AGM when the subscription fees is determined.
· This makes it consistant with Section 4(c).
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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· These changes are required to make this part of the Constitution consistant with the previous parts.
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Proposer
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Jean Dodd
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Seconder
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Barbara Kehoe
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Section of the Constitution proposed for change.
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15 Copies of the Constitution
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What this section says now.
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Each member of the Society shall be furnished with a copy.....
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What it is proposed it will say.
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Members can request a copy of the Constitution from the Secretary, and one will be posted on any Society web site.
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The reason(s) for the proposed change.
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Saving on the costs of copying, and it would be available on the web site anyway.
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What will be the impact/benefit of the change.
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Saving costs.
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Proposer
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Glenys Montgomery
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Seconder
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Janet Marsden
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9. Election of Committee.
Two existing members remain in place Irene Grayson as Treasurer and Malcolm Wainwright. With the approved constitutional changes 5 new committee members needed to be elected. No nominations had been given to the Secretary so nominations were sought from the floor. The nominations were;
· Peter Appleton.
· Glenys Montgomery.
· John Edwards.
· There were no other nominations so this leaves two vacancies on the Committee.
With no other nominations the above were elected to serve for the next two years.
10. Election of Officers.
There are two vacancies:
· Chairman – there was only one nomination Glenys Montgomery so she was duly elected to serve for the next two years.
· Secretary – there was only one nomination Malcolm Wainwright so he was duly elected to serve for the next two years.
It was noted that in view of the workloads involved all Committee members should share part of the tasks of Secretary.
11. Appointment of Auditor.
It was agreed that to continue with David Griffiths.
12. Fees for 2011/12.
Members agreed an increase to £23 pa.
13. AOB.
The question of Willaston Hall daytime meetings was raised. It was agreed that they will contiue as an experiment up until Christmas 2011 and that the new Committee will need to decide a way ahead.
Peter Appleton
(Outgoing) Secetary.