Democracy Management Board Minutes (Draft)

8
th
February 2011, Top foor, ! "ynthia #treet, $ondon %1 &'F
Present: Vicky Seddon (chair), Tamsin James, Stuart Weir, Finola Kelly, Mark
Valladares, Nan Sloane and Peter irst
!n attendance: Peter Facey and "le# $uns%ick, Simon o%ard
1 (poogies, Minutes and Matters (rising
Phil Starr sent his a&olo'ies(
The minutes o) the meetin' held on *+
th
,ecem-er ./*/ %ere a'reed as
a correct record( There %ere no matters arisin' not already on the
a'enda(
2 )oitica *+er+ie,
Peter Facey (PF) re&orted on this and took 0uestions(
ouse o) 1ords (o1) &assed an amendment -y * 2ote )or there to -e a
threshold o) +/3 o) 2oters in the re)erendum on "V( !t is hi'hly likely that
the ouse o) 4ommons (o4) %ill o2erturn this( !n terms o) the -ill the
o1 has not -een use)ul -ut in the conte#t o) 1ords re)orm it has -een
2ery hel&)ul( !n the lon' term this is &ositi2e )or 5,( There has -een
much on the 1ocalism 6ill, and PF handed out a re&ort on the S4"( With
re'ard to MP7s e#&enses !PS" ha2e called in 5, to s&eak to them(
8n o1 re)orm this %ill not ha&&en consensually9 the o4 %ill ha2e to
use the Parliament "cts( PF is hearin' )rom 4onser2ati2es that
somethin' needs to -e done
- .es "ampaign /pdate
PF re&orts that the re)erendum cam&ai'n %on7t start &ro&erly until
March( There is currently a )i'ht o2er the terms o) the re)erendum and
the settin' o) the &olitical en2ironment( :No; are sayin' the :<es;
cam&ai'n is a 1i-,em cam&ai'n and that Nick 4le'' is 'ettin' his %ay,
%hile :<es; are tryin' to sell a :&eo&le 2s &oliticians; choice( What is
a'reed is that there a true )i'ht %ith the result uncertain(
!t is the most &ro)essional cam&ai'n PF has -een in2ol2ed in, thou'h
there are real di))iculties re'ardin' )undin' -ut nothin' like the ,aily
Tele'ra&h alle'es( The :No; cam&ai'n is likely to ha2e more money -ut
the :<es; %ill ha2e many more )ootsoldiers( Pollin' )i'ures are holdin' u&
%ith :<es; -ein' =>?3 ahead %ith *@A :don7t kno%s;(
:<es; do not %ant 1i-,ems central to the cam&ai'n( There are concerns
as to the tone o) the cam&ai'n( :<es; has to kee& on messa'e %hile :No;
are -aitin' &eo&le and usin' e2ery ne'ati2e tactic( <es are tryin' to kee&
their cam&ai'n a &eo&le7s cam&ai'n and minimise &olitician7s
in2ol2ement(
There are &otential chan'es to the <es To Fairer Votes (<TFV) structure
in that there are a num-er o) challen'es that are )acin' the <es
cam&ai'n in the run to the short cam&ai'n( 8n Friday ** Fe-, there is a
-oard meetin' o) <TFV that %ill discuss a num-er o) &ossi-le chan'es
to structure and sta)) to ensure that the cam&ai'n is )it )or &ur&ose(
,e&endin' on the outcome o) these discussions it may-e necessary )or
the M6 to 0uickly rati)y any &ro&osed chan'es that a))ect the 5,@<TFV
relationshi&9 i) so M6 mem-ers %ill -e contacted o2er the %eekend or on
Monday *+
th
at the latest to -rie) them and 'et their a&&ro2al(
(
0 1otematch
5, ha2e -een asked -y the !rish station TVA to &ro2ide Votematch )or
the !rish election( This is an o&&ortunity to make money and e#&and
Votematch( 1eeds 5ni2ersity ha2e also a&&roached us to use Votematch
)or their internal elections( There is the &otential here to use Votematch
in Trade 5nion elections )or e#am&le( !t looks to -e a use)ul income
stream )or 5,(
2 Finances, #taff 3 (dmin
/noc4 Democracy (ccounts
PF stated that at the -e'innin' o) the year the -ud'et had -een set %ith
a B.A,/// de)icit( "t &resent it looks like a B*AA,/// de)icit, ho%e2er at
%orst it %ill -e BC/,/// and at -est BA/>A=,///( This le2el o) de)icit is not
sustaina-le, -ut ne#t year %ill -e di))erent( There are cash)lo% issues -ut
they are at their %orst no% and %ill im&ro2e( o%e2er o2er the last .
years there %ill ha2e -een a -alanced -ud'et(
5, has 'i2en a lot to the <es cam&ai'n in 2arious resources -ut %e %ill
do nothin' that %ill Deo&ardise 5,7s )uture, or &re2ent it doin' %ork on
our other issues(
The No2as Scarman money is secure and should -e recei2ed in early
"&ril(
#taff
!n the conte#t o) -ud'etary issues, the Press and Pu-lications 8))icer
has not -een re&laced durin' this )inancial year, like%ise the Trusts and
Foundations 8))icer %ill not start until the ne% )inancial year(
! Mieage 5ates
!t %as a'reed to increase the milea'e rates )or sta)) %here they use their
o%n 2ehicle( !t has not -een increased )or years( The ne% rate %ill -e
.=& &er mile(
6 5ode )roperties
Samir ")him &re&ared a re&ort in res&ect o) mana'ement structure o)
$odell( PF took meetin' throu'h it( !t is &ro&osed that 5, -ecomes a
sin'le shareholder and that the use o) trustee shareholders ceases( !t
%as also &ro&osed that any directors a&&ointed should -e on the
mana'ement -oard or a&&ointed -y the -oard( These &ro&osals are to
-e discussed %ith e#istin' $odell directors(
8 "ounci
!t is &ro&osed that hal) o) the )orthcomin' council meetin' should -e
used to consider the &ost re)erendum %orld, to look at cam&ai'n
&riorities etc( 5, sta)) ha2e -een in2ited to attend to -e in2ol2ed in this
discussion(
& 7eath and #afety
PF con)irmed that Simon o%ard (S) %as the res&onsi-le &erson
under the Fire sa)ety le'islation( S ad2ised the all electrical remedial
%ork at E!$ %as com&lete, that the ne% )ire alarm system has no% -een
installed( S con)irmed that he %as doin' %alk throu'hs on his days in
and kee&in' records( VS su''ested that Phil Starr ins&ects these
records in due course( 4ouncil also ad2ised that . ne% )ire marshals had
-een a&&ointed in res&ect o) 5,(
10 (*B
" discussion %as held a-out &ossi-le co o&tions to the Mana'ement
6oard( !t %as a'reed to de)er any decisions to a later date

11 Date and time of ne8t meeting: =(A/ on Tuesday *.
th
"&ril ./**

Meeting cosed