Unlock Democracy

Minutes of the Management Board meeting dated 12

th
October 2010
Present: Stuart Weir !hair"# Mark $alladares# %hil Starr# &inola 'elly# %eter (irst# )amsin
*ames and +an Sloane,
In attendance %eter &acey# -le. /uns0ick# Simon (o0ard
Apologies: $icky Seddon,
1 Minutes of last meeting dated 1
st
*une 2010 a11ro2ed,
2. Matters arising
234 5es !am1aign u1date, %& 6 !urrently there is a 0ebsite, )he first 0a2e of acti2ity is
to take 1lace on Bonfire night, %eo1le are to hand out leaflets at bonfires, )argetting 10 big
ones ie 7 in 8ondon# !ardiff etc, -/ 1ointed out that 4
th
+o2ember is 9 months to
referendum date,
)he 5es cam1aign team is nearly full staffed at senior le2el# but the lo0er le2el still needs
to be to be sorted, )here is a need to raise more funds# the cam1aign estimates the need
to raise :9M,
!onference60ise# the +o cam1aign only attended the !onser2ati2es 0hilst the 5es
attended all ; 1arty conferences, )he +o cam1aign has a clear strategy of saying <if you=re
not sure then 2ote no=,
)he cam1aign 0ill gro0 through +o2ember# there is a need to 0in 11 million 2otes to be
safe, Demogra1hically the yes cam1aign sits 0ell 0ith young 1eo1le and 8ondoners but is
0eaker 0ith grou1s likely to 2ote,
&ull 0ebsite 0ill be o1erational by end of month# 5es to fairer 2otes 0ill go li2e in time for
4
th
+o2ember, )here 0ill be a celebrity launch and then the bonfires,
7, Political overview
%& attended all conferences and had a 1ositi2e res1onse at all e2en in the &reedom >one,
/egarding other go2ernment agenda# 0e are starting to get more 1ositions regarding
8ords reform: the 1ublication of a draft bill has sli11ed to the +e0 5ear, -/ 6 !ross 1arty
grou1s of 1eers are being set u1 o11ose, )here should be an en?uiry into 1arty funding
and a bill on fi.ed term 1arliaments, So e2en 0ithout -$ there is enough to kee1 UD busy
Party conferences
(a2ing stalls at the conferences 0as good and useful for contacts and 2olunteers#
ho0e2er it is not something to be done e2ery year, Different days had different themes and
there 0ere s1ecific resources for the different issues, (ouse of 8ords reform 0as the most
contro2ersial# 0ith 1eo1le sto11ing for 5es to &airer 2otes, %& added that there 0as no
hostility to the (uman /ights -ct but no sense of urgency to defend it,
; Finances
%& a1ologised that the accounts 0ere only to the end of *uly but conferences and audit
interfered,
/odell 1
st
@ Ancome do0n and e.1enditure u1 0hich is not a good combination, Ancome is
less due to Basement at !ynthia Street being 2acant and Brays Ann /oad the same# 0hile
e.1enditure is u1 due to refurbishment at both 1laces# some of 0hich 0e can recharge,
8ooking at UD# income is better than e.1ected because of increased grants and indi2idual
gi2ing together 0ith management fees 0hich 0ere taken early", C.1enses @ S!- income
is do0n but some big grant che?ues are due soon from */!) and Bridge (ouse )rust,
On e.1enditure# o2erall it is Dust under 0hat 0as e.1ected, )here are 2ariances and %& is
ha11y to ans0er email ?uestions, A ha2e an email from +o2as Scarman that ;0' 0ill be
going into our bank account ne.t 0eek in res1ect of last year, +S said that this should be
1ut on the agenda for the ne.t meeting as a se1arate item since it is an issue,
M$ 0anted to 1ick u1 on risk management and en?uired 0hether there 0as anything in
the ne.t ?uarter the board should be ha11y or alarmed about, %& no but gi2en all the
commitments 0e are not doing better than the budget, We ha2e ke1t on Matt e2en though
funding has sto11ed, )here are some internal cashflo0 issues, When the +o2as Scarman
money comes in the :70' can be re1aid,
5. Staffing
%& ad2ised Board of Bethan /igby=s de1arture, (er role 0ill re2ert to its original role of
1ublicity and education officer rather than manager, (e then ad2ised them of Simon
(o0ard=s a11ointment as office31ro1erty manager bringing in skills from a 1ro1erty
background, (e also confirmed that the outreach 1ost 0as in 1lace and 0ould be dealing
0ith local grou1s and basic membershi1 administration,
Samir -fhim=s 1ro1osal to em1loy a dedicated grant funds 1erson 0as then considered,
&' 0as against the em1loyment of such a 1erson, - general discussion follo0ed regarding
the role# its remuneration and status# 0hether and 0hy it 0as needed# com1arison to other
similar siEed organisations# current economic climate and timing of being successful in
a11lying for grants, +S using her direct e.1erience ga2e a 2ery clear e.1lanation of the
need for such a 1erson in today=s economic climate, Within the discussion arose the 1oint
a re2ie0 of the organisation 0as 1robably needed, )he Board agreed to this ne0 1osition
0ith the 1ro2iso that there is a need to re2ie0 the staffing structure at UD in -ugust 2011,
6. Progress on Yes Campaign
-/ it is im1ortant to note that the Breen %arty is su11orting the -$ referendum 5es 2ote,
7. Income
Legacies @ B Ma2is Dent legacy left money to the !ommunist %arty, UD has settled 0ith
the %eo1les %ress %rinting Society and 0ill take 9FG therefore 0ill recei2e :70',
Fundraising @ UD did an ask 0ith the autumn magaEine, )his mailing 0ent to 10
thousand 1eo1le# 4 thousand from the %o0er 2010 list,
8. o!ell
%& and %S recommend that there be an additional director for /odell, Of the ; directors
only 2 are from the current council, Mark agreed to be a11ointed as an additional
director &B 1ost meeting subse?uently offered to become one as 0ell",
%S 1ro1osed that an ad2isory board be established for /odell, (e and S- are looking to
recruit 1eo1le,
F, "#M $ Motions !ouncil has to formally res1ond to motions 1assed last year, -/ has
drafted a res1onse 0hich she distributed, Management board to consider them,
%&. '(ere was no ot(er )usiness and the meeting closed at H,00,