Ramblers Association Doncaster Group
Minutes of committee meeting held on 16th March 2015 at Wheatley Hotel
Committee Members Present; David Gadd, David Horne, Tony Marsh, Jim Elvidge, Marion Thompson, Tony Liversidge, Bob Carlisle & Martin Wyman.
1. Apologies
Apologies received from Catherine Palmer, Wendy Atkinson, Owen Evans, Dennis Neal, Kerry Foreman, Peter Gravestock, and Dave Binnington.
2. Minutes of previous meeting 19/1/15
Minutes confirmed as accurate TM/DG
3. Matters arising from those minutes
None.
4. Correspondence
None.
5 Finance
DH said that funds were reduced, however the Area treasurer had agreed to reimburse us for the £252 spent on roundels. We will receive the normal invoices for the Walks Programmes and Newsletter but will receive advertising revenue in return.
TL asked how the £35 cost of Area Newsletter Distribution was incurred? DH replied that it was mainly postage.
BC asked if we can get back money we spend. DH replied that he was required to present an annual budget to which funds were allocated appropriately. DG added that for a specific project we can request funds from Area, for example the refund of the roundels cost.
6. Rights of Way Report
MW said that we had received an email from Julie Guest at DMBC on 3rd February with an update on progress with footpath problems reported by Ramblers. Since the last update 33 works have been completed, 16 Job sheets or Work orders had been raised, and 40 problems were outstanding.
There will be a PROW Forum meeting with DMBC on March 26th when path orders and other matters are discussed with stakeholders.
TM added that he had met with Julie and Stuart Horrocks on 21st January to organize maintenance sessions, which had been very useful.
There were sessions on 28th January when 9 volunteers were at Owston clearing the TPT; on 18th February when 5 volunteers did clearance work, erecting posts, and way marking at Barnburgh, High Melton and Mexborough; and 18th March when 9 volunteers will go to Rossington, Hatfield, Auckley and Bawtry fitting posts and repairing stiles
7 Social Report
DN not present.
8. Walks Programme April-September
Completed and sent to the printers.
9. Walks Programme/Newsletter adverts
DG felt that the HF advert in the newsletter looked wrong given that Ramblers Holidays and HF Holidays were competitors. However, it is included in the current newsletter. TM has contacted HF concerning payment.
10. Governance Consultation update
DG presented a comprehensive update.
To recap, members were invited to be involved in consultations on the review, which could have major implications to the way Ramblers is governed. The deadline for consultations was 31st December.
The review came out at the end of October. This Group had an ineffective discussion at our November meeting. Area Council met and agreed, at its meeting of 24th November, would email Benedict Southworth and make the point again – that the time was ridiculously short, bearing in mind the major subject and bearing in mind the run-up to Christmas. I had to email him again, a couple of weeks later, to get a reply. When it came the response was in the negative – deadline 31st December in readiness for General Council 28/29 March.
Area Council formed a sub-committee of six people and we met on 16th December, but didn't achieve much except to agree to submit a 'wrecking' motion to GC, which we did. Motions are always circulated prior to GC and we noticed that ours has been 'softened'. We were also informed that the Board of Trustees had agreed to slow down the process and aim for GC 2016, except for a motion to bring in one man one vote.
You may remember an online survey that members were invited to complete. One section asked about OMOV for the election of Trustees. I didn't complete that section, because I didn't know, and still don't know, what is the best form of democracy in an organisation such as Ramblers.
I have joined the Ramblers-Net blog, where considerable anger about the consultation process has been expressed. One item for anger was the online survey, it being seen as simplistic, a typical 'tick-box' exercise. 0.7% of Ramblers' members completed the survey, with a considerable proportion not completing that section. So the overall support for OMOV is miniscule. Jez Kenyon, who has come onto Area Council following the problems that the Sheffield 40s Group had last year, has prepared a paper on the OMOV issue, pointing out the many problems with it – that it sounds right but there's no regional representation, the big (southern) Groups will have a strong influence and would easily be able to 'swing' the vote. Jez has decided to stand for election as a Trustee.
Many other points have arisen from all this. One major point, in my opinion, is that some Areas don't function at all. That might be a function of the geography of that Area or just that nobody wants to be involved. But a major point of the governance proposals was to give Areas more responsibilities. Also, it has been pointed out that at the 2013 GC a motion was passed asking for a report on the various options for changing the way Ramblers functions; this has never been produced. In fact a discussion at the 2014 GC, involving about 50 people, the majority of whom expressed the view that major changes to governance were not needed, has been used to say that proper consultations have taken place. As has the series of meetings with Area Chairs and Secretaries, one of which I went to, but no meaningful discussion on the proposals took place.
At the moment, SYNED's Area Council is considering how to word our motion for GC. The Agenda Committee, who re-worded it, have back-tracked and asked us for a newly-worded motion.
11 Website
DG had investigated Ramblers Web concerning a possible new website. Given the shortage of time, MW to put on the Agenda for the next meeting.
12 AGM 2015/Area AGM 2016.
Hilda Levine has booked the hall at Finningley for the AGM on Saturday 24th October; she will provide catering and the magician has been booked. The latter has requested a call nearer the date, but we can run a quiz if there is a problem.
DG has booked the Methodist Hall for the Area AGM.
13. AOB
- TM asked if the Settle walk on June 6th needed more publicity. TM to produce flyers.
- TM felt more work effort had to be made to ensure good attendance at the first aid session on 27th April.
Meeting closed 19:48