Annual General Meeting of Solihull Scouts 20th June 2018
Solihull Council Civic Suite
Tony Townley the County Chairman, opened the meeting by welcoming the Worshipful The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Mrs Flo Nash and her consort Honorary Alderman Alan Nash. He then opened the meeting with a short reading and a prayer
Present
There were 69 Leaders present from the County. List retained by County Secretary.
Apologies for Absence
Ian Carnell, Ken Meeson, Tony Fitzgerald-1st Shirley GSL
Presentation
Three excellent presentations were given highlighting activities carried out by young people in the County. Lord Amory-The Docklands Scout project by members of Intrepid and Drake ESU’s who had previously been members of 6th Solihull (St Alphege). The second by Lauren Evans on Youth Shaped Scouting with a short video with voice-overs by Beavers, Cubs , Scouts and Explorers. The third presentation was by Intrepid ESU on their Cycle ride from London to Paris to raise funds for British Heart Foundation in memory of Andy Holt. £10,000 was raised.
Minutes of the 2018 AGM
The minutes of the 2017 AGM were circulated within the AGM report pack for 2018.. The minutes were agreed to be a true record of that meeting and their acceptance was supported by a show of hands of those present.
County Chairman’s ReportTony Townley thanked Solihull for asking him to be County Chairman and reiterated how proud and honoured he had been to fulfil the role over the last 5 years. Tony’s full report is included in the Annual report.
County Commissioners Report County Commissioner, Shirley Brookes said that now her difficult start was over she now believed that the County had moved forward significantly with large numerical increases in young people-25% in the last 5 years and 6% in adults in the last year. She said how good the County Camp was and promised another in the near future. Shirley’s full report is in the main report.
Shirley thanked everyone for their support and also praised the earlier presentations, apologising for the Lord Amory incorrect group name (correct in these minutes).
She thanked Andy Baynes for his personal support in the DC changeover and made a personal
presentation to him.
Shirley then went on to thank Tony for his work and time as County Chairman and presented him with a Silver Thanks badge followed by a Solihull County Merit Badge urging him to wear it on his uniform to remember his time at Solihull.
Presentation of Accounts Ian Carpenter, the County Treasurer, talked the meeting through the accounts for the year. Highlighting the planned deficit of £5k used for work on the County HQ and County Camp.
Jamboree fund raising is going well, both staged payments have been made on time, the next payment being due in November 2018. A new account with CAF bank has been opened for the Jamboree team to help manage reconciliation of Jamboree fund raising and payments.
Solihull Day Care Centre who use County HQ building enjoy meeting there and work together well with
the County. A community Garden was planted by volunteers from The Princes Trust to brighten up the
outside area.
Next year 2018-19 could see more money being spent on training with the new Management Training modules being run regionally and consequently payments being made outside the County.
Special Needs may also be a higher cost to ensure that we manage inclusivity.
Ian expressed his thanks to Dave Landreth for scrutinising the accounts. Ian invited questions,
but none were raised.
Acceptance of the Annual Report and AccountsChair asked for and accepted a proposal from Greg Dodd for the annual report and accounts to be accepted. This was seconded by Alan Eccles and all agreed by a show of hands. Tony thanked Ian and David for their excellent work on the accounts.
Thanks were given to the various ACC’s for their work and the sectional reports
Appointment of Officers (Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary)
County Chairman: The County Commissioner nominated Simon Hague as County Chairman for the ensuing year. This appointment was unanimously approved by the meeting. Simon took over the chair and led thanks and applause for Tony Townley the retiring Chair.
County Treasurer: Ian Carpenter was nominated by Mike Fear and Seconded by Chris Davies there being no other nominations it was unanimously agreed by the meeting that he would stand for a further year.
County Secretary: Bob Lane was nominated by Simon Hague, there being no other nominations it was unanimously agreed by the meeting that he would stand for a further year.
Appointment of Members to the County Scout Council
Cole District nominated Roger Pacey and Blythe District nominated John Kidner as the District Representatives to the County Scout Council. They were approved by the meeting.
Appointment of Members to the County Executive
The County Commissioner – Shirley Brookes (ex-officio)
The County Chairman – Simon Hague (ex-officio)
The County Secretary – Bob Lane (ex-officio)
The County Treasurer – Ian Carpenter (ex-officio)
The County Youth Commissioner – Lauren Evans (ex-officio)
The Regional Commissioner – Dan Potter has the right to attend
The remaining nominations are:
Ken Meeson (nominated by CC)
Matthew Spencer (nominated by CC)
Ian Carnell (Co-opted)
Sue Cheshire (Co-opted)
Andy Baynes (Co-Opted) with special responsibility for GDPR and Data Protection
Richard Skinner (Cole District nominated)
Trevor Richmond (Blythe District nominated)
Greg Dodd (County Representative to Scout Council)
There being no other nominations declared or from the floor the executive was elected en bloc by the meeting
Appointment of Representative to the Council of the Association
The meeting approved the nomination Greg Dodd as the County Representative to the Council of the Scout Association.
The meeting approved the nomination of Lauren Evans as the County Youth Representative to the Council of the Scout Association.
They were both co-opted on to the County Executive.
Appointment of an Independent Examiner
Tony had conveyed the County’s thanks to Dave Landreth, who has examined the County Accounts and agreed to examine them next year.
The Worshipful The Mayor of Solihull Councillor Mrs Flo Nash
The Mayor said how appreciative she was of the work that Scouting does for young people in the Borough. The work that is done is important for the children to grow and develop. She was also pleased to see what is a brilliant mix across the Borough, working together with no demarcation of North or South. Scouting should be very proud of the work, which was highlighted in the videos of young people and adults and what can be achieved when they support themselves and each other.
Presentations
The County Commissioner made the following presentations:
Lauren Evans – Solihull Merit Award
Mat Spencer – Chief Scouts Commendation
Ian Carpenter – Bar to Silver Acorn
She also made note of the award of Bar to Silver Acorn to Dave Landreth and to the award of MBE to Ian Carnell
Conclusion
Simon closed the meeting by thanking all present for their attendance and invited all to join the Mayor in the refreshment room for a social conclusion to the evening. He invited people to visit the information bases provided for 2019 Jamboree, Activities and Training.
Bob Lane
County Secretary-Solihull Scouts