Executive Committee
This page contains minutes of Executive Committee meetings, Objectives of the Executive Committee, and Standing Orders of the Executive Committee.
Minutes – 2008–09
Minutes of Executive Committee Meeting held 7:30pm, 12 September 2008 at 2 Park Terrace
Glossary: AGM: Annual General Meeting; ANW: Andy Walker; DGL: David Levens; EC: Executive Committee; ECF: English Chess Federation; KH: Kevin Harvey; MCCU: Midlands Counties Chess Union; NCA: Nottinghamshire Chess Association; NG: Neil Graham; NN: "Notts News"; RH: Robin Hood; RJR: Robert Richmond; SGM: Spcial General Meeting; VAT: value-added tax; 4NCL: Four Nations Chess League;
Present: DGL [chair], RJR, ANW.
1. Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from NG, KH and MJH. The co-options of NG and KH, discussed by e-mail, were formally confirmed.
2. Minute of last meeting
Minutes of the meeting of 26th June were noted and approved with two minor corrections: under item 3, the report on the ECF was "that five directors had resigned", not "by five directors had resigned", and under item 5, the agreed league fees were to be "recommended" to the AGM rather than definitive.
3. Matters arising
All matters arising were dealt with later in the meeting.
4. Banner
DGL presented the banner which he had purchased on behalf of the NCA, at a cost of £45 plus VAT. The design followed comments circulated by e-mail, and it was agreed that the outcome was very smart. The banner would be displayed at the RH Marathon and at other venues where there was an NCA presence.
5. Budgets
RJR reported a satisfactory position. In response to a request from DGL, the Publicity Officer was authorised to spend up to £25 without further reference to EC; other officers should work within the previously-agreed guidelines.
6. Team captains
ANW reported on efforts to fill the team-captaincy posts since the AGM. Volunteers had been found for almost all positions, as follows:
Open team: Mike Barnes and ANW had circulated all players likely to be affected, and it had become clear that we could not reliably raise a team. So we had not entered an Open team into the MCCU Championship.
U175: This would be held as a one-day jamboree. Although we had not found a captain, ANW had undertaken to liaise with the organisers when a date was known, and was confident that a team could be raised.
U125: Keith Walters had volunteered.
U100: Ric Dawson had volunteered.
4NCL: Ian Kingston had volunteered.
EC confirmed that these volunteers should be appointed.
DGL reported that we had been approached with a view to entering a junior 4NCL team. We would watch developments, but at this stage it did not seem practicable to do this, in the light of other commitments.
7. Other vacant posts
ANW reported on the results of the appeal by NG to all members of affiliated clubs whose contact information was known. There had been 19 replies. These had helped with the vacant captaincy posts, but there was no progress with other posts. The most immediately urgent need was for a Records Secretary, as the season was about to start. RJR would collect results until a more permanent solution was found. The posts of Bulletin Editor, Webmaster and MCCU Representative would be left vacant while further attempts were made to find suitable volunteers. EC also discussed whether to co-opt a seventh member. Proposals to ANW by e-mail were invited.
8. Any other business
It was agreed that we should re-visit in the new year the proposal to appoint some Honorary Vice-Presidents. Proposals for suitable recipients are solicited. A timetable for the SGM mandated by the AGM was considered. Draft proposals should be produced for the November EC meeting, in time to produce and circulate to via NN final proposals for comment, to be discussed at EC and then the SGM in January. Preparations for 2011, the 125th anniversary of the 1886 tournament, were in an early stage. One proposal was for us to hold an English Championship. The proposed match against our twin city, Ghent, was still under active discussion. Nothing was yet definite.
Meeting closed at 9:22pm.
ANW
Minutes of Executive Committee Meeting held 7:45pm, 15th January 2009 at 2 Park Terrace
Glossary: AGM: Annual General Meeting; ANW: Andy Walker; DGL: David Levens; EC: Executive Committee; KH: Kevin Harvey; MJH: Maurice Hill; NCA: Nottinghamshire Chess Association; NG: Neil Graham; RJR: Robert Richmond; SGM: Special General Meeting; WP: Will Place; 4NCL: Four Nations Chess League.
Present: DGL [chair], WP, RJR, ANW.
1. Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from NG, KH and MJH. Minutes of the meeting of 30th October were approved without amendment.
2. Matters arising
WP had been co-opted, and was welcomed to the meeting by DGL. DGL agreed to process a £20 book token and a suitable certificate to represent the President's Award made at the AGM.
The arrangements previously made for the U125 captaincy had fallen through. NG was arranging the next match, and DGL would liaise with him re matches after that. RJR has the master copy of the contact list.
3. 4NCL team fees
Previous sponsorship of the teams had not materialised this year, so the £375 team fees had to be raised between the NCA and the players concerned. There was feeling that as a matter of principle players representing the county, who already gave up considerable time and money to play, should not normally be expected also to pay board fees; however, the NCA also could not be expected to subsidise teams to this extent. Following discussion, the meeting accepted the Treasurer's proposal that for rounds 3-11 the players should be levied £3 per game, or £25 for a "block" booking, and the NCA should pay the remainder, expected to be approximately £75.
4. Bank mandate
RJR noted that the lists of signatories for our accounts was now very out of date, and needed to be updated. It was agreed that there was, however, no urgency for this, provided that the NCA agreed to permit single-signature withdrawals up to £250 [the Congress first prize]. Under the present Constitution, this is a matter for the SGM.
5. Rapidplay and Congress update
RJR reported 55 entries thus far for the Rapidplay and 2 for the Congress. He expected a final total of around 100 for the Rapidplay, similar to last year.
6. Honorary life vice-presidents
It was agreed to recommend to the SGM that Peter Dodson, Frank Ellis and Alan Morrey should be invited to become honorary life vice-presidents in recognition of their long service to the NCA. ANW was asked to write a supporting paper.
7. Executive board proposals
No comments had been received from outside EC on the draft paper, which would therefore go forward to the SGM. ANW was asked to specify the actual changes to the Constitution that would be necessary.
8. Any other business
WP reported that the process of getting league results onto the web was being automated.
Meeting closed at 9:35pm.
ANW