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The Civil Service Club
Annual General Meeting
Minutes of the Fifty Seventh Annual General Meeting of the Civil Service Club held on Tuesday 18th May 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Club
Present: Officers and Committee Members
Mr John Whittaker - Chairman Mr Brian Kirvell - Vice Chairman Mr John Barker - Hon Secretary Mr M Hall Mr R Chapman Ms K Corander Mr R Hewlett Ms R Hatcher Mrs M Robinson Mr M Klaassen Mr B Watts
A total of 31 members attended.
In attendance: Mr D Rowberry – General Manager Mr C Young - Assistant Manager Mr L Brook - Auditor
1. Welcome and Introductions.
The Chairman introduced the other Officers and Managers present.
2. Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on 19th May 2009. The minutes were approved.
3. Report on the year to December 2009. The Chairman reported a year of steady improvement in a number of respects. The first full year of operation of the newly refurbished bar and food bar had been well received and trading has improved. We have been able to start refurbishing our meeting rooms on the second floor so as to be able to charge a more commercial hire fee. However we still need to refurbish the bedrooms.
It is disappointing that we have had to restrict the opening times for the Dining Room but the number of members using it at certain times has not been sufficient to keep it open as much as we would like. Feedback on the quality of the food has however been generally positive.
Managers have continued to make changes to the way in which the Club is run. We recognise that changes of this nature are difficult and we appreciate the way in which staff have responded. The introduction of a new computer system has significantly improved our administration and promises to improve considerably our communication with members.
We are unfortunately still in discussion with the Cabinet Office about the possibility of a lease on the premises. The recent election has however stalled but we hope that we will soon be able to bring things to a conclusion. In the meantime we have still had to face a significant maintenance demand – particularly this year in dealing with the remainder of the asbestos legacy that we inherited. WE are hoping this summer to undertake a major refit of the lift.
A number of membership initiatives appear to be bearing fruit but we could still do with more members. In particular it would be good to reduce our age profile by recruiting more serving civil servants to replace the inevitable losses. One such loss this year has been that of our Vice President, Norman Seymour who amongst other things was the author of the History of the Premises. He will be missed.
Unfortunately our Hon Treasurer has had to resign during the year because of pressure of work. We are nonetheless grateful for his efforts during his short time in post. Jim Smith has stood down at this election. On a happier note I am pleased to welcome Theresa Pollock as the new Hon Secretary replacing John Barker who becomes Hon Treasurer.
Finally the Chairman thanked the Committee, Managers and staff for their support. We are particularly grateful at the way the staff have continued to provide a high quality of service for which thanks are often received from members and guests.
4. Election of new committee members and review of membership. The Hon Secretary announced that there had been only three nominations for ordinary members of the Committee. The following were therefore elected:
John Jarvis Ron Hewlett Martin Klaassen
There had been one nomination as Hon Treasurer. John Barker was therefore elected.
There had been a slight drop in membership over the year with total numbers averaging just below 11,000.
5. Statement of Accounts In the absence of an Hon Treasurer, the Hon Secretary announced an overall loss, including depreciation, of almost £40,000. This was an improvement of over £26,000 over the previous year. This was due to an increase in income and a reduction in staff costs, although the latter had been offset to a large extent by redundancy costs.
6. Election of Auditors. Mazars were re-elected as Auditor for another year.
7. Any Other Business During a lively and wide-ranging discussion the following points, amongst others, were raised:
· The provision of paper towels in the Toilets · Having the same wine selection upstairs and downstairs · The use of TV showing of football during the World Cup, possibly as a recruitment aid. · Could we enlarge the lift as part of the refit · Reciprocal arrangements with other Clubs · How to attract new members · - the range of facilities - Full Marketing effort - Provision of women friendly elements eg Women’s breakfasts - Ministers after meal speeches · The use of the Peter Ward lounge particularly for female members · How we could improve publicity eg a revamped web site and links to Departmental sites. · A wider range of events – ideas welcomed · More disability friendly facilities – particularly at least one adapted bedroom · A more friendly welcome for new members.
8. Close of meeting The Chairman closed the meeting at 7:30pm |