(Link to Eventbrite booking page)
Date Wednesday 30 April 2025
Time 7.00 for 7.30pm
Woodbridge Community Hall, Station Road IP12 4AU
AGENDA
- Apologies for Absence
- Minutes of Last AGM (24 April 2024) available at this link
- Matters Arising
- Treasurer’s Report for year-ending 31 December 2024 including last year’s audited accounts (link to follow)
- Appointment of Examiner for 2025 Accounts
- Election of officers and members of the Committee
- Officers due for re-election:
- Moray MacPhail – Membership Secretary
- Co-opted members standing for election:
- Robert Brinkley
- Tony Carter
- Re-election on to committee after 4 years:
- Sue Orme
- Motions A and B associated with updating the RDA Constitution (See appendix below)
- Co-Chair’s Report – see Spring Edition of ‘The Deben’
End of Business
Following the Annual General Meeting business, there will be a talk by Matt Wilson, Countryside Manager for the National Trust Suffolk and Essex Coast.
‘Conservation and Climate Change: National Trust on the Suffolk and Essex Coast’
Matt will outline his role with the National Trust, and will talk briefly about the National Trust at 130 and its new strategy. The majority of his talk will be devoted to his direct areas of responsibility including the management of the Sutton Hoo woodlands, heather at Dunwich, the colony of grey seals on Orfordness and the preservation of the Northey Island saltmarsh on the River Blackwater.
Also at the AGM will be the cover artist for the Spring Edition of ‘The Deben’ magazine, photographer Jeremy Young, who will be showing some of his current work.
Wine and soft drinks will be available from 7.00pm, please do join us
Appendix – Motions for updates to the 2022 RDA Constitution (link to 2022 Constitution):
Motion A: To make it clear the RDA has no political affiliations and remove superfluous wording, e.g. “and environs”as “environs” is not a common word and all environs being within the catchment
1. ABOUT THE RIVER DEBEN ASSOCIATION
…
“The Association is an unincorporated, non-charitable, non-partisan, association of members who share an interest in The River Deben and its catchment area and environs, from source to mouth, (The River Deben) either as residents or businesses in the area, boat owners, walkers, bird watchers or anyone who gains pleasure from the river.”
“The Association is an unincorporated, non-charitable, non-partisan, association of members who share an interest in The River Deben and its catchment area and environs, from source to mouth, (The River Deben) either as residents or businesses in the area, boat owners, walkers, bird watchers or anyone who gains pleasure from the river.”
Motion B: To clarify financial governance: whilst there is no practical change to financial procedures, clarifications were required to open the Metro Bank account.
6. FINANCE
6.1 All monies shall be passed to the Treasurer who shall maintain the necessary accounts in the name of The Association. Income must be applied solely in furtherance of the objectives of The Association.
6.2 All expenditure by the Association over £500 must be authorised by the Committee. The Chair must authorise payments between £100 and £500, lesser amounts can be authorised by the Treasurer. Expenditure listed within an annual budget that has been approved by the Committee does not need to be reapproved.
6.3 All payments of authorised expenditure can be actioned by either the Treasurer or the Secretary
6.4 The Treasurer shall advise on the financial welfare of the Association at all Committee meetings and prepare annual accounts which shall be presented for approval at a Committee meeting and at the AGM
6.5 The accounts shall be examined by a suitably qualified person who shall not be a Member of the Committee. The examiner will be approved at the AGM.
6.5 At the end of each financial year any cash balance in excess of that deemed necessary by the Treasurer to cover expenditure for the next year may be transferred to such designated reserves as are agreed by the Committee. The reserves shall support the objectives of The Association and include (but shall not be limited to) environment, education, campaigns.
6.7 Transfers to and from reserves shall be reported to the Committee as part of the annual accounts and expenditure must be for the purpose the fund was set up.
6.8 Committee members should not receive funds from the Association other than in exceptional circumstances. Any such payments must be approved by the Committee.
6.9 Incidental expenses incurred by a Committee member may be reimbursed at the Treasurer’s discretion.
6.10 The purchase of indemnity insurance for the Committee shall be deemed a valid expense
6.11 Following a winding-up resolution, the remaining Association funds, including reserves, shall be disposed of to another organisation with comparable aims as agreed by the members present.
Colin Nicholson
Co-Chair
March 2025