Report of Council Meeting

[<<] [>>] by Dr Ian Vincent at Hurlingham
31st March 2015 (CqE Official News)

Council met in the afternoon following the SGM at Hurlingham. Arising from the SGM, Council decided to implement the first step of the permitted escalating increase in the per-capita club subscription rate. As a result, the subscription is expected to rise by about £1.10 (depending on the April RPI figure) to £9.50 from January, 2016. It also established a Membership Changes Implementation Group, consisting of Jeff Dawson (who will chair it), Peter Death, Liz Larsson, Ian Vincent and Peter Wilson, to manage the implementation of the agreed changes, which has power to establish sub-groups for specific issues and is to report to the Management Committee.

Peter Death, the Hon. Treasurer, reported that he had agreed the 2014 accounts with Marian Hemsted, the Independent Examiner, which Council unanimously approved for submission to the AGM. They showed a deficit in the general fund of £1,500, which the Treasurer felt was a healthy outcome, given that the costs of sending the MacRobertson Shield team to New Zealand had been accounted for in that year. The Lawn and Ball Hire rate will increase from £30 to £31 next year, pending a full review.

After concluding my Hon. Secretary's report, I was both astonished and gratified when the Chairman rose to announce that I was to be awarded the Council Medal and handed me a sheet of tributes from Council Members.

On a sadder note, Council expressed its condolences to Colin Irwin on the sudden death of his wife Christine (an obituary for her will appear in the June Gazette) and to the family and friends at the Bowdon Club of John Saxby, its late Secretary. The Association had been well represented at the funeral of John Solomon.

Consideration then turned to the report of the Management Committee. Three motions concerning Golf Croquet were passed:

• to trial refinements to the GC handicapping system in all games played in the East Anglian Federation during the 2015 season;
• to trial the use of "sequence umpires", who would have limited powers to intervene to prevent or stop play after wrong ball errors; and
• to establish a classification for championships.

Other items were for information, though the committee's Chairman highlighted the benefits of the online tournament entry system and took an action to review it to reduce any barriers to wider take-up. He was also pleased to report that Marcus Evans had been appointed as leader of the Junior Action Group and that proposals for a paid Development Officer and National (or even World?) Croquet Day were being worked up.