Transition Montpelier

Transition Montpelier Core team minutes:
17/3/10
Sally’s kitchen

• Shiona
• Caroline
• Ralph
• Dan
• Ciaran
• Sally
• Ed
• Richard
• (apols Simon, Jane, Bronwen)

Next meet: 21/4/10: Radford Mill Farm Shop, 19:00

Actions:

• EM put a google calendar together for year event plan and embed into website
• CM poke Transition Bristol for another networking event (EM, Caroline happy to help)
• CM investigate CIC/membership issues
• CM EM produce outline for membership model
• SM dig out community information for CM
• CM connect DW with Bert
• Ralph make cakes for Art Trail
• SJ connect DW with Kevin and Sylvie
• SJ contact Natalie and Sylvie and Nick Freeconomy for swap stall at Art Trail
• CM take TT books for Art Trail stall

Topics and points:

1. Year event plan

• EM/DW present year plan with these activity types:
• Big support events (a: projects-oriented, b: awareness, c: open space)
• Big celebration events (Bean Feast, Art Trail, Green doors, Winter Fayre)
• Core activities (balancing meets to help groups and general comms)
• Groups activities (most regular activity meets for groups, organised by groups)
• Significant others (e.g. Neighbourhood partnership meets, networking with other initiatives etc.)

AGREED: hold off core (and most unplanned) activity July/August
AGREED: general plan and event types sounds good

2. Constitution

CM and JL did some background work and recommend adopting BM’s constitution with some amends. Following a CIC model. Seemed like the best path. Did not recommend a membership structure as this requires management. EM agrees on not having membership but rest of group thought it best way to help people feel part of initiative.

CIC implications:

• lightweight plan – easy to manage
• enables bank account
• can pay people if desirable
• no trustees or charity commission resolutions required
• need to keep books and send a (slimmed down) version of books to charities house but not full audit
• ‘asset ties’ means that any assets a group has have to be re-distributed to other community projects on closure (ie no personal gain)
• easier to get funding as a CIC

Long discussion about membership:

• majority of core group felt it would remove notion of exclusivity so was a good thing
• minority felt it would entail extra work and wasn’t neccessary

membership outlines discussed:

• doesn’t have to be heavy – just enough participation to enable re-balancing if required
• give 14 days advance notice for meetings
• board make all decisions during year between AGMs
• quorum required: % of members required at AGM – need to get this balance right
• 21 days notice for EGMs – electing members etc. changing constitution, electing directors, AGM voting
• Email announcements for important meetings
• Board can find new members without objections (ie if no-one objects having been informed, that’s good)
• email list would be sufficient for announcements – DW – would it?
• an individual should be responsible for handling membership (?)

ISSUES:

• CIC model might not work with membership

AGREED:

• CM investigate CIC and membership model
• EM and CM produce proposed membership outline. Then another take membership model forward

3. AGM

Beanfeast formalised in absence of TT Montpelier’s structure – so the events team are one step ahead of TT Montpelier! Need to balance these out and align. Therefore, TT Montpelier needs a constitution and bank account if Beanfeast wants to move to TT Montpelier structure.

• Beanfeast needs AGM in order to resolve how it is going forward in light of TT Montpelier’s structure – although TT Montpelier doesn’t need to know *exactly* what it will be in full detail – Beanfeast AGM can agree to moving in the meantime if that is what they want
• TT Montpelier needed to resolve TT Montpelier’s structure so we all know what’s going on
• CM and EM’s constitution work within 2 weeks will give Beanfeast a clearer idea of what TT Montpelier is up to in order to bring to any Beanfeast AGM
• Possibility of holding TT Montpelier ‘AGM’ at film showing in May

4. Website feedback

• DW asks group for any feedback about website to be sent via email

5. Art Trail: 24/25 April

• DW set up relationships with Fairfield school but does not want to run it all
• SM, SJ, JL and others happy to help
• Ideas included: reconstruction of a Banksy, art and seedling exchange, Dan and Roz djing on Sunday
• TT Mont to have a stall

6. Green Doors day: 11/9

• DW behind a city-wide open doors day for Green re-fits, renovations, ideas etc.
• partnering with multiple stakeholders, on same day as general open doors day
• DW building team around project at the moment – looking for funding is vital – it’s a big gig!
• Party at Hamiliton House afterwards

7. Heart and Soul group launching from Transition Bristol

• discussion on Heart and Soul

8. Beanfeast gets £2,000 from council

• much excitement and good work all!