Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- council:meetings [2020/01/21 21:35] – [Agenda Items] matt
+++ council:meetings [2024/12/26 18:48] (current) – aidan
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Meeting Procedures ======
-Council meets three times a year, typically in February, June and October with the dates for the year set by the June meeting.
+The National Council meets at least twice times a year as per Article 6.11 of the [[general:constitution|Constitution]], and may meet more regularly by agreement.
-//(Note; up to and including 2020, Council met four times each year, with a meeting in January and March/April. At the January 2020 Council meeting the decision was agreed to replace the first two of the year with a single February meeting).//
-Full meetings are held in February and October. The June meeting is traditionally a short one that follows the AGM (after a short break).
-This schedule has evolved around the need to meet Constitutional requirements for the AGM, as well as avoiding “difficult” times of the year, such as July/August (holidays), December (Christmas) and September (Hidden Earth).
+The National Council will usually schedule a meeting to coincide with the deadline for Agenda items for the AGM. Council meeting dates, when decided by Council, are ordinarily chosen to avoid “difficult” times of the year, such as July/August (holidays), December (Christmas) and September (Hidden Earth).
 ===== Timeline =====
@@ Line 19: / Line 14: @@
 **Three weeks prior:**
 Deadline for submission of agenda items from Council members to the Secretary.
-**At least two weeks prior:**
-Secretary to upload agenda to website and notify Council members and ensure that the draft minutes from the last meeting are also available for review on the website.
 **Two weeks prior:**
 Deadline for submission of reports to the Secretary.
+Secretary to upload agenda to website and notify Council members and ensure that the draft minutes from the last meeting are also available for review on the website.
 **At least one week prior:**
@@ Line 36: / Line 29: @@
 ===== Venue =====
-Meetings may be held at any suitable location. It is desirable to choose somewhere relatively central and with suitable WIFI to allow participants to join remotely via video link. The venue should be available all day and have the capacity for at least 40 people (based on usual maximum attendance). Proximity to amenities (e.g. for lunch) and on-site parking and hot drinks facilities (tea/coffee) is recommended.
+Meetings may be held at any suitable location. It is desirable to choose somewhere relatively central and with suitable WIFI to allow participants to join remotely via video link. The venue should be available all day and have the capacity for at least 40 people (based on usual maximum attendance). Proximity to amenities (e.g. for lunch) and on-site parking and hot drinks facilities (tea/coffee) is recommended. It has become common practice for meetings to be held online via a suitable videoconferencing platform.
 ===== Agenda Items =====
@@ Line 48: / Line 41: @@
   - Matters arising from the previous meeting including review of action log
   - Reports including opportunity for questions/discussion and a vote to accept
+  - Reports received from Officers
   - Items/proposals for discussion/voting submitted by BCA Council members
   - Any other business
@@ Line 57: / Line 51: @@
 ===== Written Reports =====
-To ensure the efficient running of the meeting, and most importantly, to allow representatives to be fully prepared for the decisions they may be required to make, Officers and appointees are expected to provide written reports 7 days prior to the meeting. These are collated and distributed by the Secretary.
-Reports should typically include:
+To ensure the efficient running of the meeting, and most importantly, to allow representatives to be fully prepared for the decisions they may be required to make, Officers, Working Party Convenors, and those with additional appointed roles on BCA Council, are expected to provide written reports to the Secretary within the timeframe specified above.
-  * an update on progress since the last report;
-  * proposals for Council's consideration, including the necessary background and any recommendations of the Committee;
-  * details of any new co-opted members of the Committee;
-as well as anything that **may**:
-  * constitute a material change to the Terms of Reference and business of the committee;
-  * involve other Association Committees or members;
-  * have legal implications for the Association;
-  * have financial implications for the Association beyond those already agreed;
-  * involve the Association in a change to established policies or require the Association to agree a new policy or procedure.
-Should any of these latter points be included, then it is expected that papers shall be sent to the Secretary a minimum of two weeks before the date of the meeting to allow representatives sufficient time for consultation. In this situation the attendance of the Convenor or other committee member would generally be required at the National Council Meeting.
+**Reports should typically include:**
-Should this process not be followed, then the Chairman may well decide to postpone discussion of the item until the following meeting.
+  - An update on progress since the last report.
+  - Proposals for Council's consideration, including the necessary background and any recommendations of the author.
+**Reports should identify anything that may:**
+  - For Working Groups, anything that may constitute a material change to the Terms of Reference and business of that group.
+  - Involve other Association groups or members.
+  - Have legal implications for the Association.
+  - Have financial implications for the Association beyond those already agreed.
+  - Involve the Association in a change to established policies or require the Association to agree a new policy or procedure.
+Please ensure reports are fully comprehensive, clearly identifying (ideally at the start of the report) whether there are any specific actions/decisions for Council arising within. Doing so will help expedite meetings and focus attention on areas in need of consideration. Note that reports should not be used as a media to present major proposals; these should appear on the agenda which is published earlier.
-Committees will be formally advised of decisions reached or policies instituted or amended via the Minutes of the relevant National Council Meeting.
 ===== Applications for Club Membership: =====
-The Membership Administrator is empowered to provisionally accept new Club Members provided they meet our criteria for a properly constituted Club. The Club will then become a Member once we have received their membership fee, but this is provisional pending acceptance by the next Council Meeting (or AGM, whichever comes first). At each meeting the Membership Administrator should make Council (or the AGM) aware of clubs that have been provisionally accepted since the previous meeting so that any concerns can be raised. Council (or the AGM) should then vote on whether or not to accept the Club as a full BCA Member Club.
-===== Procedure for Accepting Reports: =====
+The Membership Administrator is empowered to provisionally accept new Club Members provided they meet our criteria for a properly constituted Club. The Club will then become a Member once we have received their membership fee, but this is provisional pending acceptance by the next Council Meeting.
-Once the meeting has finished discussing the contents of an Officer's Report, and is happy with everything reported that has not been discussed, the Chairman should ask if everyone present is happy to accept the remaining items of the report? Anyone with anything further to add should raise it at that point. If not, then the Chairman will move to the next Report. In the interests of a smooth meeting, it is not necessary to formally propose and second each acceptance. It is important to note that in accepting a Report, Council is indicating its agreement with everything mentioned that has not been separately discussed.
+At each meeting the Membership Administrator should make Council (or the AGM) aware of clubs that have been provisionally accepted since the previous meeting so that any concerns can be raised. Council should then vote on whether or not to accept the Club as a full BCA Member Club.
 ===== Meeting Minutes =====
-Minutes of meetings should include:
+**Minutes of meetings should include:**
-  * details of those present
-  * apologies for absence
-  * any matters arising from previous minutes
-  * reports to Council from Executive, Officers and appointees (which should be attached to the minutes)
-  * details of discussions on specific issues, points raised and decisions taken including, where appropriate, records of votes for and votes against.
-  * a means of indicating actions to be taken outside of the meeting, such as an "Action Log".
-Minutes and other papers should be distributed as soon as practical after meetings.  In the interests of effective communication, it is considered good practice to distribute Draft Minutes, before they are accepted by the next meeting, rather than waiting for fully Approved Minutes. Before publication the full Draft Minutes should be agreed by each of the Executive. However, in the event that this is not possible within one month of the meeting, the Secretary should ask another Council Member, or Members, to check them before publishing.
+  - Date, time and location.
+  - Details of those present.
+  - Apologies given for absence.
+  - Any matters arising from previous minutes.
+  - Outcomes of any actions from the previous meeting.
+  - Details of discussions regarding the reports including a record of their acceptance. The reports themselves may be attached or included within the minutes, or they may be included in a separate document available alongside the minutes.
+  - Details of discussions on specific issues, points raised, and decisions taken including, where appropriate, records of proposers, seconders, votes for and votes against.
+  - A means of indicating actions to be taken outside of the meeting, such as an action log; it is suggested to include this clearly at the end of the minutes.
-On publishing Draft Minutes the Secretary should send them to:
+Minutes and other papers should be distributed as soon as practical after meetings, but within eight weeks maximum. Before publication, draft minutes should be agreed by at least two participants, ideally one of which being a member of BCA Executive. The minutes may be reviewed by anyone the minute-taker feels appropriate to ensure their accuracy.
-  * all [[council:members|members of National Council]]
-  * anyone listed in the attendance list for that meeting.
-  * any other person or organisation the Secretary or another Council Member feels may have an interest. Currently this includes: the Secretaries of the Regional Councils and Constituent Bodies, plus the FODCCAG Secretary.
-A copy of all Draft Minutes should also be added to the relevant section of the BCA website, ensuring that any Draft Minutes are clearly marked as such, both in the document itself and on the website.
+**On publishing draft minutes, the Secretary should:**
+  - Upload them to the BCA website, ensuring clarity that they are a draft.
+  - Broadcast their availability via the British caving community.
+Minutes must be approved at the next Council meeting. Only in the event of significant changes being made should approved minutes also be broadcast, although they should always be updated to a ‘final’ document on the BCA website.
-Only in the event of significant changes being made at the following Meeting, should approved Minutes also be distributed as above, although they should always be updated on the BCA Website.
 ===== Voting Procedures =====
-Voting is by simple majority of those present and eligible to vote with no minimum number necessary for the meeting to be quorate. The Chairman shall hold the casting vote. The [[council:members|Council Members]] page gives a list of those eligible to vote. Although an individual is free to represent more than one Group, nobody is entitled to more than one vote.
+Voting is by simple majority of those present and eligible to vote with no minimum number necessary for the meeting to be quorate. The Chair shall hold the casting vote. The Council Members page gives a list of those eligible to vote. Although an individual is free to represent more than one Group, nobody is entitled to more than one vote.
+===== Representatives =====
+Representatives are vital to the smooth running of BCA. They help ensure the interests of all Constituent Bodies, Regional Councils and Committees are accommodated. However the role can be very demanding, particularly when immediate spur-of-the-moment decisions are requested at meetings. Therefore the following principles should apply to representatives:
+  - A representative is empowered to agree matters on behalf of the Body they represent, unless instructed specifically to the contrary by that Body.
+  - However, a representative can also say that they do not feel able to express the view of the Body they represent. In this case, if at all possible, they should be given a chance to refer the matter back to their Body for clarification.
+  - In view of the delays resulting from a referral back, it is sensible to avoid the need for this by effective communication in advance. Therefore prior warning of potential areas of discussion and decisions that will need to be made should be given if at all possible, ideally on the meeting agenda. The onus here is on whoever is requesting a decision to ensure it is communicated to the Secretary to put onto the agenda.
 ----
-//Formally adopted at 2012 AGM. Last review: 11/06/12//
+//Formally adopted at January 2020 Council Meeting. Last review: 26/12/2024 by Aidan Kuhlmann (Secretary) to reflect current practices.//