NYFTE Annual General Meeting 2020

Notice is given that the NYFTE Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday 5th April at 15:00 but due to the extraordinary situation at the moment, it will take place as a virtual meeting.

Members as defined in the constitution (performing members, family members (parents) and leaders) are requested to attend. Associate, educational and corporate members are welcome to attend but have no voting rights.

We are currently working on the best technology to use for this. We will publish details of how to join  and other supporting documents. here.

Rhodri Davies (Chairman)

Tina Morris(Secretary)

Technical details being worked on.

The Annual General Meeting is an fundamental part of the cycle of governance for NYFTE since it is the source of authority and guidance for the association's officers and finances.  An effective AGM is therefore an important part of the association's operations. It also needs to be recognised as being legitimate by the membership.

The constitution sets out the rules for running the association, including the operation of the AGM; it includes things like the period between AGMs (maximum of 15 months), who can attend, who can vote and the quorum necessary to make the meeting legitimate (5 full members or one tenth of the membership, whichever is greater).

In normal years we hold the AGM in person at the start of the Tockington training week when the majority of members are in the one place. With Tockington cancelled and with every prospect of disruption running on for some months, the committee considered that we should proceed with the AGM in a virtual form and that we should do so on the day originally intended - let's keep some semblance of normality!

In preparing for this AGM, I am conscious that we are stretching the provisions of the constitution. Whilst it does not prohibit virtual meetings it does not explicitly allow them. Also with the cancellation of Tockington and reinstatement of the AGM it could be argued that we have not met the requirements for notice of the AGM and publication of the agenda. I am also conscious that we will be hostage to the technology and that the technology may not work well for some and not at all for others. It could be argued that this form of meeting disenfranchises those without good Internet access; equally a physical meeting could be viewed as disenfranchising those who cannot travel easily!

I believe that proceeding with a virtual meeting is the best option. These are extraordinary times and such times call for extraordinary measures. I hope that will be recognised and accepted by the members.

In view of the considerations I have mentioned, it is my intention to take points of order at the start of the meeting, should anyone wish to raise objections to the meeting in this virtual form. I also intend taking any further points of order at the end of the meeting, should any arise from the experience of the meeting and to close by asking the attendees to review the effectiveness of this form of meeting and therefore comment on the legitimacy of the decisions it will have taken.

It is my intention that if we encounter significant problems with the technology I will suspend the meeting and call for a more convention meeting later in the year once travel restrictions are lifted.

Since we have the facility to make the documents for the meeting available here on the web site, it is not my intention to read through the reports verbatim and I invite members to download a copy and scan through them in advance if possible. We have chosen to put the documents in a special, password protected section of the website. The password can be obtained from either the secretary or myself.

If you have any concerns about the arrangements or items you wish to present to the meeting please contact either myself the secretary.

Rhodri Davies

NYFTE Chairman

 opsdirector at nyfte.org.uk