General note
The following is a summary of the AGM from my own recollections and is not the official minute of the meeting. The official minutes will be generated by the office and these will be published in the usual way. If there are any omissions or inaccuracies, then please accept my apologies for this, the idea is to provide a flavour of the meeting for those who were unable to attend - Hugh McClean.
The format
The meeting was chaired by the club President Tim Fisher and he was joined at the top table by the retiring Captain Derek Wheatley, Chair of Finance Keith Jones and Lyn Simpson from the club's auditors.
Apologies
A number of apologies were received from those not able to attend and these will be included in the minutes of the meeting
Minutes of previous AGM
The minutes from last year's AGM were approved, with no matters arising.
Retiring Captain's Report
Derek Wheatley prepared a report on his year as captain (a copy of this is included in the newsletter) and made a point of thanking the seniors for their support and efforts through the year.
Financial Report
Keith Jones presented a report of the club's financial performance during the year and was pleased to announce that a small trading profit was shown in the management accounts.
He went on to explain that the main difference shown between the published and management accounts was in the way that capital equipment is depreciated. Approval was asked for from the members to amend the way that the accountants deal with depreciation so that it is more consistent with the way that it is treated in the management accounts - this was agreed.
Proposed Changes to the Constitution
There was a proposal to amend clause 19 of the constitution in order to clarify the standing of decisions made at an AGM. A slight amendment was made to the wording and the amended proposal was passed. Details of this are available from the Secretaries office.
A proposal was made that the position of Chair of Finance should be for a longer term than under the current rules to ensure good long term financial planning. After a full discussion the proposal was withdrawn with the condition that a comprehensive review takes place as soon as possible of the club's management structure with recommendations to be brought back to the membership. These proposals are to be prepared as soon as possible and must be presented to the membership at or before the next AGM.
Subscriptions
It was proposed that subscriptions remain at their current level for the year commencing September 2010 and this was agreed by the members.
Election of Auditors
Simpsons were confirmed as the club's auditors with a commitment that this work will be put to competitive tender during the coming year to ensure that the club is receiving the best value available. Simpsons will be invited to tender as part of this process.
Election of Officers and Members of the Committee
The following officers of the club were appointed unopposed:
Club Captain: Kevin Courtney
Vice Captain: Stuart Prime
Lady Captain: Lesley Wooldridge
Lady Vice Captain: Bernie Dolan
Jerry Casper, Rob Clarke and Keith Jones were elected to the Committee.
The President thanked Keith Boyce and Mark Merrill for standing and hoped that they would not be deterred from trying again.
Catering
The President confirmed that the caterers have performed well during the year and that although there were areas that could be improved, that the committee are pleased with progress. There were several very favourable comments from the floor about the standard of catering and the level of service provided.
Land Development
A general update on the progress of the planning status for the land adjacent to the 16th hole was given. There is a major review process for the Harborough District and the club have made representations supporting the inclusion of the area containing the land for possible development. All representations made to date have been done without any commitment by the club to make the land available or for it to be subject to a change in its planning status. Before any such commitment is made a proposal would be brought to the membership. It is felt that it is unlikely that this process will advance quickly and it may be that no decision is made prior to the next AGM.
Any Other Business
Proposal to amend the dress code
A proposal was made that denim jeans should not be allowed on the premises of Lutterworth Golf Club. A lively debate took place followed by a vote where the motion was defeated.
Proposal to restrict society play on Friday afternoons
A proposal was made that no societies be allowed at Lutterworth on Friday afternoons. After some discussion this proposal was amended to restrict Friday afternoon societies to one a month. The motion was defeated.
Proposal to look again at facilities for smokers
There was a good deal of discussion about the area of the patio that had been delegated for use as a smoking area. The general consensus was that this was not the best solution and the committee have been tasked to look at this issue again. Any proposals should ensure that they fully comply with all legal responsibilities, minimise the impact on non-smokers and consider the health implications for smokers.