MINUTES OF THE SSNA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Tuesday 9th May, 2023 held 2.30pm at Christ Church
1 Apologies for absence: Joan Hunt, Sheila Collis, Margaret Golding, Penny Pemberton, Steve Morton, Hannah Witkowska
2 Minutes of AGM held via Zoom on 22nd November 2022, see separate copy: agreed.
3 2022 Accounts see separate copy: agreed.
4 2022 Annual Report see separate copy
Future Membership plans: for some time it has been obvious to the committee that changes will be necessary for the Association to continue to support the South Sutton neighbourhood. The area covered by the association is split between the South and North, with the higher involvement in the South. This reflects the change from areas of houses to areas of flats. Those residents in flats are often transient, and do not see themselves as permanent residents so are less involved. Subsea7 have given the SSNA a grant of £1500 per year for three years based on using a proportion of the grant to work through Managing Agents who would act as conduits to bring more people into the SSNA.
The following are suggestions put together by the Chairman with input from the committee members:a) long term to use email distribution for the newsletters, b) to use internet payment for annual subscriptions rather than cash.Both a) and b) would reduce the workload of Road Reps.
As a first step Membership would be divided into three: – as now £2 pa but existing members would be encouraged to use cashless payment and receive termly newsletters by email. New members would automatically receive newsletters by email and use cashless payments. Road-based WhatsApp groups would be encouraged.Attention would continue to be given to individual problems.
At the same time a would be offered to apartment blocks.This would be free and open to all via the Managing agents allowing open access to the website and the AGMs with consideration given to general issues raised.
New members, plus existing memberships as they come up for renewal, could be offered .This membership would allow for newsletters to be delivered by 2nd class post with the members paying the cost of delivery if delivery has dropped to small numbers.
The proposal is to experiment for the next two years and then decide if these changes will work over the longer term.
The Road Reps would continue to provide help.The association will establish a termly in-person meeting structure, one day per term, with alternating afternoon and evening meeting pattern.This would be open to all membership categories and advertised via the website, possibly using Christ Church for the meetings.
The AGM would continue as at present.
5 Election of committee members: agreed with no new applicants.
6 AOB: Margaret Hamilton was concerned about the societal changes in South Sutton, Ann Morton suggested that the growing impact of WhatsApp does link up people in roads. Colin Iddles suggested younger parents were likely to develop support groups through their children’s school links.
The meeting was followed by a much appreciated cream tea and a welcome opportunity to socialize.
A Wakeham 18 May 2023