Board of Trustees
MINUTES of the MAY MEETING
27 May 2015
1pm - 4pm
CPRE, London
Trustees
Freddie Gick (Chair)
John Kershaw
Martin Meredith
Neil Sinden
Roger Sutton
David Tittle
John Walker
Staff
Gill Roxborough
Apologies
Paul Bedwell
Joan Humble
1. Draft Minutes of April meeting and matters arising
The minutes of the meeting held on 13th April were approved.
2. Private Item
3. Chair’s update
Noted:
a. Grade II Building Initiative, bid to Heritage Lottery Fund:
i that a more detailed project plan was required;
ii that a revised bid would be prepared which could include an enhanced delivery
role for Historic England and the possibility of the project director being recruited
from Historic England;
iii that a new steering group would be formed to take the new bid forward, to
include Civic Voice, Historic England, NALC, IHBC and Architecture Heritage
Fund.
Civic Voice is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 7142946 | Charity registration number 1134476 | 60 Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 5AA
b. Getting Started Project:
This would be completed by the end of May.
c. Locality, Community Rights Project:
i First Steps element – additional resource may be needed to deliver this;
ii Our Place element would produce a potential income of £18,000;
iii it was agreed not to proceed with the COMA ‘asset transfer’ element.
d. Expert Panel:
The Board agreed at its April meeting that a new Expert panel should be formed
to advise on a range of policy issues. With the core of its brief in the general area
of planning, it would also advise the Board on a range of issues including
conservation, heritage, community engagement and public affairs as well as
responding to consultation rounds, government and other announcements and
undertaking detailed studies of specific subjects. It was anticipated that the panel
would also publish reports/advisory notes of potential benefit to societies.
Suggestions for membership of the panel were invited to be submitted by Board
members to the Chair in time for consideration at the July Board meeting.
e. Civic Day publicity:
The focus would be on twitter and press releases.
f. Sandys Lecture:
Simon Thurley had suggested second week of September, date to be agreed.
4. Treasurer and Finance Committee Report
Received: minutes of the Finance Committee meeting held on 22nd May.
Noted:
a. The Chairman had written to the Chief Executives of the Times Top 100
companies seeking their support
b. It would be very helpful if each Trustee accepted responsibility for raising
£10,000 a year for Civic Voice
Agreed:
a. That the minutes of the Finance Committee be approved and adopted.
b. That a corporate fundraising strategy was required with appropriate, agreed
targets.
5. War Memorials Project Update
Received: a report indicating progress being made on the War Memorial
project.
Noted:
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a. That to date 15 workshops had been conducted with some 350 attendees.
b. That content was being developed for further workshops on grants and listing
c. That a trial to focus projects on ten areas where there is a high concentration
of memorials was to take place.
d. That case studies outlining differing approaches from two societies were being
produced for dissemination via website, mail shots and workshops.
e. That training materials were being drafted including guidance notes for using
the War Memorials online website, training video, simple guide to survey war
memorials and A-Z of war memorials.
6. All Party Parliamentary Group – update
Noted: that ideally a new APPG should be registered by 7th July.
7. National Design Awards
Received: a report on the progress being made on the Design Awards.
Noted:
a. That at its initial meeting on 15th April, the judging panel had considered 62
entries and at a subsequent meeting on 11th May had reduced this to a short
list of 24. From these were selected a winner and three highly commended in
each of the three categories plus an overall winner and a special prize to one
of the entries.
b. That the winners would be announced by Civic Voice President Griff Rhys
Jones at an awards ceremony in Central Hall Westminster on 17th July.
c. That each winner would be presented with a blue plaque for display in the
building concerned.
d. That half of the allocated budget had been spent.
Agreed:
a. That the Board’s thanks for the excellent help and support of Ben, Gill and
Sarah throughout the process be recorded.
b. That the appreciation of the Board for the input and work of John Walker and
Roger Sutton in co-ordinating the Awards be recorded.
c. That Greg Clarke MP and Brandon Lewis MP be invited to the Awards’
Ceremony.
8. Membership Renewals
Received: a report on progress made in achieving membership renewals
Noted:
a. That the rate of renewals was similar to last year.
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b. That there was a need to remind societies to renew their subscriptions and to
encourage others to join.
c. That Trustees would contact those members in their geographical area with
outstanding renewals to remind them about membership renewal.
9. Regional Forum Report
Received: a report on the work of the Regional Forum.
Agreed: that the appreciation of the Board for the hard work of Tony Fooks, Chair
of the Regional Forum, in garnering support for the group, and the subsequent
high attendance at the last meeting of the Regional Forum, be recorded.
10. AGM and Convention Update
Received: a report on the latest plans for the AGM and Convention to be held in
Bristol on 23/24 October 2015.
Noted:
a. That registration for the Convention was now open on Eventbrite.
b. That a site visit and meeting was taking place at St James Priory, the main
Convention venue, on 11th June involving members of the Civic Voice Board,
Civic Voice staff and members of Bristol Civic Society.
Agreed: that provision be made in the programme for a presentation / workshop
on behalf of The Historic Cathedral Cities Alliance.
11. Trustees and Board Elections
Noted:
a. That consideration be given to suggestions both for suitable candidates for cooption to the Board and for nomination as new Board members to ensure
continuity when current Board members stand down making available two
places through the provisions of the revised constitution and a third as a
consequence of the retirement on rotation of one current Trustee who is
eligible to stand for re-election
b. That John Kershaw is eligible to stand for re-election.
12. Historic Cathedral Cities Alliance
Received: an additional Board paper prepared to advise of the proceedings at
the inaugural meeting of the Historic Cathedral Cities Alliance on 22nd May at
CPRE Head Office.
Noted:
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a. That this was an emerging alliance of some 15 civic societies under the Civic
Voice umbrella comprising some of the most important Cathedral Cities in
England.
b. That John Walker and Jan Pahl (Chair of the Canterbury Society) were acting
as co-ordinators for the Alliance.
c. That at the inaugural meeting informative talks were delivered by Terence
O’Rourke, architect, and Richard Bate of Green Balance, followed by round
table discussions on the adverse impact of Local Plans’ growth policies on our
historic cathedral cities.
d. That Sir Spencer de Grey of Foster and Partners had offered to make a
presentation and address on the topic at the Convention.
Agreed: That Sir Spencer de Grey would provide a presentation at the Convention.
13. AOB
The Chair gave a verbal update on the Res Publica ‘Right to Beauty’ project
which Civic Voice was involved in and supported. A meeting of the project
steering group was taking place on 2nd July to consider the draft ‘Right to Beauty’
report, following which the report would be formally launched at a meeting taking
place in London on July 23rd, with the intention of it acting as a precursor to a
government Green Paper.
14. The next meeting of the Board – 21st July 1 – 4pm at Cowcross Street, London.
The meeting closed at 4 pm.
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