English Chess Forum

Here are the details of the April 2009 Council (Finance) Meeting :

Please note that a constituent part of the CoM Report by CM will be a presentation by Yours Truly on the CoM web application. I will preface this with a short presentation on potential new ECF League Results web application. Should anyone remain awake from that, the agenda will no doubt continue!

See you there maybe? Please make yourself known. No doubt most forum persons will not be entitled to vote.

Agenda :

ENGLISH CHESS FEDERATION C 10
FINANCE COUNCIL MEETING 18 APRIL 2009

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a meeting of the Council will be held at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Burlington Arcade, 126 New Street, Birmingham B2 4JQ on Saturday 18 April 2009 starting at 1:30 p.m.

Procedural Bye Laws prescribe that the Chairman of the meeting shall seek to end the meeting by 6:00 p.m.; but it may be extended to 6:30 p.m. if Members wish. Further extensions can be made if Council votes to suspend standing orders.

This meeting is convened by Geoffrey Steele, Company Secretary. This Agenda is issued from the English Chess Federation Office (The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0YD) on Wednesday 25th March 2009.

Members considering the appointment of a proxy or voting by directed proxy to the Chairman of the Meeting are directed to the relevant enclosure and should note that deadlines apply to the receipt of written proxies of all kinds.

Any organisation wishing to change its Representative Member should note that they must do so before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday 15th April 2009.

In order to expedite the business of the meeting, Members are invited to contact the ECF Office beforehand should they have any questions of detail on the papers for the meeting, particularly the Budget Spreadsheet.

Enclosures:

(i) The Agenda
(ii) Map of the Venue
(iii) Attendance reply slip, appointment of proxy form.
(iv) Votes and Organisation slip

Papers in Order and Author

2.3 Voting Register*
3. Minutes*
5. Report by the President – Gerry Walsh*
6. Report by the Chief Executive, including update on Chess for Schools* - Chris Majer
7. Report by the Chairman of the Finance Committee – Mike Adams* paper to follow
8. Business Plan – Chris Majer*
9. Report of Finance Director and Budget 2009/2010 – Robert Richmond*
14. Adoption of Budget for 01.05.09 - 30.04.10 – Robert Richmond*
15.1 Proposed amendments to the ECF County Match Rules – Director of Home Chess*
15.2 Proposed amendments to the ECF County Match Rules – Southern Counties Chess Union*
15.3 Paper from East Anglian Chess Union*

Papers enclosed = *

Procedural Bye Laws Governing Council Meetings

A copy may be obtained on request or viewed on the ECF website www.englishchess.org.uk/organisation/general

Venue Information

Parking: There is a 2,000 space NCP adjacent to the hotel.

Accessibility: The venue is fully wheelchair accessible.

Food: Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.

Note

An Extraordinary meeting of the BCF Council will be held during the tea interval to deal with the adoption of the 2008/9 accounts which were not available at the time of the AGM in October 2008.

AGENDA

1. Election of Chairman for the meeting

As the President is expected to be absent, the Board will propose that Chris Majer be elected to chair the meeting.

2. Notices

2.1 Location of printed lists of Apologies for Absence, Members voting by individual Proxy and Members voting by Proxy to the Chairman of the Meeting.

2.1.2 Announcement of others in attendance with the permission of the Chairman

2.2 Appointment of Tellers

2.3 Voting Register *
Council is invited to note the Voting Register and the supplementary information, including any changes, posted.

3. Approval and, if necessary, correction of minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Council held on 18th October 2008 *

Council is invited to consider and, if thought fit, approve that: "The Chairman of the meeting shall sign the minutes as being an accurate record."

4. Matters Arising from the Minutes and not otherwise on the agenda

5. Report by the President * Gerry Walsh

6. Report by the Chief Executive, including update on Chess for Schools * Chris Majer

7. Report by the Chairman of the Finance Committee * Mike Adams

8. Annual Business Plan 2009/2010 * Chris Majer

Council is invited to approve the Plan and note the list of board targets.

9. Report of Finance Director and Budget 2009/2010 * Robert Richmond

Council is invited to note the report.

10. Direct Members' Subscriptions Robert Richmond
Council, on the recommendation of the board, is invited to consider and, if thought fit, resolve that: "that Subscriptions for the period 1st Sept 2009 to 31 August 2010 (including those for juniors) rise by 0.50p”

11. Minimum Membership Fees for Member Organisations

Council, on the recommendation of the Board, is invited to consider and, if thought fit, resolve that: "The minimum Membership Fee for Member Organisations remains at £50."

12. Game Fee Robert Richmond

Council is invited to note the recommendation of the Board. "That, the Standard rate of game fee for the period from 1st Sept 2009 to 31st August 2010 be raised from 48p to 50p.

13. Determination of Game Fee for 01.09.09 - 31.08.10 Robert Richmond

A card vote is recommended.
Members are reminded that unless the Finance Council specifically resolves otherwise, the Game Fee for Rapidplay games will remain at one-half that for Standard graded games; that for Club games will remain at one-third of that for Standard and Rapidplay games and that for 'All-Junior' events will remain at one-half of that for Standard games, Rapidplay games and games submitted by Clubs.

14. Adoption of Budget for 01.05.09 - 30.04.10 * Robert Richmond

Council is invited to consider and, if thought fit, adopt the budget for 2009/2010.

15. Proposals in relation to the ECF County Match Rules

15.1 Proposal by the Director of Home Chess *

That the Counties Championship maintains the same grading bands for 2009-2010 and reassesses them on the light of the experience in the Union Stages and brings any proposals for change to Council in 2010.

15.2 Counter-proposals by the Southern Counties Chess Union *

15.2.1 That with effect from the 2009-10 season the ECF County Match Rules be amended as follows:

A1. Delete first sentence and replace by:

“The Championships shall be established in Divisions dependent on the grades of players; Division 1 having no upper grade limit, Division 2 under 180 grade, Division 3 under 160 grade, Division 4 under 140 grade and Division 5 under 120 grade.”

C1. Replace “Division 5 Under-100 grade” by “Division 5 under 120 grade”.

D2. Replace “Open, U175, U150, U125 and U100” by “Open, U180, U160, U140 and U120”.

E10. Replace “Division 5 Under-100 grade” by “Division 5 under 120 grade”.

15.2.2 (To be proposed only if 15.2.1 is carried). That with effect from the 2009-10 season the ECF County Match Rules be amended as follows:

A1. Replace “Division 4 under 140 grade and Division 5 under 120 grade” by “Division 4 under 140 grade, Division 5 under 120 grade and Division 6 under 100 grade.”

B3. Replace “5 Divisions” by “6 Divisions”.

C1. After “Division 5 under 120 grade” add “and Division 6 under 100 grade”.

D2. Replace “U140 and U120” by “U140, U120 and U100”.

E10. After “Division 5 under 120 grade” add “and Division 6 under 100 grade”

15.3 Paper from East Anglian Chess Union *

Please note that this paper was received after the deadline and therefore the proposal has not been included for voting, but has been included for information.

16. Venue for AGM on 17th October 2009, scheduled to be held in London

17. Any Other Business as advised to the Chairman before the start of the meeting.

John

Where I can find more information about the CoM web application and the ECF League Results web application? Is either of these related to your Border League website?

James,

The CoM application is not yet in the public domain although we expect to move to a UAT phase soon.

The League Management application is as used by the Surrey Border League, Chiltern League, Surrey League and the Berkshire League.

URLs published elsewhere.

Is anyone going to be on-site to report on this one?

CoM standing for ?

Certificate of Merit (on-line)

See http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=529&start=0

I will be there as previously indicated.

Let us just all hope for some sort of movement on the CFS project then

I am confident that you will all be wondering what the fuss was about!

Here is a video of an ECF CSfS delivery taking place :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDoDUC9M0Sg

Is that Peter Wilson and Gerry in the drivers cab of the leading truck?

The expression on the children's faces makes the wait seem so worthwhile!

Sorry to let everyone down but I am no longer able to attend this Council meeting. Hopefully someone else can offer to be on-the-spot reporter?

John

I'll be there. But who's doing the web apps presentations now?

John Upham wrote. Unfortunately I will be unable to oblige on this occasion as although I am spending tomorrow afternoon in Birmingham, I am intending to be some 3 miles to the north of the Burlington Hotel in the Upper section of the Doug Ellis Stand!

I've just returned from wasting a perfectly nice Saturday afternoon in a Birmingham hotel to attend the ECF Council Meeting.

There was good news on the Chess for Schools front. It seems like it's all going to happen, and the likes of Prof Robertson will have serious portions of humble pie to eat if it does. Chris Majer deserves credit for appearing to have rescued the mess created by Messrs Walsh and Wilson.

But the finance side was a disaster.

We learnt that the board and / or the trustees of the ECF cash ignored the instruction of last years council finance meeting to transfer money (about £35k) from a dormant company into the investment fund - because, it seems, Alan Martin and Gerry Walsh didnt want to relinquish control of the cash - even though Alan Martin supported the proposal at the time and voted in favour of it!!

We then learnt that St Georges Hall, provided to the ECF "free of charge" according to Prof Robertson to host the British Championships, actually cost £8,500 to hire and make playable - incurring the ECF a huge loss on the championships as a result.

And we also learnt (or should that be that we were reminded) that most of the board and most of the members of council haven't got a scooby doo about managing a business - especially in a recession - and think that it will all be ok if they put up the cost of membership massively (by up to 25% for standard members) and put up game fee by twice the rate of inflation (6%). They further think it sensible in these trying economic times to increase the amount of money spent at or by the office from the already massive £118,000 per year. My proposal to cut the office spend by £5,000 was heavily defeated by these economic gurus.

Sadly, I can see Rome ablaze in the distance whilst I can hear merry tunes being played on the ECF violin

Evening Sean, oh how I miss those meetings!! Your quick report much appreciated. It was disappointing that John Upham was unable to attend on this occasion to give an update on the Certificate of Merit. Were there any references made to the Cert of Merit and/or the Cert of Excellence.
Regards
Peter Turner
Officer in Charge of Certificate of Excellence

Sean, nice to have some (possibly) better news from Chris about the chess sets. Were there any specific details about delivery dates, costings, distribution etc. and should we be looking forward to an update of the ECF website home page?
Cheers