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ALCOHOL PROBLEMS ADVISORY SERVICE Ltd

Registered in England and Wales No 3552901

Registered Charity No 1070109

Minutes of the eighth Annual General Meeting of the company held at 36 Park Row, NOTTINGHAM, on Thursday 28^th September 2006.

Present:                    Martin Stott                       (in the Chair)

                                    Nick Tegerdine                  (Secretary)

                                    Marian Charles                  (director)

                                    John Clark                         (director)

                                    David Barlow                     (director)

Milton Crosdale                  (director)

                                    Lesley Ogram                     (note taker)                         

                                    Pat Lynch

                                    Roland Malkin                    (Harwood and Ball, Auditors)

                                    Lora Cotterill

James Ogram

Neil Stilwell

Vanessa Phillipson

Mr Patel

Michaela Rogers

Jan Key

Laura Harvey

Anne-Marie Ross

Tania Lawton

Godfrey Archer

N Gledlumi

Martin Anderson

Dr P Keavney

Apologies for absence

Mr Tegerdine offered apologies on behalf of twenty-nine friends and members of the organisation.

Preliminaries

Mr Stott, in the Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

It was confirmed by those members present that due notice of the meeting had been given and that a quorum was present.

Mr Tegerdine invited the meeting to offer congratulations and thanks to the Unpaid Workers present in the room. The role of Telephone Advice Workers, many of whom give their time freely, was considered to be crucial in assisting individuals and families to begin to deal with the problems they were facing, said Mr Tegerdine. He added that on a daily basis service users expressed their appreciation for the quality of the work done, the accessibility of the service, and the manner in which the business was dealt with.

Mr Tegerdine added that the work of these unpaid staff was the equivalent of more than a hundred thousand pounds worth of service delivery to the local health and social care community. The ‘value added’ by this work is well appreciated within the organisation, but perhaps not fully understood elsewhere.

The meeting unanimously agreed that a special vote of thanks to all of the unpaid workers was merited.

The unpaid workers present each received a token of appreciation from the Board.

Mr Tegerdine then gave a brief presentation on the developments and innovations planned for the next year. In particular, the expansion of services to HMP Nottingham and HMP Whatton were expected to go ahead. It was also hoped that a significant increase in tenancy support services would be possible.

Lora Cotterill then provided a summary of her work within HMP Nottingham, and Keith Woodley summarised his work at East Leake Health Centre. Both of these schemes were examples of the organisation taking services to communities unable to access centrally-based services. Mr Tegerdine applauded the schemes but indicated that the proposed new arrangements for Primary Care Trusts (PCT) were likely to lead to challenges for these schemes, since the new financial regime for the PCT’s was likely to mean that the commissioning of services from independent organisations would be subject to further scrutiny, despite the Government’s modernisation agenda. However, Mr Tegerdine, Ms Cotterill and Mr Woodley added that the quality of the services provided was such that the organisation should feel confident that if quality and accessibility were the criteria to be evaluated, nothing other than an increase in capacity would result from any review process.

Mr Stott thanked all of the staff for their ongoing dedication, and also the members of the Board. He pointed out that the demands of the role are sometimes assumed to be relatively modest and that this is not always the case. He added that the Board members continued to work in an unpaid capacity.

To consider the minutes of the seventh AGM and to consider any matters arising from those minutes

The minutes were read and it was confirmed that copies had been previously circulated to the members.

There were no matters arising.

It was unanimously agreed that the minutes were a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

To consider and adopt the financial accounts and the reports of the directors and auditor for the period 1^st April 2005 to 31^st March 2006

Mr Malkin, of Harwood and Ball, presented to the meeting the accounts that had been approved by the Board. Mr Malkin expressed his appreciation of the hard work and commitment of the staff and of Mr Barlow, Finance Director, for their assistance throughout the year.

Mr Malkin explained that the organisation had increased the reserve fund but that it was still short of the target. Nevertheless, the accounts provided evidence that the organisation was on a firm footing for the planned developments in the forthcoming financial year. Mr Malkin added that the reserves policy was necessary since payments from statutory bodies had arrived late.

It was noted that the accounts were unqualified and the organisation was considered a going concern.

Mr Stott thanked Harwood and Ball for their work throughout the year. Mr Stott then invited questions from the floor but there were none. Mr Stott commented that the added value of the unpaid workers, and the income generated through the efforts of the staff of the organisation, meant that the true value of the organisation was some £1.2 million per annum. He said that the organisation is a strong one and that the members should feel proud of what had been achieved and of the value for money provided by the organisation.

Ms Charles then proposed that the accounts be adopted, and Mr Barlow seconded the proposal. The accounts were adopted unanimously.

Mr Tegerdine then produced to the meeting a summary of the accounts, designed for inclusion in the Annual Report. This summary had been prepared in accordance with the required conventions for summary accounts. This document was unanimously approved.

Mr Tegerdine then proposed that the meeting consider the Standing Financial Instructions (SFI), the document that governs the day-to-day financial management of the organisation. Mr Tegerdine added that this document is reviewed annually and that any recommendations for change or amendment are brought to the AGM. Having reviewed the operation of the SFI, and discussed the matter with the Treasurer and the Auditors, the meeting was invited to confirm that the SFI remain unchanged.

This was proposed by Ms Charles, seconded by Mr Barlow, and approved unanimously.

Appointment of auditors until the next General Meeting of the company and their reimbursement

Mr Barlow proposed, with Ms Charles seconding, that Harwood and Ball be appointed as auditors until the next General Meeting and their fees to be set by the Board. This was agreed unanimously.

Appointment of directors in place of those retiring

Mr Tegerdine explained that, each year, two of the directors retired from their positions in rotation. At this time the directors due to retire were Ms Charles and Mrs Spence. Retiring directors are eligible for re-election.

Ms Charles indicated that she was willing to be re-elected, whilst Mrs Spence indicated that she did not wish to continue in the role for personal reasons.

Mr Stott and Mr Tegerdine paid tribute to the contribution made by Mrs Spence, with many humorous anecdotes. Gifts were presented to Mrs Spence and she then thanked the Board for their support and encouragement.

Mr Tegerdine advised the meeting that the directors are elected by and from the membership. Nomination papers had been distributed to all of the membership and that one nomination had been received, Dr P Keavney, who was present in the room.

It was therefore proposed by Mr Stott, with Mr Barlow seconding, that Ms Charles be re-appointed to the Board. This was unanimously agreed.

Mr Tegerdine then introduced Dr P Keavney and outlined his experience and credentials. Mr Stott then proposed, with Mr Barlow again seconding the proposal, that Dr P Keavney be appointed as a director. This was unanimously agreed.

There being no other business Mr Stott closed the meeting.