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2024-03-31-accounts

BEVERLEY AND HORNSEA DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL

Annual General Meeting

Saturday 14[th] September 2024 – 4pm Leven Scout Hut

AGENDA

1. Introduction and welcome

  1. Apologies for absence

  2. Governance topics

  3. a. Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 9[th] September 2023 (addendum 1)

  4. b. Adopt the model constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) (addendum 2)

  5. c. Note the District’s financial year

  6. d. Agree the number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board

  7. e. Agree the quorum for future meetings of the District Scout Council (excluding this AGM)

  8. Review of the previous year

  9. a. The District Lead Volunteer’s review of Scouts in the Beverley and Hornsea District

  10. b. Receive and consider the Annual Report of the District Trustee Board, including the annual Statement of the Accounts

  11. Making appointments

  12. a. Appoint the District Chair (3 year term)

  13. b. Appoint the District Treasurer (3 year term)

  14. c. Appoint members of the District Trustee Board (3 year terms)

  15. d. Appoint the Scrutineer

  16. e. Nominate representatives of the District Scout Council to represent the District on the County Scout Council

Closing remarks

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BEVERLEY AND HORNSEA DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL

Annual General Meeting

Saturday 9[th] September 2023 – 5pm Beverley Masonic Hall

MINUTES

  1. Introduction and welcome by Ian Birkinshaw

  2. Apologies for absence

  3. To approve the minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting held on Tuesday 25[th] April 2023 (addendum 1) –

  4. a. Proposer Ian Birkinshaw, Seconder Darren Burgess

Governance topics

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5. Review of the previous year

6. Making appointments

7.

Closing comments and presentation by the County Commissioner or their representative. – Gary McCune gave words of thanks.

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Chapter 5 – Local governance and finance of sections, Groups, Districts, Counties March 2024 edition of POR

5.5 Constitution for a Scout District

5.5.1 Preamble

This constitution describes the role, membership and operation of the District Scout Council, and the District Trustee Board.

In the interest of openness, especially for new members of the District Scout Council, the District Scout Council should re-adopt their constitution at each Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Apart from use at the District AGM, this constitution must always be used in the context of 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.7.

Charitable objects

The District Scout Council - membership

District Scout Council membership

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Chapter 5 – Local governance and finance of sections, Groups, Districts, Counties March 2024 edition of POR

  - all Group Trustee Board Treasurers from the District

  - all Section Leaders, Assistant Section Leaders from the District

  - all Group Active Support Managers from the District

  - all Explorers (including Young Leaders) in the District

  - all members of the Scout Network in the District

  - all parents and carers of all Explorers (including Young Leaders)

  - a representative of the District Troop Leadership Forum, selected from amongst the membership of the Forum

  - the County Commissioner

  - the County Chair

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Chapter 5 – Local governance and finance of sections, Groups, Districts, Counties March 2024 edition of POR

5.5.5 District Scout Council - Annual General Meeting

Each District Scout Council must hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) within six months of the end of the District’s financial year. Districts should give 4 weeks notice of the date of the AGM.

The AGM must:

Before the AGM, the accounts must have completed their examination by an appropriate auditor, independent examiner, or

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scrutineer (see 5.7.3). This must include the formal report prepared by the auditor, independent examiner, or scrutineer.

Following each District AGM, the District Trustee Board administration must ensure that:

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It is good practice for the District Trustee Board to verify the draft Minutes of the AGM at their first meeting following the AGM, even though the minutes cannot be formally approved until the charity’s next AGM.

5.5.6 District Trustee Board – purpose[SV]

The District Trustee Board is a team of volunteers who work together, as charity Trustees, to make sure the Scouts is run safely and legally. At the heart of their role is a focus on strategy, performance and assurance.

Effective Trustee support helps other volunteers run the Scout programme that gives young people skills for life.

Members of the District Trustee Board must act collectively as charity trustees of Scout District, and in the best interests of the charity’s members.

Governance roles must be distinct to help manage conflicts of interest. This means that the roles of District Chair and District Treasurer must be kept separate and be done by two different people.

The District Trustee Board must act in the charity’s best interests, acting with reasonable care and skill and take steps to be confident that:

The District Trustee Board members must themselves collectively:

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A District Trustee Board may create sub committees it deems necessary to support its governance function. The District Trustee Board must ensure that for any sub committee it appoints:

Sub committee members are not District Trustees unless they are already members of the District Trustee Board.

All sub committee members must be recorded on the membership system.

5.5.7 District Trustee Board - membership[SV]

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minimum of five Trustees. The maximum number of Trustees should be agreed by the District Scout Council at its AGM.

People invited to attend meetings of the District Trustee Board, or with right of attendance, may be present at the meeting but are not charity Trustees and have no voting rights.

If registered, the District registration number must be recorded on the membership system.

Districts must not use any other charity number than their own.

The selection processes leading to appointment of District Trustees must include a rigorous and transparent selection process, which includes advertising vacancies widely.

The members of the District Trustee Board are:

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There is only one ex officio Trustee role for a District Youth Commissioner, so where there are joint role holders for District Youth Commissioner, the role holders must decide, in discussion the District Commissioner and the District Chair, which of them will be the ex officio Trustee. However, each District Youth Commissioner role holder must be eligible to be a Trustee (as specified in Chapter 16 of The Scout Association Policy, Organisation and Rules).

The proposal from the Trustee Board Is received by the Scout Council at their AGM. The proposal from the Trustee Board does not require seconding by a member of the Scout Council. The action of the Scout Council is to approve (or not) the proposed name from the Trustee Board.

The proposal from the Trustee Board does not require seconding by a member of the Scout Council. The action of the Scout Council is to approve (or not) the proposed name from the Trustee Board.

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The proposal from the Trustee Board Is received by the Scout Council at their AGM. The proposal from the Trustee Board does not require seconding by a member of the Scout Council. The action of the Scout Council is to approve (or not) the proposed name from the Trustee Board.

The number of co-opted members must not exceed the actual number of appointed Trustees (excluding Chair and Treasurer).

Term limits for Trustees are defined in POR rule 5.3.1.6.

5.5.8 District Scout Council - Conduct of meetings

If there is no quorum present at a meeting of the District Scout Council, the meeting must be closed and reconvened at the earliest opportunity.

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the Chair does not have a casting vote and the matter is taken not to have been carried.

In order to discharge their responsibilities, the District Scout Council may meet by video conference as well as (or instead of) face to face when agreed by the District Chair. The District Scout Council must not ‘meet’ using any indirect process, such as email.

At any meeting which is not fully in person, there must be an online poll or other electronic method of counting votes.

5.5.9 District Trustee Board - Conduct of meetings Meetings of the District Trustee Board should be convened on at least two week’s notice. Meetings may be convened on shorter or no notice with the agreement of at least half of the members of the District Trustee Board.

District Trustee Board meetings are chaired by the District Chair. If the District Chair is unable to be present, they may appoint a delegate to chair a meeting of the District Trustee Board subject to such appointment being approved at the start of the meeting by a majority of the members present at the meeting.

In the case of a sub committee of the District Trustee Board, the quorum for each sub committee must be set by the District Trustee Board, based on the size of the sub committee and the complexity of its task(s).

Decisions are made by a majority of votes cast by those present at the meeting. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast on either side, the Chair does not have a casting vote and the matter is taken not to have been carried.

In order to discharge their responsibilities, the District Trustee Board may meet by telephone or video conference as well as face to face when agreed by the District Chair. This includes ‘hybrid’ meetings, where some members are present at an agreed meeting place and others join by telephone or video.

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Where urgent matters arise between scheduled meetings of the District Trustee Board and if it is not practicable to convene a meeting of the District Trustee Board then an electronic voting method (such as email) is allowed for decision making of the District Trustee Board when deemed appropriate by the District Chair. In such circumstances at least 75% of the members of the District Trustee Board must approve the decision, and the outcome of the voting must be reported at, and recorded in the minutes of, the next District Trustee Board meeting.

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Annual Report of the District Trustee Board and Statement of Accounts 2023 - 2024

Presented at the Annual General Meeting Saturday 14[th] September 2024

Beverley and Hornsea District Scout Council – Annual Report 2023 - 2024 – Charity Number: 524649 Page 1 of 12 – Addendum 3

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Trustees Annual Report - year end March 2024

Charity Details

Charity Number: 524649

HQ Registration Number: 10001764

Registered Address: 5 Oak Square, Wawne, HU7 5XP

Trustees

Trustees
Name Offce (if held)
Jacob Birch District Lead Volunteer
Ian Birkinshaw County Chair (acting as District Chair)
Terry Jackson Treasurer
Chris Whomsley District Youth Lead
Katie Burgess Trustee
Lisa Dean Trustee
Katie Scrowston Trustee
Thomas Harrison Trustee
Richard Whomsley Trustee

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District Team Overview 2023 - 2024

District Lead Volunteer Review

Scouting in Beverley and Hornsea District has never been more vibrant and has grown every year in both young people and dedicated volunteers. What another year to remember.

The district appreciates and values the dedication and leadership delivered by our volunteers over the past year(s), that has enabled the team to ensure all members of the district have a positive experience in all that we do to equip people, both young and old with “skills for life”. For this we would like to thank each and every one of our volunteers for their dedication and enthusiasm.

The team have worked on increasing visibility around the district, endeavouring to support as many volunteers and young people as possible! We have worked to strengthen and form the district team and moved the trustee board forward. The District Team strives to provide immense support across lots of areas, ensuring that our volunteers and young people are able to do what it is they do best.

We have been lucky enough to appoint some fantastic volunteers to new roles in the district including our Joe Dickinson to Support Team Leader, Chris Whomsley and Katie Burgess as Youth Leads, and, two new Group Leads in 1[st] Beverley, Christine Bettinson and Denise Suggitt as well as two new Group Leads in 1[st] Cherry Burton, Dave White and Clare White. Plus there have been various new volunteers joining us across the sections and units. I wish them all the best in their scouting journey.

and drives into the countryside that we have been privileged to share with hundreds of young people. It has been incredible to see how the district has supported numerous events that have been organised and all the events that the county have and continue to deliver. We would like to thank you for working tirelessly to support and deliver amazing scouting experiences.

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District Chairs Review

During the last 12 months we have seen some big changes to Scouting through the work we are seeing on transformation. Following on from earlier changes to Trustee Boards back in early 2023 we have seen more updates come as we move to a teams-based structure and move to be more aligned with the Charity Commission and charity guidance.

During the year we have continued to support groups with matters of governance, but also to ensure their Trustee Boards operate effectively and facilitate Scouting across our district.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the District Trustee Board for all their hard work this year in making sure the support is there for the District Leadership Team to deliver on its goals and targets.

Many thanks Ian Birkinshaw County Chair acting as District Chair

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Structure, Governance and Management

Type of governing document

The District’s governing documents are those of the The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

How the charity is constituted

The District is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts.

Trustee Selection methods

The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

The Management and function of the charity

Beverley and Hornsea District Scout Council is the electoral body that supports Scouting in the Scout District of Beverley and Hornsea. It is the body to which the District Trustee Board is accountable. The role of the District Trustee Board is to support the District Lead Volunteer in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment and to provide support for the Groups, Units and Scout Network in the District.

The District is managed by District Lead Volunteer with support from the District Leadership Team and the Trustee Board. The members of the Trustee Board are the Charity Trustees. As Charity Trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and submitting returns to the Charity Commissioner, as appropriate.

Volunteer, District Youth Lead and other representation and endeavours to meet 6 times per year.

This District Trustee Board exists to support the District Lead Volunteer in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment. The Trustee Board is a team of volunteers who work

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together, as charity Trustees, to make sure the Scouts is run safely and legally. At the heart of their role is a focus on strategy, performance and assurance.

Effective Trustee support helps other volunteers run the Scout programme that gives young people skills for life. Further details of the Trustee Board purpose can be found in Chapter 5 of Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR).

The induction and training of new trustees

of joining the board:

001 - Essential Information

GDPR - General Data Protection Regulations

SAFE - Safeguarding Training

SFTY - Safety Training

TRST - Trustee Induction

Trustee’ consideration of major risks and the systems and procedures to manage them

Risk and Internal Control

is exposed, these have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are:

Damage to the building, property and equipment. The District would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations such as the church, community centre and other Scout Groups. Similar reciprocal arrangements exist with these organisations. The District has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.

Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members. The District through the membership fees contributes to the Scout Associations national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.

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Reduced income from fund raising. The District is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The District does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Board could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the District on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.

Reduction or loss of leaders. The District is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the District. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a provision. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the District.

Reduction or loss of members. The District provides activities for all young people aged 4 to 25. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular provision as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of that provision. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the District.

The District has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments, expenses policy, risk register and a comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

The Purpose of Scouting

Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

The Values of Scouting

As Scouts we are guided by these values:

Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.

Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others.

Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live.

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Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.

Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

The Scout Method

Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the

values of Scouting and:

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects

The District works with its young people to provide fun, exciting, safe and educational activities to work towards teaching skills for life and earning the badges and top awards. The District has also been involved in training its volunteers with new permits to allow other activities to be delivered.

Further information can be found in the DLV report.

advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings.

Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

Numbers of young people continue to grow.

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Lots of young people have been awarded various badges from across the Groups withing the District with various events being organised by the District for the young people. Various support has been offered and given by the District team to the volunteers across the Groups.

Further information can be found in the DLV report.

Financial Review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

Reserves Policy

activities of the group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The District Trustee Board considers that the District should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months running costs, circa £10,000.00 (Across both the District funds and 2 Explorers funds). This does not account for any activities that are directly paid for such as camps etc.

The District held General Funds of approximately £12,0000.00 against this at year end.(Across both District and 2 Explorer funds). This is above the level required for operating expenses.

Principle sources of funds

The Districts main source of income is generally Membership Fees with good numbers of young people. During 2023/24 various fundraising activities took place and these activities also raised funds for the District as detailed in the Annual Accounts.

How the expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity.

The main expenditure of the District represents the payments made to County for Membership fees, collected as an agent on behalf of another charity. There is also expenses towards the running of the District in supporting the Groups, putting on events and purchasing equipment. These all support the work and continuation of the charity as a way of facilitating scouting. Another main expense largely relating to the Explorer units is the amounts paid to the County for the Austria 2023 trip.

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Investment Policy

The District’s Income and Expenditure is minimal in normal years. Due to the low funds the District Trustee Board does not consider investments at this time. The District Trustee Board does have an instant access savings account, which it holds reserve funds in and generates a small interest amount.

Plans for the future

Plans for future periods

The District plans to continue to offer safe and educational scouting through the work it has started already and will continue to do by delivering weekly sessions for the young people, organising camps and other extra activities.

The District will also actively continue to recruit new young people and volunteers to secure the future of the District.

The District and its trustees and volunteers feel it is in a good shape to continue Scouting moving forward.

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