Attending – Alex Harding – ChairMichael Chappell – Co-Vice ChairCharlie Kingsbury – Co-Vice ChairSam Bennet – Chair of IR CymruAb Brightman – International OfficerNomi Farhi – Membership Development Officer Alexandra White – Co-Events OfficerEmily Tester – Co-Events OfficerChloe Hutchinson – Co-Campaigns OfficerNathan Goldsmith – Finance OfficerEms Simpson – Non Portfolio Officer (Video link)Eilidh Macfarlane – Communications Officer (Video Link)Olivia Blunn – Staff Member

Apologies –

Ryan Mercer – Policy Officer

Michael Wilson – Non Portfolio Officer

Beth Cooper – Co-Campaigns Officer

Euan Davidson – Co-President of LYS

Hannah Bettsworth – Co-President of LYS

Alex - Report . A lot has happened since the election.

Financial situation.

Main Account overdrawn unexpectedly.

3meetings with Sal Brinton and Steve Jarvis.

English Party hadn’t given us any money so far this term.

LY membership now worth roughly 65,000 pounds.

Negotiated for additional funds.

Ab – Concerned at lack of communication from negotiating team re. Finance. Exec needed continual updates.

Charlie – adding to what Ab said. Makes VC job very difficult when we don’t know what is going on. Can’t ask for updates on things we don’t know about.

Conor – Exec is always the same – Poor communications. Need formal structures to inform people of these things. Had a week between meetings but exec were not copied into discussions. Should we copy VCs into all emails?

Alex – Happy to do that. Should keep in contact more.

Sam – Disagrees. If the bank account was overdrawn the Chair shouldn’t have to consult everyone and should just get on with sorting it.

Ems – So everyone could be informed but not consulted. Don’t need everyone’s opinions but they should be in the loop.

Olivia – It’s my fault. Should have informed people better.

Conor – How did we not know that we were overdrawn?

Alex/Olivia – Noone checked on the bank account.

Conor – With Sal, making things more clear on how we get the money. We’ll know when and how much money we have.

Alex – the old system is crap. Budgeting inaccurate due to assumptions.

Olivia – injects much needed positivity to meeting. (edit – I didn’t write what this was and can’t remember but I assume the word ‘Rockin’ was used)

VC Report – Charlie – Not done as much as usual. Been in touch with Conor, Sam and Euan about freshers. Charlie has been helping Events Officers. Also working on devolved elections but separate agenda item. Been adminning the chatbox which is super fun times. Conor has suggested a small admin team which is a great idea.

Nomi – Chloe and I would like to help out on that.

Olivia – When was it last this active?

Chloe – Most active for ages. Maybe needs a code of conduct. There was one a while ago.

Charlie – Warnings and expulsions?

Alex – Need to institute an appeals panel.

Michael – Taking minutes. (edit - I have no idea why I minuted this. Maybe it was part of our report)

Sam – IR Cymru report. A long time since I’ve come to a meeting and I’m not going to give a 9 month retrospective. Did a different funding system to LY for elections. Very effective. Not as many people as Welsh people stayed in place.

Ab – 15-20

Sam – Not just one advent

Michael – Good value for money. Small amounts spent but campaigners stayed for days at a time.

Sam – Looking forward – Fairer fairs comes in in September. Discussion with exec about a stunt of some sort. Bus travel in Cardiff. Freshers ideas – expanding fairer fares. For older people or make it cheaper. Also don’t forget Wales elections.

Conor –Can you expand on your report?

Sam – No

Conor – I have a funding proposal for later

Interruption to welcome Ems to the meeting via skype.

Conor – disccuing a liberal youth England campaign but worried about communications issues (edit – context, LYE doesn’t have their own comms system) maintenance grants? Maybe not big enough yet. Uptake of branches – universities. West mid lib dems donated for freshers. Elections – We should use the people who lost in the byelections

Ab - (I’m not going to even try and minute Ab’s report. She talks at a million miles a minute and she’s done more stuff than the rest of the exec put together. Ask for her written report)

Ems – Ab, give me stuff to do

Nomi – Memdev report. Nomi is not hungover! City breakdown emails done. Lots of members in London. 160% increase in membership. 7307 members in LY in total. List of top 20 branches. Would like a breakdown on diversity. Since GE helped set up a lot of branches with new members. Set up LY on tour – events for new members. New members are everywhere, organising events with branch chairs, Scheduling them every weekend till Activate. New members training day. Nomi won’t be at Activate. Can’t do training thing on the day.

Nomi – Memdev report continued. Sunday 26th July – New Members day. Alex will do welcome to LY. Ryan will do policy. Nomi and Ab will do sessions. Someone will do – successful campaining.

Alex – Should we split memdev for youth/students

Nomi – I’d rather have a memdev team

Sam – worried about the geography of this

Nomi – Change English layout?

Conor – yes involve more people out of the exec. Keep the LYE – develop itregional chairs – progress reports.

Sam – the different states critised a lot of these ideas. Don’t like overruling devolved states

Conor – We don’t talk enough about engaging with LY exec

Sam – Does the exec never consult them on this?

Charlie – We talk to the VCs

Nomi – Talking about separate problems to my report.

Sam – Bringing ideas up from the problems

Nomi – We could just have a team. We should have reps on LGBT+ and LDW etc. Excited for freshers. Jargon buster + LY guide to conference.

LUNCH

Emergency budget.

Alex – New grant for the rest of the year. All up for debate except for Activate. £32000. 24000 from the English Party. Aiming to have 100 attendees for Activate – 9000 pounds for Activate accommodation.. 1000 pounds for autumn conference.

Ab – Is the budget per calendar year.

Alex – Yes

Conor – Can we hear it all first.

Alex – 3000 pounds for other costs at Activate to be offset by tickets.

Ems – Tries to speak...bad connection

Freshers – 5000 pounds, up from 4000 pounds.

Charlie – Why do we need an increase of money for freshers? What is it for?

Olivia – We could change that

Sam – Should we spend so little on Freshers?

Chloe – Freshers might be better value than Activate

Conor – A bit of an irrelevant discussion now.

Sam – Freshers stals look scrappy as hell

Nomi – I said this at the last meeting. We should have a resource request page.

Chloe = Space for flexibility – different priorities in different places.

*Brief pause as Liv turns on a fan and blows all the paper off the table*Ab – Maybe not flexible but a dropdown on website?

Alex – Activate is booked, we cannot take money away from it.

Conor – Can we have a full breakdown of everything?

Sam – Should we set some money aside in the budget?

Alex – We’re changing the system from directly being tied to membership.

Conor – We don’t need too much of a surplus.

Alex – pauses financial discussion to recheck figures.

Eilidh – Safeguarding. Website updated. Donations fixed! Policy content uploaded at last. Campaigns content on the way. Comms plan being put together. And I’m back! Talk to me! Chatbox – needs a lot of adminning. Worried that it’s difficult to get in touch with Alex.

Charlie – Drop me an email I’ll help out.

Liv – I can teach you how to do infographics

Emily – Lot’s of young members. Should we have an LY Jeanne?

Chloe – Someone non exec.

Sam – we invited the NSPCC in to train before. We should do it again.

Nomi – Can we be CRBed?

Liv – Maybe a problem – Action point

Alexandra – Need someone outside of the exec

Sam – That’s what the honourary presidents are for.

Alexandra – an intermediary.

Sam – dangerous proposition. Hasn’t worked before.

Nomi – Reports at activate of bad behaviour.

Liv – Person you choose needs to be experienced.

Chloe – Someone in the middle between laymembers and HQ

Eilidh – concerned about conference

Liv – talk to Sian Waddington about conference.

Chloe – I think what works for the leadership was a code of conduct for chatbox.

Sam – It’s all been too ad hoc. Speed dating event. Do we need to set up clearer rules.

Chloe – need a clear procedure and code of conduct.

Charlie – Wasn’t procedural issue. Just people taking things out of context. Need something to adhere to.

Alexandra – I agree. We need to safeguard members with mental health conditions.

Nomi – Exec need to show conern towards members in their field.

Charlie – We should have a code of conduct and an admin team with sanctions. Not the exec.

Conor – suggests a political spectrum.

Conor – BACK WITH THE BUDGET! Activate + Staff budget already committed and non negotiable.

Conor – writes out budget on whiteboard.

Sam – We should not have to vote on this issue without proper budget proposals.

Michael – concerned that this budget leaves no money for next exec.

Alex – confirms that this settlement lasts till December 31st.

*discussion becomes heated. Michael requests closed session as cannot keep up with arguing and people talking over each other. Unanimously approved*

Vote on emergency budget carries 7-3. Alex, Alexandra, Emily, Nathan, Nomi, Ab, Conor vote in favour. Michael, Charlie and Sam vote against.

Alexandra – Events report – Wants to do Scottish LY on tour. Picnic in the park. Should have a policy for Conference. 2 fringes. 1 stand. Free passes as exhibitors – 2 spare. Reception £3 to get in subsidised drinks. Policy fringe – What liberalism means to young people. Will decide chair at later date. Charlie promises more money from Liberal Reform. Social Liberal Forum paying half of fringe. Liberal Reform should also pay half. Beach event social. Waiting on quotes for cost of booze. Complaint being put in about lack of affordable accommodation. Thanks to Emily, Charlie and Ryan.

Emily – Events report mark two. Activate. Has a draft agenda but needs filling. Asks for input. Difficult to get in touch with Bham LY.

Alex – Freshers – Campaigns decided at last exec. HRA. EU. Liberation. LGBT+ Lib Dems want to coordinate.

Ab – Should scrap liberation campaign. Too confusing.

Working group of Alex, Chloe, Beth, Conor, Euan, Hannah and Nomi.

Michael/ Sam – Reminds exec of devolved elections. Should start organising action weekends and #winninghere events asap. Disappointed that budget does not allow any money for supporting members in campaigning.

Meeting overran significantly. Meeting adjourned by Alex Harding.