NOTES OF HFCYCLISTS AGM 2014
Held at the home of Ken McCosh, 12 Stanwick rd, W14 8UH
Tuesday 13 October 7.30pm.
PRESENT
Ken McCosh, Lars Laamann, John Grifffiths, Alex Ingram, Janusz Carmello, Paul Fox, Paul Saunderson, Susie Gretz, David Marsh
APOLOGIES
Roger de Freitas, Sima John, Richard Radmore, Derek Fordham, Ayse Kardes
WELCOME
We were happy to have Paul Fox with us. He lives in the Brackenbury area and his family all cycle. He has offered to help where it is suitable. He has experience in communications.
CHAIRS REPORT. John Griffiths
April 2013 to March 2014
For the first time we have had two people instead of one taking the roles of Chair and Co-ordinator; I the Chair and Alex Ingram the Co-ordinator.
The group has had regular meetings. Thanks to everyone who has participated, and particularly the hosts. We held a few rides, which were very enjoyable, including some large ones into Central London. We had our usual midsummer ride and Christmas ride to hostelries in Richmond. And of course thanks to Roger de Freitas for hosting the summer garden party.
We had good relations with Officers at LBHF. We were involved in consultations on Shepherds Bush Town Centre West and elsewhere. We carried out a survey on Hammersmith Bridge which may have been instrumental in later developments.
Alex led the Space4cycling campaign which resulted later to the new Labour Party agreeing to all the asks in the different wards. Alex was involved in many meetings at the LCC head office and he has also reinvented the website and introduced a twitter account.
Since April 2014.
There have been many developments, including the Labour Party winning the local elections in May 2014. They set up Policy and Accountability Committees, to the first of which nine of our group sent written material, and three of us spoke, all to great effect.
It looks like Hammersmith Bridge will be made 20mph, and things are afoot at Hammersmith Gyratory. Also the Labour Party manifesto offers a Borough wide 20mph speed limit to some undecided extent.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved, including Ken McCosh our Treasurer, and let’s keep the momentum going.
COORDINATOR’S REPORT Alex Ingram
We are in theory covering only the period from April 2013 to March 2014, I took over as coordinator in June of 2013
Since June we have seen significant changes in the wider London Cycle Campaign, which have as I’m sure I’ve said before, been part of the reason I’ve been more active myself along with the opportunities from enhanced Mayoral spending on cycling.
In August 2013 we ran a very successful RideLondon feeder ride with 75 riders including many children. (And again in August of this year). We have had a few other rides, but clearly need to develop our rides programme.
During the autumn of 2013 I reworked the branch website so that it was in a more modern, mobile friendly template and able to handle much more vibrant presentation of our content.
We have detailed feedback on the shepherds bush town centre west scheme. This helped engage us with many local active cyclists.
Hammersmith Bridge was promoted by John as in need of change. I assisted john with this and hope we can see a way to use the way we did that – in the real world with leafleting, online promotion, and email discussions with interested parties. It showed that even outside Space For Cycling we can reach out well.
I have had much contact with local journalists, and have good contacts and have even managed to get us coverage on the BBC London News around Putney Bridge’s closure. The key item in the period is obviously Space For Cycling though it spilled over into May 2014. The highlights of that are not just support from the new Labour council elected in the local elections but also a high number of responses in our borough and a very successful meeting to set our ward asks. I also personally provided some very technical support to keep the website for Space For Cycling functioning and helped train campaigners in other boroughs.
However, it is with some regret that I must state clearly that I cannot continue as coordinator, not least as I will be moving out of the borough in the coming weeks. I am very keen to remain on the management committee and continue contact with the council, but cannot guarantee my time to either arrange these meetings or attend them any more often than once every two months.
I’d just round off by noting we stand on the cusp of some, but not enough change. We will see more 20mph I am fairly certain though it will be a fight to get it. Hammersmith Broadway will change, and I think Hammersmith Bridge will too. However, with Superhighway 9 failing due to blocks by Kensington and Chelsea we risk being the only side of London without a highly trafficked upgraded cycle connection into Central London. In all honesty, that, along with the absurd price and availability of housing for my generation mean I cannot continue to campaign alongside you in this borough, but I will not give up that fight.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Ken McCosh
Income
LCC grant 287.90
LCC contrib. 160.00
Interest 16.16
TOTAL 464.06
Expenditure
Website 32.40
Catering 315.98
TOTAL 348.38
Nett income 115.68
At 31.03.13 Balance b/f
Unrestricted 3491.44
Restricted 3541.85
TOTAL 7033.29
At 31.03.14 Balance
Unrestricted 3607.12
Restricted 3541.85
TOTAL 7148.97
Allowing for outstanding cheques this tallies with the opening and closing bank balances at the Unity Trust Bank of 7118.57 and 7275.12.
Alex proposed and Paul S seconded that these accounts should be accepted as a true record and this was passed unanimously.
Thanks was given to Ken, John and Alex for the work they had done.
DISCUSSION
The website, it is great that it is now in a format suitable for mobile devices.
John would like to see a policy on what is covered. He would like the content to include notes of the meetings we have held with LBHF and also notes of all our monthly group meetings. At the moment there is only a note of one meeting, for November 2013. Another problem is that the website has not been updated much for about 5 months, so for example it has the Hammersmith Bridge survey on it which is finished. It should be showing the results of the survey.
Previously the site was updated via an html editing program, now it is based on WordPress. Alex says he will show people how to update it. We need several people to come forward to look after the website. Please contact John if you are willing to help. Website at www.hfcyclists.org.uk.
Alex says the Twitter account has over 400 followers. It is used to point people to our website and talk about latest news.
Ken and Paul S suggested that we transfer some of our funds to an account which pays higher interest. The Unity Trust bank which we use does not have any suitable accounts to switch to.
Although we, hfcyclists, are a completely independent organisation, the London Cycling Campaign which is a charity registers our funds as part of its reserves. Alex pointed out that a charity is frowned upon if it has unused reserves, and the LCC would like us to use our reserves and would be happy to use our money. Ken pointed out that in the present financial year we have forgone the grant of nearly £300 which is due to us from the LCC.
We should look into moving part of our monies, particularly the part we call our reserved assets, into another account, so that the LCC would feel under less pressure from the Charity Commissioners, and we would have greater interest. We should also be more active in the pursuit of our goals, recognising that a lack of resources is not a problem.
ELECTION OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The following people were elected as Officers
CHAIR John Griffiths proposed by Susie, seconded by Ken
TREASURER Ken McCosh proposed by Alex, seconded by Paul S
SECRETARY Alex Ingram proposed by Paul S, seconded by Susie
Other members of the Management Committee were proposed by John and seconded by Alex and duly elected. They are
Lars Laamann, Paul Saunderson, Susie Gretz, David Marsh, Janusz Carmello, Roger de Freitas, Richard Radmore.
REFRESHMENT BREAK
HFCYCLISTS OCTOBER MEETING
We updated Susie, who has been away, on what is happening at the Hammersmith Gyratory, which was covered in the notes of our recent meeting with LBHF.
Susie showed a cutting from this week’s local paper that discussed how RBKC had effectively blocked superhighway 9. Alex had provided some of the information for it. http://tinyurl.com/nyryfnw
We discussed air pollution in the Borough. The monitor at Shepherds Bush has been put out of action by a collision. The report on air pollution in LBHF made by Elizabeth Fonseca at the PAC meeting we attended can be found here at page 8. The report on cycling appears at page 1.
http://tinyurl.com/lnccj8r .
Chris Bainbridge of LBHF reported to John earlier in the day that the February PAC meeting should be dealing with 20 mph speed limits and a cycling strategy that Officers are writing. The consultation on Hammersmith Bridge should be coming out in the next couple of weeks. Works on the Bridge involving a bus gate bypass and 20mph limit [and signs to prioritise cyclists] should be finished by the end of this financial year.
Paul S considered that a 20mph limit in the Borough at 2am for a minicab driver was unreasonable. Alex said that collisions often happened then, and other drivers might have been drinking.
THANKS
We thanked Ken for his hospitality and for the preparation of the refreshments.
EXPENSES
John had expenses of £16.12 for the renewal of the domain hfcyclists.org.uk
Ken had expenses of £53 for refreshments.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
This will be held on TUESDAY 11 November. 7.15pm for 7.30pm
at the home of John Griffiths
122c Edith road, West Kensington, W14 9AP
Notes by John Griffiths [Chair]