THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF ARBITRATORS
EAST MIDLANDS BRANCH
BRANCH
NEWSLETTER
July 2004
CHAIRMAN’S
JOTTINGS
Having just taken over the Chairmanship of the Branch from Peter
Dickinson, I’m having to pick up all the contributions he made so
effortlessly. I used to wonder what he
did, but I’m beginning to learn.
The past few months we have been heavily occupied by the Institute’s
Agenda for Change, for which all members were asked to vote in March. As you probably know, some 96% of those who
voted (regrettably only 12% of the membership eligible to vote) voted in favour
of the Institute’s proposals. At this
Branch (as at others) we had some concerns – and we still do – particularly about the cost of implementation
of some of the proposals, and the lack of a direct relationship between the new
Trustees and the Branches.
As you know, Peter Dickinson is standing for election as a Trustee, and I
would urge you to cast your vote for him at the appropriate time – at least we
will have a Branch association with a Trustee! You may have noticed that voting
papers have been delayed. There has been a minor hiccup with the legal process,
but it is hoped that this will be resolved soon.
A new Branch Committee has taken up the mantle from some of those who
have decided to have a bit of a rest, having given sterling service to the
Branch. My thanks go particularly to
John Townsend and Bob Dorrington, both of whom are past-Chairmen of the Branch
and long-serving Committee Members.
Whilst they may feel like a “bit if a rest” from Committee work, I shall
start getting edgy if they rest for too long.
I would like to welcome new committee members Alan Wilson, Robert Bateman
and Tim Bowley, and wish them an interesting time on the committee. I would also like to thank all of the
committee members still in place, and also Mike Cross for picking up the mantle
of Hon Secretary without too many protestations.
Please help your committee to make this a lively Branch. One innovation that I believe may improve
attendance at Branch Technical Meetings is the decision by the Committee to
waive Members’ attendance fees. We
believe that part of the Branch’s responsibility is to provide suitable
training and professional development, and we want to encourage as many members
as possible to participate. If you have
any particular areas of training or development that you believe would be
popular with Branch Members, please contact one of the Committee
John
Evans
Chairman
Email: chair@CIArb-EM.org
TREASURER'S
REPORT
Since the publication of the previous newsletter we have held our Annual
Branch Dinner and the 2004 Annual General Meeting. The Annual Branch Dinner was held again at
the Yew Lodge Hotel in Kegworth and proved to be yet another successful
evening. Our President Jim Leckie
attended the function and all those who attended were enjoyably entertained by
The Antiques Roadshow’s resident expert Lars Tharp.
The Annual General Meeting was chaired for the final time by Peter
Dickinson whom has now stepped down as Chairman of the East Midlands
Branch. Peter during his three years as
Chairman has presided over a challenging period of time for the Branch and
Institute as a whole and thanks to his sterling efforts the Branch continues to
act as a unified voice for its 220 members.
Peter is hoping with the support of the Branch membership to be elected
onto the new Board of Trustees as one of the six representatives for the United
Kingdom. Voting papers will shortly be
distributed by the Secretariat and it is hoped that all members of this Branch
will support Peter in his bid for election.
John Evans was appointed as the new Chairman of the Branch and we wish
him well for the challenging times ahead.
Robert Bateman, Tim Bowley and Alan Wilson have joined the Branch
Committee for the forthcoming year which now in full comprises of this list.
The Annual accounts have recently been published and shows a surplus of
income over expenditure for the year ending 31 December 2003 of £1,967.83. This surplus boosts the Branch’s balance
sheet to £8,411.74.
Bill
Fisher
Honorary
Secretary
Email: treas@CIArb-EM.org
TREASURER'S
REPORT
Bank
Accounts
There is £6899.23 in the deposit account and £628.12
in the current account when adjusted for unpresented cheques and payment into
the bank not shown on the bank statement.
VAT
VAT return was completed on time and returned to HQ.
Events
The Annual Dinner was held at the Yew Lodge, resulting
in a loss of £741.62. Significantly, apart from committee members, there was
only one other branch member supporting the event.
A Mock Mediation was held at Lincoln University on
30th April. At this time costs have not been submitted to me, therefore I
cannot give a breakdown of the financial result, but a profit is
anticipated.
Bill
Fisher
Honorary
Secretary
Email: treas@CIArb-EM.org
WEB SITE
EDITOR’S REPORT
You will note that on our web site, www.ciarb-em.org, there
is a members' listing. Would you please check your membership details. If
incorrect, please e-mail us at web@ciarb-em.org
Additionally, if you want your web address to be listed with
a link, this can be arranged for the sum of £10 per annum which will become
part of the branch funds. If you would like this, please send your request to
web@ciarb-em.org.
Any additional events or updates to current events will be
posted on the website.
The newsletter is now circulated to 71% of our members by
e-mail. Members are encouraged to provide and/or update their e-mail addresses
to reduce outgoing costs to the branch, which is to the advantage of the
membership.
Web Site Editor
Email: web@ciarb-em.org
Contributions to the Newsletter are always welcome.