IWA Oxford Branch Annual General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Oxford Branch of The Inland Waterways Association will be held as follows:

The Oxford Branch AGM will take place on Saturday 12th April 2025 10:30am for 11:00am at: The Boat Inn, Canal Road, Thrupp, Kidlington OX5 1JY

Agenda

1. Apologies for Absence
2. Approval (following amendments if necessary) of the Minutes of the Branch AGM held on 26th March 2024
3. Matters arising from the Minutes (and not under other Agenda items)
4. Branch Chair’s Report (see below)
5. Branch Treasurer’s Report and Accounts
6. Election of members of the Committee (Nomination no longer necessary). Simply contact the Chairman to apply to join the Branch Committee or do so at the AGM
7. Depending on the outcome of item 6 if there haven’t been a minimum of 4 members elected to the committee confirmation of a decision to

• • close down the branch
  • that the balance of Branch funds be put into central IWA funds for general IWA purposes.

8. Any item for discussion of which the Branch Chairman has been notified in writing at least 6 weeks prior to the date of the relevant AGM

Branch Chair’s Report

At last year’s Oxfordshire Branch AGM, I proposed that the branch need to be folded unless more people stepped forward to help run it.  One person, Mark Rowan, kindly took on the role of treasurer and organised a successful social event too. Other people offered to help so we staggered on.

We managed to man a stand at the Oxford and Banbury canal Festivals. I must thank Paul Rodgers, Peter Lister, Maralyn and Jim Nott, and Verna Smith who helped put the IWA stand up and man it. The festivals are fun and provide the opportunity to actively engage and campaign for our waterways. Additionally, Mark organised the first social meeting the branch for many years which was well received and attended.

But the issue of enough people to help run the branch so that it undertakes meaningful stuff hasn’t gone away. So, at the forthcoming branch AGM 12^th April I am going to be firmer in my resolve that unless between 3 and 5 people are willing to put themselves forward at that AGM meeting to take on official branch committee roles then the membership has only one choice, which is to vote to close down the branch and, furthermore, to agree that the balance of Branch funds be put into central IWA funds for general IWA purposes.

If the branch members decide to put themselves forward, stand for committee positions and to continue the IWA campaigning fight I remain very happy to continue with a branch committee role to support this and we can agree an ambition of monitoring and responding to planning applications affecting the waterways in the branch area, and manning stands at Banbury Canal Festival in October 2025. Additionally, we will be planning another informal social or two over the course of the year.

Ian Lindsay
Oxfordshire Branch Chair