Council meeting???

[Jim Webster]

Quote – Alex McFarlane
 “I am always happy to answer questions from members. I'm sure all members of the Management Board are the same.” 

I wish to ask the following in response to Alex's statement above

I must first make it clear that I am posting this as a longstanding individual member of Chess Scotland and not as a Club Secretary or member of Council.
 
During the 2023 AGM, in response to a question by an attendee, you were said that “we are bound by what is in the Constitution”
You also quote extracts from the Council Operating Procedure (section 4), and I therefore refer to the following additional extract(s)
 

10. Frequency of Council Meetings
  The Annual General Meeting held in May 2022 has approved that Council must hold a minimum of TWO Council Meetings each year. The recommendation was that these meetings be held approximately 3-4 months before and after each AGM (i.e. in March/April and August/September under current arrangements).

 
Can I therefore ask
1. Why was there no meeting of Council called earlier in the year to satisfy this requirement, as approved by the 2022 AGM? Are AGM decisions not equally as binding as the Constitution?
2. Why do these meetings do not satisfy the recommendation that meeting be held as stated in the Operation Procedure to following, as requested, before and after each AGM?
 
This leads me to another query regarding the adherence of the Constitution referred to above

14.3. All General, Council, Board and Executive Council Meetings shall be recorded as draft minutes.
14.3.1. Following approval by the appropriate Council, Board or Executive Committee meeting the minutes will be published within 4 weeks of the date of the meeting. It shall be deemed sufficient to publish the approved minutes on the Chess Scotland internet site.

3. Why have the requirements of the publication of minutes not been applied as mandated by the Constitution?
4. Due to the excessively late publication of the minutes the AGM was not made aware of decisions and reports to the AGM Membership. Is there a reason for this?
5. Is there a rationale for not providing such minutes in a timely fashion and giving members such time as necessary to make an informed decisions of before any publication of the AGM Agenda.?
6. Is it not that case that publication of minutes after the AGM agenda gives no recourse to members being permitted to raise any issue with decisions since only Agenda items are permitted at the AGM?

7. In the light of these examples can we be assured that the October Council meeting minutes will be published before the submission date of Agenda items for consideration by the Executive members in accordance with the Constitution and allow sufficient time for the minutes to be examined by members?

12.7 Any proposals for consideration at the AGM must be received by the Executive Director in writing (including e-mail) at least three weeks before the meeting

 
Let me give a few examples of the publication of minutes by the Chess Scotland officialdom
Published 3 July 2024
* January Executive Committee Meeting (26.01.2024) - 6 months late
Published 10 December 2024
* October Executive Committee Meeting (21.10.23) – 7 weeks late
* September Council Meeting (30.09.23) – 11 weeks late
* September Management Board Meeting (25.09.23) – 12 weeks late
There are a considerable number of similar instances of late publication of minutes throughout 2023 but that can be for another day.