Issue - meetings

The Senior Finance Manager presented the report detailing the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum Trust’s accounts for the year ending 31 March 2016 for approval by the committee before submission to the Charity Commission.

In response to questions the Committee was advised that:

·  The Trust had to generate income in order to cover the service fee, and there was not much excess after the service charge had been paid. If additional work was required then further income would need to be raised.

·  As there were strict rules around the sale of items in the collection these could not be realised as assets regardless of value and had therefore not been included in the accounts as such.

·  A touring exhibition would be resource intensive and expensive. There were schemes in place for the museum to loan out fine art, however there had been low uptake due to the cost of transporting and insuring the items. Items that were in storage were mostly used for educational purposes.

·  While an audit of the collection was being undertaken a hold had been placed on accepting new items. A Collections Development Panel had been formed to assess donations before acceptance. Potential donators were advised whether their donation would be placed on display or kept in storage so that they could make an informed decision.

·  In the short term the Museum was busy undertaking the refit of the Egyptian Gallery into an Ancient Civilisations gallery. However new projects could be scheduled with an 18 month lead in, such as the suggested extension of the World War 1 exhibition.

During discussion the committee noted that an annual meeting was not sufficient to consider the business of the Trust, and that a changing Membership allowed for no continuity from year to year. It was therefore proposed that the committee meet biannually, and that an explanatory note on the Museum’s structure and the Regiment Museum’s place within it be presented to each January meeting of the committee. In addition it was proposed that an update report on the Strategic Board be brought to each meeting of the committee.

RESOLVED: That:

1.  The Accounts for the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum Trust for the year ending 31 March 2016 be approved for submission to the Charity Commission.

For – 5  Against – 0    Abstain - 0

2.  The committee be scheduled to meet biannually in January and July of each year.

For – 5  Against – 0  Abstain – 0

3.  An informative paper explaining the structure of the Museum, and the placement of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum within it, be presented to each January meeting of the committee, and an update report on the Strategic Board be presented to each meeting of the committee.

For – 5  Against – 0  Abstain – 0