Minutes of the MEOTRA AGM Thursday 27th April 2023 at the HAC, Lichfield Road
WELCOME
Welcome, introductions, followed by the Chair’s speech.
CHAIR’S SPEECH
The MEOTRA AGM had not been held for three years and the Chair, over that period, John White, spoke about the various challenges to the community from the isolation and restrictions caused by the pandemic, to the tragic murder of teenage Shea Gordon in Morgan St, to the rise in anti-social behaviour locally.
MEOTRA event highlights were also touched on in the chair’s report - the success of the Jubilee Jamboree as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations - only possible with the help of over 20 MEOTRA volunteers, a well attended Easter Egg hunt, and some planting days in the Square. The MEOTRA Carols still took place but singers were happy to be able to use the HAC main church as an alternative venue to escape the torrential rain.
MEOTRA has pushed for the return of Police Ward Panel meetings, and can now also suggest ward panel priorities for the police to concentrate on. In response to questions from the floor, residents reported car racing and late night speeding along Morgan St as being of particular concern along with a visible increase in drug dealing in areas like Clinton Road and Tredegar Square.
MEOTRA newsletters going back to 1974 have now been digitised and archived and are also available in the borough’s archive.
TREASURER’S REPORT
The Treasurer presented Accounts for 2021/22 and 2022/23. The cash balance end 2022/23 is healthy but there is currently no spare cash for additional events over and above regular events. 2023/24 will thus be a period of consolidation.
Relations with our sole sponsor, WJ Meade, are good. In addition, new lines of communication have been established with The Film Office and MEOTRA will automatically receive film money for outside filming in our area.
There is some tidying up to do with the bank account, this will inevitably take time. Once this exercise is over, the intention is to make payments by internet transfer only instead of cheques.
TREDEGAR SQUARE SURVEY AND PLANTING DAY
Following meetings with Tower Hamlets, committee member Cheryl Clements secured the involvement of the Trees for Cities charity to conduct a residents’ survey on the use and future of Tredegar Square and a plantation day in October 2023 to plant new saplings with local schools, and increase the area’s biodiversity. Cheryl also put forward having a “vision for our streets’ – suggesting the positive attributes of being lucky enough to live in the MEOTRA area.
CONSTITUTION
Although some preliminary work had been done on updating MEOTRA’s constitution under the Chair, it had previously been promised that a draft constitution would be tabled before this AGM, however no subcommittee had been put in place to review the constitution and give their findings. MEOTRA residents at the AGM were therefore asked to consider the recommendation that:
“The AGM recognises that the Constitution, including the Objectives of MEOTRA, needs revision. It recommends that the incoming Committee take timely action, leading to the tabling of a new draft Constitution to be put to Members at a Special General Meeting of MEOTRA, at the earliest opportunity”.
A vote on this recommendation passed successfully, and MEOTRA resident Elizabeth Marshall was appointed chair of the subcommittee, with the power to appoint the rest of the subcommittee. This subcommittee would present its findings and put forward a revised constitution before the next AGM.
ELECTION OF COMMITTEE
The below committee members were voted onto the committee - all were unopposed
Name of Nominee
Street
Post
John White
Grove Rd
Chair
Christopher Rawlins
Aberavon Rd
Treasurer
Sarah Sarkhel
Lichfield Rd
Secretary
Cheryl Clements
Tredegar Square
Delia Villiers
Tredegar Terrace
Barbara Gunnell
Alloway Rd
Vivien Turner
College Terrace
Gil Brandt
Grove Rd