ATTENTION: While the tube strikes end on Saturday, we do advise that you check travel times with your travel provider early to prevent delays. We have been notified of delays in the North East of England due to works in progress, so it is advisable to check with your travel provider well before the day.

Autistic UK Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Autistic UK is proud to announce the 2017 AGM, taking place on the 15th of January from noon to 4:00 at Kings Norton Ex-Servicemen’s Club in Birmingham.

The AGM will be open to all autistic people, including those who are not currently members.  There will be options to join on the day or participate as an observer.  Registration for the AGM is free and will be available from 10:30 am with business starting at 12 noon.   You can also join in advance – see //autisticuk.org/join-us/ for more information.

Our guest speakers will be Olivia Pountney, autistic speaker, and Willow Holloway from the Autistic Women’s Empowerment Project.  They will be talking about the campaigning against the abuse of autistic people and autistic women and autistic rights in Wales.

The AGM will also be discussing priorities for the year, including support for Emma Dalmayne’s Quack Cures campaign, setting up local groups and more support, including better diagnosis, for autistic women and girls.

Marion Hersh, Acting Chair of A-UK: “A-UK is your organisation.  Come along to determine what we do in the next year and find out about what  campaigning and other activities other autistics are involved in.”

All members are entitled to put motions to the AGM, but you should join in advance if you want to do this.  Motions need to be received in writing, preferably by email, by the Secretary (see contact below) by 8 January 2017 to allow them to be circulated to members in advance.

You can nominate yourself or another member (with their permission) to the Executive Committee of A-UK.  This nomination needs to be received in writing, preferably by email, by the Secretary, by 1 January 2017.

The AGM will be made as sensory friendly and accessible to autistic people as possible.  Participants will have the option of wearing interaction badges which will indicate whether they want to interact with others in the breaks and/or need someone to initiate interaction.  Helpers will be available to support participation.  Use the contacts below to inform us about your accessibility and participation requirements.

There is a fish and chip shop near the club.  Please let the contacts below know in advance if you will need a helper to use it. You can use their web site to pick your food in advance if you like – http://www.sophiesfastfood.co.uk/

The nearest railway station is King’s Norton.  Transport can be provided from there to the venue.  Inform the contacts if you would like to use this transport. We have also arranged a 10% discount with taxi firm “A Cars”. Just phone 0121 458 3000 and mention A-UK. They pick up from New Street Station and University Station.

There will be a link to the AGM for autistic people not able to attend in person.  Inform the contacts below if you would like to use this.

Unfortunately we have not been able to provide a creche on this occasion.  However, it would be useful to know if there would be interest in having a creche for future AGMs and other meetings.

Address: Kings Norton Ex-Servicemans Club,  1853A Pershore Rd, Birmingham B30 3DJ

Timing: The AGM procedures start fully at 12:00. Registration starts at 10:30.. It is advisable to arrive at least 30 minutes early to register for membership in order to be able to participate in vote in proceedings.

Directions:

Parking:The best place to park is at Selly Oak or Northfield Station and to buy a return ticket to Kings Norton. Please allow 20 minutes for the journey to Kings Norton. There are about 30 spaces at the club itself if you can’t use public transport.

Public Transport: The Kings Norton Ex-Servicemens Club is just 5 minutes walk from the Station. Trains to Kings Norton depart every 10 minutes from platform 12 at Birmingham New Street Station.

Alternatively the 45/47 can be caught from stop Stop MS15 on Moor Street Queensway with the closest bus stop in Cotteridge outside the Co-operative.

 Taxi:There is a 10% discount using our partners A-Cars to get to the AGM. When you turn up at New Street Station make your way to the taxi rank at the side of the station and call 0121 458 3000 and say A-UK with your booking.You can also book from any other station including University(on certain national services) or  Kings Norton.The code is applicable for any A Cars journey on the day.

Food: There is a Subway on the corner of Cotteridge Island. Good alternative food outlets are Sophies Choice Fish and Chip Shop by the Station or Greggs Bakery. There is a coffee shop called Coffee Residence with WiFi.

Postcodes:

Subway: B30 3DJ

Greggs: B30 1JA

Sophies Choice: B30 3EG

Coffee Residence: B30 1JB

Local Shopping:

McColl’s: B30 1JA

The Co-operative: B30 3AS

Simply Fresh: B30 3EG

Toilets: There are accessible toilets on site.

Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible.

AGM AGENDA

Venue open from 10:30

Stall-holders can come at 10:00

10:30 – Registration and Networking

12:00  – Welcome by Chair

12:10 – Annual General and Financial Report, Questions from Floor to follow

13:00 – Break

13:30 – Speaker – Olivia Pountney – Abuse of Autistics

13:50 – Speaker – Willow Holloway – Autistic Women’s Empowerment Project

14:10 – Motions and Resolutions/Voting

14:40 – Break

15:00 – New Committee Introduced

15:10 – Floor (General Discussion/Any Other Business)

16:00 – End

The Committee is proposing these changes to the Constitution: Autistic UK Constitution

Replace Section F1

F – Executive Committee

(1) At the annual general meeting of the Association, the individual members (and representatives of member organisations) shall elect from amongst the representatives of member organisations members of an Executive Committee who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting.

with the new Section F1

F – Executive Committee

(1) The members of the Executive Committee are elected at the Annual General Meeting and hold office from the conclusion of that meeting. All individual members are entitled to stand for the Committee. They are elected by the individual members attending the Annual General Meeting, both in person and by link.

Committee Proposed Motion:

The outgoing committee proposes that the incoming committee should continue A-UK’s focus on the following in the coming year:

• Providing support to A.I.M. in it’s campaign against fake autism cures and their attendant child abuse.
• Providing support to the campaign by Autistic Women’s Empowerment Project for a Welsh Autism Act.
• Campaigning for swifter and more effective standards of diagnosis for autistic women of all ages.
• Supporting the setting up local groups of autistics
• Effective anti-bullying strategies and measures
• Providing support for local groups to develop Autistic-led programmes for training autistic.
• Advert campaign to improve image of autistics, possibly under the heading Awareness is good, acceptance is better.

Member Motion:

Proposition in two parts

This AGM agrees:

1. Given that Russell Stronach has, through his own admission at an Executive Committee hearing on 13 November 2016, confirmed that he has used Association funds to pay his own personal household bills, and

• operated the Association’s bank account as a single signatory through internet banking, bypassing the need for authorisation of payments or a second signatory to approve them,·         failed to provide an accounting of expenditure and receipt for Association funds he paid by Direct Bank Transfer into his personal bank account or any other unauthorised expenditures,·         operated an unauthorised “petty cash system” (R. Stronach), composing of collected monies, cash donations and unauthorised bank transfers into his own bank account from the Association account, with no record of expenditure or receipt to show how the money was used.

  Which actions are contrary to the requirements laid out in Clause J of the constitution;

  J – Receipts and Expenditure

  (1) The funds of the Association, including all donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Association at such bank as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide.

  All cheques drawn on the account must be signed by at least two members of the Executive Committee.

  All transactions involving funds of the Association must be authorised by at least two members of the Executive Committee.

  (2) The funds belonging to the Association shall be applied only in furthering the objects.

  It is the view of this AGM that as a result of these admissions, Mr Stronach has neither the trust, nor remaining credibility, sufficient to continue as a member of Autistic UK. He has wantonly disregarded the rules and procedures laid down in our Constitution regarding the manner in which its funds and accounts are to be operated and has, by his own admission, used Association funds for his own purposes and is unable to account for a large portion of the remaining expenditure of Association funds.

  This being so, the Membership agrees that the incoming Executive Committee are to treat this breach of Trust as the “good reason”  required to trigger activation of Clause E – Membership, section 11 (c.E, s.11),of the Constitution which reads;

  (11) The Executive Committee may, by a two thirds majority and for good reason terminate the membership of (or reject the application for membership of) any individual or organisation provided that the individual concerned or the appointed representative of the organisation concerned (as the case may be) shall have the right to be heard by the Executive Committee, supported by a person of their choice, before a final decision is made.

  The AGM agrees that in the interests of fairness and the Constitution, to properly satisfy the terms of c.E, s.11, Mr Stronach be provided a further opportunity to defend himself regarding his unconstitutional actions, as they are laid out in this proposition, to a duly called Hearing by the Executive Committee before it makes its final decision. This will take place no more than 21 days after this AGM.

Contacts:

General Inquiries – [email protected]

Volunteering and General Inquiries – Kat Humble  [email protected] Mobile: 07956 639 371

Stalls – Julian Morgan   [email protected]   Mobile: 07787 913 569

Motions and Nominations – Willow Holloway – [email protected]

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