Council, the Society's trustees, met on November 22nd for the final Council meeting of the 2023 session.
Andrew welcomed the new Council members, who attended as observers before taking up their roles on January 1st, 2024, to the meeting. Andrew welcomed to the meeting Richard Samworth, Clare Morris, and Simon Day, who will take up officerships from January 1st and attended as observers.
The Council received an update on the President's activities since the last meeting, including progress made with the Climate Change taskforce, his attendance at members week and the RSS's contributions to the Covid-19 inquiry.
Sarah updated the Council on her work and observations, having been CEO since early September. This update included work on developing the Society's new strategic plan, governance activities and the recent all-staff meeting during which staff could feed into the strategic planning process and reflect on the impacts and achievements of the 2018-22 strategy.
The Council approved the 2024 budget and reviewed the management accounts for 2023. They received an update on the development of the new strategic plan from Jen Visser-Rogers, the chair of the strategic planning advisory group, including a timeline for the document, which the Council expects to approve in March 2024 and implement from April of the same year.
The Council also discussed the building strategy following an unsuccessful grant bid to refurbish Errol Street. The Council agreed to continue the decision tree recommended by the building taskforce and approved by the Council in June 2022 by instructing senior managers to proceed with the sale of Errol Street and purchase more suitable premises in London. The Council will remain fully updated and engaged throughout the process.
Jo Fishwell updated the Council on the governance changes in 2024, noting that in 2025, four officers will be concluding their term in office.
Christl Donnelly – Vice President for External Affairs
Johanna Hutchinson – Honorary Officer for Staffing
Scott Heald – Honorary Officer for Conferences & Events
Blaise Egan – Honorary Officer for Sections & Local Groups
The Council seeks nominations for the roles and asks members to submit names via the Officer nomination form.
Nominations for the 2024 Council member elections are also open. Members are encouraged to submit names via the Council member nomination form.
Andrew closed the meeting by thanking the following members of the Council whose terms in office conclude on December 31st: Sylvia Richardson, Jon Forster, Shirley Coleman, Rachel Hilliam, Peter Elias, Katie Harron, Lisa McFetridge and Jamie Sergeant.
The Council meets again on March 20th, 2024