RA welcomed members to the meeting.

AS stated that all members were present and the meeting was quorate.

None declared

RA asked SG and GM if either or both wished to hold the position of Chair for the 2021/2022 year. SG stated they did.

Vote to confirm SG as chair of the Board of Trustees.

RA handed meeting to SG.

Vote to approve;

In Favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 2

AS introduced the paper, covering some background and context for the information of new members.

JP asked if the number of events would need to be reduced to avoid the risk of having poor attendance. AS replied that UCASU already required good attendance at events and was doing well at avoiding low attendance. JP asked if event ticket pricing would be lower. AS responded that keeping prices the same or lower would be a tactic used to attract more customers if UCASU ran the bar.

AFr asked what timeline was anticipated for transfer if approved. AS responded that it would be this summer, ideally on 1st August as the date marks the new financial year for both UCASU and UCA.

AFr asked what contingency would be in place if a new Covid variant was discovered in the winter. AS replied that UCASU would follow Government guidance but there are so many variables that planning for a hypothetical variant was not possible beyond following legal requirements.

AFi checked that the Board was not being asked to approve the projected budget included in the business case. AS confirmed that the Board was not approving a budget in this meeting.

AFi stated he felt that from a financial perspective, the business case was not appealing, but it came down to how big a positive impact it would have on students.

GM commented that a social space on campus is very helpful for students to decompress. They added that UCASU having greater control over the security provision would help improve the experience of students who have previously had negative interactions with the guards. GM went on to note that UCASU was invested in the space already for its events programme, which currently presents a level of risk to the Union.

AFr stated that she felt the ability to socialise was very beneficial to students, especially after the isolation of Covid.

JP said she was supportive of the plan and thought it was beneficial for UCASU to operate both the bar and events together.

SO agreed with GM's point regarding security and creating a space aligned with UCASU’s values.

RA stated that from a student experience point, he felt it was a good idea, but could not support the plan from a financial risk perspective.

TS ummarised her thoughts that the risk was worth taking.

JP asked if the bar would close down if UCASU did not take management of it. AS replied that there was no information to suggest this would be the case.

SO agreed that despite the financial risk, they felt it was worth it for the student experience. AFr followed, agreeing with SO.

SG moved to vote

Vote to approve:

For: 7

Against: 1

Abstain: 1

AS stated he would communicate updates between meetings.

AN welcomed members to the meeting.

At point 5.1: AS stated that apologies had been recieved from Roosevelt Avi and the meeting was quorate

None declared

approved as provided

Vote to approve;

In Favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

Approved as provided

Vote to approve;

In Favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS briefly introduced the budget and invited comments or questions.

AF noted it was positive that UCASU was now able to offer the staff team incremental increases to salaries.

AF asked what options would be available to UCASU if Covid affected income at the beginning of the financial year. AS replied that UCA provided Covid-related financial support last year and were still reporting a healthy financial position so would be contacted for similar support in the future if necessary but other options were also available, such as reducing spending on certain expenditures to mitigate lower-than- expected income.

Vote to approve;

In Favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS introduced the paper and invited comments or questions

Approved as supplied

Vote to approve:

In Favour: 7

Againsts: 0

Abstain: 0

AS provided an overview of the commentary and invited questions. AFr asked if the accounts could be supplied with a campus breakdown. AS replied that this would theoretically be possible but would require different accounting practices.

Approved as supplied.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS provided an overview and invited comments or questions.

Approved as supplied

Vote to approve:

In favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS shared that two members of the staff team were leaving and recruitment had started to fill vacant positions.

Taken a Read. Vote to accept report.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 6

Against:

Abstain: 1

Taken as Read. Vote to accept report.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 6

Against:

Abstain: 1

Taken as Read. Vote to accept report

Vote to approve:

In favour: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

None

None

SG welcomed members to the meeting.

Apologies recieved from Aaliya Khan and Julia Pentz.

AS communicated that Sabina Otelea has resigned from the Board following legal advice that student employees should not also as Trustee, so has chosen to remain an employee.

None declared but AF noted that his daughter would be joining UCASU for a week's work experience in July.

Approved as provided

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

Approved as provided.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS explained that auditors Moore Kingston Smith have completed work and supplied the provided Accounts

AF noted a typo related to Trustee Expenses. AS stated he would have it corrected

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

SG and GM introduced paper and invited comments or questions.

AF stated he did not understand the rationale for the Chief Executive to have oversight of Sabbatical Officer salaries. SG agreed to amend proposal to remove this aspect and give oversight to the Board of Trustees.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS introduced the proposal and invited comments or questions

AF asked if the Farnham shop pilot has been evaluated. AS answered that it had not been formally evaluated but several insights were known.

GM added that the outlets would benefit students through employability and on-campus convenience.

AF asked for a fuller business case be provided before a firm decision be made.

Action:

Provide business case for retail expansion.

SG introduced the proposal and invited comments or questions

AF stated support

No further comments

Approved as provided.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

SG introduced the proposal and invited comments or questions.

AF stated her felt this would create additional commercial risk and so could not support this as provided.

No further comments.

Vote to approve:

In favour: 0

Against: 4

Abstain: 0

AS provided an overview of the commentary and invited questions.

AF shared an observation that some numbers did not add up correctly.

Action:

Supply correct up-to-date version

AS provided an overview and invited comments or questions.

Approved as supplied

Vote to approve:

In favour: 4

Against: 0

Abstain: 0

AS shared that the team has been struggling with design capacity recently but this was in hand to be resolved.