ACO BUSINESS NotesfromCouncil Administration The winter and spring meetings of ACO Council and Executive were largely given over to ensuring the new Institute would run smoothly. The amended draft Code of Practice for the membership and draft handbook for the administration of the new body were both considered further. The Executive was particularly grateful for the feedback on both these documents received from the Branches and individual members; many useful amendments will be incorporated in the final version The Membership Committee which would be vetting applications for membership of the new Institute will be very busy over the next few months and would welcome additional volunteers to help in the task. Some of the responsibility is to be delegated through Branches. Assimilation of existing ACO members into the new Institute is dealt with in the Membership notes'· below. Preparations for the public launch of the Institute are progressing and contact has been r;naintainecl with one firm of ~~l~li~~-~:~ti~:s e~:i~~~~t~~ undertake those matters which for reasons of time, special expertise or geography it would be difficult to undertake inhouse. After some delays a distinctive new logo had been Membershipnotes I am sorry that there were no Membership Notes in Context 53. Unfortunately, I managed to catch a nasty dose of influenza. The statistics given in this report are therefore given for the period from 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997. On 31 March, the membership was 1,368 members. This total included 803 full members, 488 associate members, 53 concessionaty members, 7 corporate members and 16 honora1y members. The breakdown of membership by Branch is 152 in East Anglia, 112 in East Midlands, 197 in London, 19 in Northern Ireland, 50 in North, 90 in North West, 98 in Scotland, 108 in South East, 129 in South, 175 in South West, 51 in Context 54 June 1997 produced and approved under delegated powers by a small sub-group. Finance The Treasurer was not able to produce the definitive final accounts for ACO because of a delay in receiving some Branch and sub-committee figures. Hence the final accounts could not be tendered at the annual meeting in Canterbury but would need to be delayed until presented to and endorsed by the membership later in the summer. It was agreed to recommend that the annual meeting approve the transfer of certain moneys already accounted for to the new Institute to provide some initial working capital. Overall the picture was one of financial health notwithstanding a period of sustained expenditure on new equipment and reorganisation. Much of this financial strength was clue to the more effective collection of subscription income stemming from the reforms of the Membership Secretaty. The delay in completing the final ACO account highlighted again the need to for Branches to submit annual accounts promptly to the Treasurer, and of the need to notify him of a nominated accounting officer. The new Institute, when registered as a charity would have to be especially transparent in all its financial dealings, and leave Wales, 76 in West Midlands, 94 in Yorkshire and 17 Overseas. Unfortunately, I had to discontinue the membership of 58 members for non-payment of subscriptions. I have written to them to confirm this. The ACO wishes to welcome 98 new members who have joined between 1 October 1996 and 31 March 1997. New members include: Paul D Affleck Kate Ainslie-Williams Peter Ashby Alison Ayres DorsanBaker Ellen E Barnes Alexander \YI Beattie Ian Bond Bob Bowler James A Breckell Susan Brook Andrew Byrne Jennifer C Clayton Christopher G Colville Scott A Cooper Nigel \YI Crowe Jane S Davies Janet A Davies Kenneth G Davis Alistair Day Leslie J C Dean Nicholas \YI C Dermott Ian C Douglas Nicolette Duckham clear audit trails for all expenditure. The need for all financial records to be retained for up to seven years was stressed. Charging for listed building consent English Heritage had suggested in its discussion paper on streamlining listed building consent procedures that charges should be introduced. This would bring listed building consents into line with all other areas of planning and building control and, if the money were ring fenced, would generate some element of self financing for local authority conservation work. Opinions on the Executive were clivicleclbetween those in broad support of the principle -mainly urban based members dealing with complex and expensive commercial projects - and those from rural backgrounds who felt it would be prejudicial to and discourage private owners of listed buildings. As charging for listed building applications had been expressly excluded by government hitherto it was felt that a much wider debate on the issue was needed within the Institute. Shimizu Case The Executive met shortly after the Shimizu v Westminster City Council decision by the House of Lords had been made public Angela M \YI Dudley David 13Leven Martin P Easson David Little Steve Edwards Beryl P Lott Jackie A Everard Catherine B Marlow Catherine E Fisher Carol Marsden Jonathan P French Joanne McAuley Kenneth M Gale Michael McConnell Anna Grant Eleanor McEvedy Elaine M Gray David Moore Francis J Green Frederic Moore Mark A Groves Edward Moreland R Alistair Hackston Richard Morey Jane A Hamilton Wendy F Morgan Rachel E Hamilton Julie Nicol Robert C Harper Sean O'Reilly Alan D Harvey Stephen Paine Robin R E Hatter Keith D Parsons Ben C Hogg Josie A Peters Edward R Holland Ronald G Phillips Debra Jenkins Karen A Platt Colin G Johns Rachel Pozzi Nicholas D Johnson David R Priest Leigh M Johnston Colin J Redman Paul D Jones Tracy Rennie Graham Kyte Alan D Richards Timothy J Layhe Tissie Roberts David N Lermon J Neil Robson IHBCAND ACO BUSINESS in March and was fortunate to have a presentation from an officer of Westminster CC who had been close to the case. It was understood that as the House of Lords had redefined the law, against which the only redress would be by a new Act of Parliament. The emasculating of powers to control demolition in conservation areas implied by the judgement was clearly to be regretted. However, with the general election imminent a new heritage act, especially based around a narrow point of interpretation was unlikely to be a political priority to any ruling party. There was little that could be done for the immediate future, but it was clearly a campaigning issue that the new Institute to take up when appropriate. Not quite the end .. The final meeting of ACO Council had been planned to take place in Canterbury immediately before the Annual Meeting when it, like the Association, was clue to be wound up. Because of the delay in completing the final accounts, Council has had to remain in being to run the shell of the ACO in parallel with the new Institute until such time as the last accounts are approved by the membership and all ACO assets can be duly handed over to the IHBC. Peter Roseveare Heather Royle Robert S Scourfield Lorean Sirr Matthew J Slocombe Alan Taylor Heather J Thirlwell RossC Turle Gordon R Urquhart Joanna E Varley Lee K Walton Stuart Stevenson Peter R \Xlhite Gillian Stewart Janet S Wilding Alison E Tanner Colin Wilson Sue Taylor Ian M Wilson Colin S C Tennant Christopher S Young The new members include 41 full members, 37 associate members and 20 concessionary members. I am pleased to welcome members for the first time from Aylesbury Vale District, Caradon District, Carmarthensh ire County (2), Cornwall County, East Renfrewshire, Lichfield District, Malvern Hills District (3), Newbury District and Wiltshire County Councils. I still have a list of three 43
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