Meeting of Council

The Chairman welcomed the delegates to the Electoral meeting and asked them to stand for a minutes silence for Betty Harrison who died recently.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
The Chairman asked delegates to ensure that they had signed the signing in sheets in order for them to be eligible to vote. New delegates introduced themselves

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
The Chairman gave a brief statement saying that it had been a tumultuous year. There had been several changes to the office staff and he advised delegates that Mrs Linda Whittaker was seriously ill and he intended to send her all good wishes from the meeting. He also said that the shorthair registrar was retiring and that a probationary member of staff had resigned.

He told delegates that there had been a considerable amount of press interest in cat breeding in recent months, which had abated due to the MP's expenses scandal, but would no doubt reoccur. He warned delegates that the press would ask questions in order to elicit sensational responses. Work was on going to strengthen the GCCF Registration and Breeding Policies. He urged caution to all delegates if they were approached by anyone from the press.

He also stated that the GCCF no longer had an Official Journal and asked delegates to put forward suggestions and ideas for a solution to the problem.

CLUB MATTERS
The Chairman asked Mrs Butler, Office Manager, to inform Council of any clubs who had not submitted their Club returns.

Mrs Butler advised that the Coventry & Leicester Cat Club and the Old Style Siamese Club had not submitted any paperwork for their returns or paid their annual fees. She asked if the delegates were present. The delegates were not present from either Club. Council agreed that provided these clubs submitted their returns they could be represented at future Council meetings.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS & COMMITTEES 

The Chairman then handed the meeting over to Mr Keith Scruton, the Vice Chairman, who confirmed that Mr John Hansson had been nominated for a further term as Chairman. He asked if there were any further nominations for this position. There were none and Mr Hansson was duly elected Chairman. Mr Scruton then handed back the meeting to Mr Hansson.

Mr Hansson then announced that Mr Keith Scruton had been nominated for Vice Chairman and asked if there were any other nominations. There were none and Mr Scruton was duly elected Vice Chairman.

Mr Hansson stated that he hoped delegates had read the 50 word statements from the nominees for the Executive Committee. He commented that the use of 50 word statement was not working for various reasons; the time it took to administer was too great, delegates did not have time to read the statements before voting took place and it also meant that nominations could not be taken from the floor. He said he would take the matter forward to the next council meeting for discussion.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 15
Helen Marriott-Power 104
Maria Chapman 103
Steve Crow 98
Frances Peace 97
Lynda Ashmore 93
Shirley Bullock 89
Stephen Bunce 89
Mary Kalal 88
Gillian Bennett 85
Joyce Green 84
Doreen Goadby 83
Celia Leighton 82
Anne Gregory 73
Pat Perkins 73
Rosemary Fisher 66

Reserves 2
Irene Roos 58
Jen Lacey 57

FINANCE COMMITTEE 5
Stephen Bunce 123
Doreen Goadby 104
Brian Gregory 97
Mavis Donnelly 82
Colin Martin 77

Substitutes 2
Eileen Fryer 76
Betty Conway 70

INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE 5
Diana Harper 128
Mary Kalal 120
Gillian Bennett 113
Kym Jarvis 102
Stephen Parkin 72

Substitutes 2
Dominic Bray 51
Charles Patey 51

DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE 9
Lynda Ashmore 111
Shirley Bullock 92
Celia Leighton 91
Carole Jones 83
Brian Gregory 80
Shar Crichton 75
Hilary Dean 72
Jen Lacey 68
Gill Cornish 65

Reserves 4
Steve Morris 63
Pat Norman 63
Barbara Prowse 54
John Robinson 48

APPEALS COMMITTEE 7
Maria Chapman 138
Helen Marriott-Power 133
Pat Perkins 132
Steve Crow 127
Betty Conway 104
Nicky Goulter 96
Julian Hague 56

Reserves 3
Kym Griggs 43
Saffron Rabey 43
Sue McParlin 30

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING 18th February 2009
C1627 Mr Ron Pike of the National Cat Club advised Council that he did not consider that the minutes fully reported the previous meeting and said statements he had made and questions he had raised at that meeting had not been minuted. He said that the GCCF was in the worst financial position it had ever been but his conversation with the Treasurer had not been recorded. Mr Pike went on to say that delegates did not understand balance sheets and accounts and a great deal of time and trouble had been taken to explain them to the delegates but this again had not been minuted. Mr Pike was unhappy that the Supreme Show finances that were discussed at the previous meeting were not minuted. He also commented that it was the Chairman and Executive who decided what was reported and felt that the minutes were selective.

Mr Hansson asked Mr Pike what he would like the minute to say. Mr Pike said he could not remember exactly what he had said at that meeting but that it had been recorded and the recording should have been listened to.

Mrs Jennings advised delegates that the recording machine had not functioned properly during the meeting and therefore it had not been fully recorded. Mr Pike thanked Mrs Jennings for this information.

Mr Pike said that this minute was still not correct. A delegate suggested that it be recorded that the financial discussion which took place had not been recorded, therefore, this minute was incomplete. The Chairman again told delegates that these minutes were not verbatim and it was not the policy to minute all the figures discussed at the meeting.

Mr Pike asked that Item 7 be removed from the Agenda.

C1634 A representative of the Notts and Derbys Cat Club requested the addition of the words 'fair compromise from what the original proposal was' to the minute. This was agreed.

Mr Steve Crow, Burmese Cat Club, said taking minutes at the Council meetings was extremely difficult and that members should state if they wanted a particular point recorded in the minutes. The Chairman agreed saying that the minutes were not verbatim and they had been circulated a month prior to the meeting and that if there was anything that the delegates felt had not been minuted correctly they should inform the Office before the meeting in order for corrections to be made before the meeting.

C1635 b iii) Mrs Gregory, South and South Western Birman Cat Club said the minute needed to be amended to say "the proposal C1635 b iii) needed to be amended to say "was lost as there was no such rule in place"

The minutes were signed with 8 against and 13 abstentions.

MATTERS ARISING FROM MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING 18th February 2009
C1634 Mrs Pike, Seal & Blue Birman CC, raised the question of veterinary nurses being insured if they assist at vetting in. It was thought that only duty vets would have insurance cover and it would be their responsibility to ensure that any veterinary nurses would be covered under their own insurance.

A delegate advised Council that there was an NVQ for veterinary nurses.

MINUTES OF MEETINGS
Note: The information contained in these Minutes may be superseded by the Minutes of subsequent meetings.
a) Executive Committee 7th January 2009
Nicky Goulter, Longhaired and Semi LH CC, asked for an update regarding on line registrations. The Chairman advised that on line registrations were on hold at the moment but would be looked into again once the financial difficulties of the GCCF had been resolved.

EC2395 SHOW MATTERS Mrs P Knight asked why the Colourpoint, Rex Coated and AOV Club were not being allowed to have Sphynx at their Championship show saying that they should be allowed the breed as they had supported the Sphynx from the beginning. The CRAOV strongly objected to the fact that they were not allowed Sphynx at their show. A delegate asked what AOV stood for. A discussion took place and Mr Hansson stated that AOV could not cover every breed, if it did then the club would be an all-breeds show and this was not the case. A delegate pointed out that the CRAOV club just have the breeds that they have supported over the years to reach their status and this did not include the Sphynx.

b) Executive Committee 18th March 2009
EC2397 Mr Newcombe, Essex Cat Club, asked why the Sphynx breed was defined as vulnerable and said he considered this very unfair. Mr Hansson said that the press were concentrating on breeds such as the Sphynx. Mr Hansson said that he had been taking a number of calls every day concerning the Sphynx breed as they were sensationalised and had been receiving a lot of publicity.

Mrs Kirk, Essex Cat Club, asked if the Chairman had written to the BAC's and Breed Clubs advising them that they needed to review their breeding policies. Mr Hansson said it had not done as the terms of reference had to be done first. The matter was being reviewed at the next Executive meeting.

EC2398 Mr Pike said that the notice on the web regarding donations for the Australian Bush Fire relief was not clear whether it referred to animals or people. Mr Hansson replied this was an oversight but the sum of approximately five thousand dollars had been sent to the Feline Control Council in Victoria to assist with the welfare of cats caught up in the bush fires, some of which had severe breathing difficulties due to smoke inhalation.

c) Finance Meeting 18th February 2009
A delegate asked for clarification on the question of the insurance fund and said that as a body it had been agreed not to pay into an insurance fund. The Chairman advised that this would be covered under Finance

The minutes were accepted with one abstention.

FINANCE

a) Presentation of the Audited Accounts for 2008
The Chairman introduced Mr Wood from O'Hara Wood, GCCF Auditors.
Mr Wood presented the accounts to Council for year ended 31 December 2008.

The accounts of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, set out on pages 1 to 11, include all of the relevant financial information for the 12 months ended 31 December 2008.

Page 1 sets out the auditors report in respect of the financial statements. The audit report confirms that the accounts are not materially misstated and that they give a true and fair view.

Page 2 summaries the assets and liabilities of the Cat Fancy as at 31 December 2008. Half way down the page one can see that the net assets of the Cat Fancy have decreased from £573,764 to £464,019. This represents a decrease in net assets of £109,745 (approximately 19%). The most significant change in the balance sheet, therefore, represents a reduction in bank and cash balances from £232,658 to £140,403. Whilst there have been no significant changes in stocks or debtors, current liabilities have decreased slightly from £40,677 to £37,925.

In terms of the application of the decrease in net assets, it can be seen that the capital fund has decreased from £473,764 to £439,019. Full details of the reason for the decrease in the capital fund are set out on the following pages. It was also noted that the computer replacement fund and the building fund remain as nil balances whilst the show abandonment fund has been reduced from £100,000 to £25,000.

Page 3 sets out in summary the income and expenditure of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy for the year ended 31 December 2008. Overall, total income has decreased slightly from £335,275 to £320,785. This represents a decrease of £14,490 (approximately 4.3%). As in previous years, registration and transfers account for the bulk of income and amounted to approximately 88% of all income, similar to the previous year.

Expenditure is shown on pages 4 and 5 and is detailed later. The overall deficit on normal activities for the year was £59,361, compared with a deficit in the previous year of £11,918.

Investment income less charitable donations has decreased in comparison to the previous year, due to lower interest rates and less money on deposit. The deficit in respect of the Supreme Show amounted to £49,272, compared to £58,580 in the previous year and is dealt with more fully on page 6. The deficit before taxation, therefore, in the current year, is £109,798, compared to a surplus of £68,254 in the previous year. It was stressed that the deficit is now very significant and the options to resolve this problem are discussed later.

As a result of the factors noted above, the deficit after taxation amounted to £109,745, compared to a deficit of £68,697 for the previous year. As noted previously, there were no transfers to or from the building fund or computer replacement fund during the year. A transfer of £75,000 was made from the Show Abandonment. This resulted in a final deficit transferred to the capital fund of £34,745.

Page 4 sets out in summary the analysis of property expenses, computer expenses and meeting expenses together with BAC costs. In total, the costs have increased from £67,718 to £70,337 (4%). Overall, property expenses have risen slightly by £2,270. Computer expenses have remained fairly constant. Meeting expenses have also increased from £24,680 to £25,016 due to a change in the mix of room hire and travel costs.

Page 5 sets out the summary detailed expenditure, not included under the previous headings. The total administration and general expenses, excluding salaries, increased from £61,558 to £64,055. Despite a number of reductions, the most significant increase was in respect of printing and publications up from £9,373 to £20,034.

Overall, salaries increased from £177,332 to £201,277 (an increase of 13.5%). Amounts relating to the disciplinary account increased slightly from £40,585 to £44,477. In conclusion, total expenditure, therefore, increased slightly from £347,193 to £380,146 (an increase of just under 9.5%).

Set out on page 6 is a summary of the account for the Supreme Show which took place during the year ended 31 December 2008. Overall, income fell slightly in comparison to the previous year from £166,339 to £162,571.

The most significant reduction was in respect of receipts from stalls and a lower gate than the previous year.

Overall expenditure in respect of the Supreme Show fell from £224,919 to £211,943, a decrease of £12,976 (5.7%). As in previous years, the cost of the hall remains the most significant cost by some considerable way, however, it fell slightly in comparison to the previous year. There were no other significant variations in respect of other expenditure in comparison to the previous year.

It should be stressed that the overhead expenditure for the Show Account does include an amount in respect of office administration of £28,060 (£27,232 in the previous year). The calculation of office administration cost recovery was primarily designed to reduce any taxation liability that may be caused by the Show making a surplus. This calculation remains under review and may need to be revisited in the light of recent results.

Set out on page 7 is a summary of the disciplinary account indicating the income received in respect of fines and costs together with expenditure incurred in dealing with all disciplinary issues. The most significant element of costs in relation to the disciplinary account represents the allocation of appropriate salaries of £17,753 and the allocation of office administration costs of £15,000 to this procedure. The overall deficit has increased slightly from £40,585 to £44,477.

Set out on pages 8 onwards are the notes to the accounts which provide further information and explanation in connection with the results for the year ended 31 December 2008. Set out on page 8 are the accounting policies. These effectively represent the rules and regulations by which the accounts have been produced and are consistently applied on a year by year basis. Set out on page 9 is the confirmation for the small taxation credit made in the accounts.

Towards the bottom of page 9 is a summary of the fixed assets of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. It should be noted that the most significant asset of the Cat Fancy remains the freehold property in Bridgwater. There was no significant other fixed asset expenditure in the year.

At the top of page 10 is an analysis of debtors, i.e. monies owing to the Cat Fancy. Overall, the level of debtors has remained relatively constant in comparison to the previous year, falling slightly by £804.

Set out in note 6 is a summary of the bank and cash balances held by the Cat Fancy as at the year end. These have decreased by £92,255 from £232,658 to £140,403. The movement in liquid assets is indicative of the overall deficit made by The Cat Fancy during the relevant year of £34,745, which has transmitted itself to a reduction in cash resources.

At the foot of page 10 is note 7, which is an analysis of current liabilities. This includes amounts owing in respect of PAYE and NIC. Sundry creditors and accruals represent the balance of other current liabilities and have increased slightly in comparison to the previous year.

Finally on page 11 of the accounts is an analysis of the computer replacement fund, building fund and show abandonment fund. The computer replacement fund and the building fund have now been fully released back to the capital fund. The show abandonment fund represents the funds set up in the pervious year and have been reduced by £75,000 in the year to £25,000.

In conclusion, the financial statements represent a fair reflection of The Cat Fancy's current financial position. Given the disappointing year in respect of income and expenditure, this has obviously reflected in the reduction in reserves. Mr Wood told the delegates that he had been involved with the Cat Fancy for over 20 years as Auditor and said that he had presented various options to the Finance Committee in April to redress the financial difficulties that the Cat Fancy currently finds itself in. Mr Wood said that a dramatic increase in prices should be considered.

The Finance Committee had asked him to reiterate these options to Council. Mr Wood began by advising there had been a drop in income of 4.3% and told delegates that 88% of the GCCF income was achieved through registrations and transfers, the Supreme Show had a deficit of £58k in 2007 and £49k in 2008. There was a large rise in printing costs of £10k attributed to Our Cats, a 9.5% increase in expenditure. Salaries had risen from 53% in 2007 to 63% of income in 2008. Mr Wood explained the recharge to the office of £28k as a tax liability exercise which ensured that the Supreme Show was not taxable.

Mr Wood then took the delegates through the recommendations he had put to the Finance Committee.

1. The GCCF must consider dramatic increases in the charges made for services provided and said they must be implemented as soon as possible.

2. A review of the pricing structure and suggested that Show Licence fees be increased.

3. A cut in overheads the biggest of which was salaries, pay rises were inappropriate under the current financial circumstances.

4. The Supreme Show could not be allowed to continue to make a loss and Mr Wood proposed that the Committee scale the show down or alternatively hold the show on alternate years.

5. Disciplinary is running at a huge loss of £46k Mr Wood recommended the procedure be simplified to save costs and suggested a charge be made in advance of a complaint being taken up.

6. The GCCF should consider selling the GCCF building and leasing it back or raising a mortgage against it.

7. Money should be moved from the Show Abandonment Fund to the capital fund.

8. The GCCF becomes a Limited Company to protect the interest of the clubs and advised that this should be discussed thoroughly with a lawyer, he could not advise as he was an accountant not a lawyer.

Mr Wood concluded saying that action needed to be taken as soon as possible and said that he had been asked to project what would happen if the GCCF did nothing, he said this was difficult to foresee but predicted that, if the situation was allowed to continue, funds would be exhausted in the first quarter of 2010 and he described the accounts as "Dire".

Mr Hansson asked if there were any questions. A delegate queried the figures given for the income for show entries for the Supreme Show. Mr Wood said that those were the figures given to him and he had no reason to doubt them. Ms Chapman, London Cat Club, asked if figures were exclusive of VAT (which the auditor confirmed that they were) and that that would be where the discrepancy lay as the accounts showed the income actually retained by the show after the VAT had been deducted.

Dr Holmes, National Cat Club, queried the amount given for equipment and renewals. Mrs Celia Leighton, Supreme Show Manager who had now taken over the 2009 show, said that this figure covered things such as turnstiles, picnic areas, tables and chairs etc. The delegate asked for this to be itemised and the Chairman said that this would be looked into.

Mr Steve Crow thanked Mr Wood for highlighting the problems and said that over the years the whole of Council had made decisions that had brought us to where we are today but for the time being we needed to think about the options before us and make decision so we can leave the meeting today knowing that we are addressing the situation..

Mr Parkin, Abyssinian Cat Association, said that the presentation was most beneficial. He went on to ask about item 11 on the auditors report regarding contingent liability, and wanted to know what the situation was if a legal claim were to be made against the GCCF. Mr Hanson advised delegates that there was a period of three years from first contact regarding a claim to pursue the matter but at this moment in time nothing further had transpired.

Mrs Celia Langford, National Cat Club, raised the question of protecting individual member clubs and said she would be interested to know what clubs had to be protected from. Mr Wood said that the GCCF was effectively a company for which all the affiliated clubs were responsible. If it were to become a company limited by guarantee, should it run out of money, there would be no claim on the member clubs.

Mrs Rosemary Fisher, Chinchilla, Silver Tabby & Smoke Cat Society asked Mr Wood to explain the large salary bill. Mr Wood said it was a mixture of pay increases and staffing numbers. In January 2008 the office staff received a pay increase of 4% and in January 2009 a 3.5% increase and advised that there had been a member of staff on long term sick leave and this had not given an accurate picture.

Mrs Kirk, Essex Cat Club, questioned the figure of £17k for disciplinary and asked for confirmation that gross salaries were £186k plus £17k for disciplinary. Mr Wood confirmed that gross salaries were over £200k.

Mrs Knight, CRAOV asked Mr Wood about the Professional Charges indicated in the accounts in the sum of £5,977. Mr Wood explained that these were invoices from Marshalls, the GCCF Solicitors, for legal issues relating to the Official Journal.

Miss Tonkinson, HOLCC, asked that the recharge for the Supreme Show Office Admin charge be explained. Mr Wood said that figure was shown as an expense on page 6 and also shown effectively as a negative expense on page 5. Many years ago the tax man came to the show and said 'your show is open to the public and you are selling items to the public therefore it is taxable'. In order to save tax it was decided to allocate as much as possible of the office costs for organising the show to the Supreme. Historically this was done by taking the staff costs and the office overheads splitting them proportionately and allocating part to the Supreme Show. This meant that the money was still going into the overall accounts and back into the Cat Fancy. Mr Wood went on to explain that, for example, telephone calls regarding the show would be apportioned to the Office. Mr Holway gave the analogy of people sharing a car to get to work. Mr Hansson explained that the loss on the Supreme Show included the perceived loss of £28k recharge. The Chairman said nobody is paid that amount of money it is a transfer of funds from one side to the other which therefore gives a perceived loss to the Supreme Show.

Mrs Rainbow-Ockwell, Long Hair Cream & Blue Cream CA, said that the GCCF was a small business and asked why the Executive Committee were not professional business people. She asked what was going to be done differently to avoid getting into this mess again. Mr Hansson said that the Executive Committee did not make the decisions, they make suggestions which are put to Council, delegates make the decisions. He also said that Mrs Rainbow-Ockwell was completely incorrect in that there were several members on the Executive Committee and Finance Committee that have experience of running a business.

Mr Crow said that the Constitution and the way the Governing Council operates is not the best way to run a business. No business can run effectively when decisions are made by 155 plus people who meet three times a year. We have been extremely lucky to survive 100 years but we are now in a global market we are getting bitten and we have to wake up. We need to decide what we are going to do and must get ourselves on a business footing and this may need changes to the Constitution. We need to be prepared to think rationally rather than emotionally how the Governing Council is going to survive.

b) The Finance Committee recommends acceptance of the 2008 Accounts
The 2008 Accounts were accepted with 2 abstentions

c) Appointment of Auditors
O'Hara Wood was reappointed for the next financial year with one abstention.

d) Treasurers' Report
The Chairman said that this had really been dealt with in the previous discussions.

Mr Parkin quoted from the Treasurer's report saying that had his recommendations to increase prices in 2008 been accepted earlier this situation could have been averted. Mr Parkin referred to the cost of medals and their engraving, medals cost us £14k he asked how much of the £60k would have been income that would have offset the cost of medals. Mr Holway said that 1500 medals cost £15,000

A delegate queried the Show abandonment fund the figure which had gone from 100k to £20k, Treasurer said this was incorrect and the figure should have been £25k and it had been moved on the balance sheet.

Mr Holway predicted that the cash balance at the end of the year would be £50k but this would mostly be used up in January / February next year because of heavy cash outlay from yearly bills that would need to be paid. This was assuming that the Supreme Show broke even. He told delegates that expenditure needed to be cut and the GCCF needed to improve its annual performance by an extra £100k to keep the GCCF solvent.

Mrs Pike, Seal & Blue Point Birman Cat Club, reiterated the fact that the predicted sum of £50k would be in the bank if the Supreme broke even.

Mrs Pike, asked that it be minuted that these figures were based on the fact that the Supreme Show breaks even.

Mr Pike asked the Treasurer what caused the drop in cash levels between December and January. Mr Holway explained that in January the GCCF pays a large sum on annual insurances.

The Treasurer asked delegates to please contact him prior to the meeting if they had any questions that would need information being brought to the meeting.

e) Incorporated Associated Liability
The Chairman asked for comments on this suggestion.

Mr Parkin, Abyssinian Cat Club, addressed the delegates suggesting that incorporation would be a beneficial move for the GCCF and it would protect the affiliated clubs. A discussion took place and it was noted that the Constitution would need to be amended should the GCCF become a Limited Company. The proposal to incorporate the GCCF into a Limited Company was voted on and passed unanimously. It was agreed that the Executive Committee should pursue their investigations into the proposal to incorporate the GCCF and report back to Council at the October meeting.

The Chairman called for the vote as to whether the Executive committee were to proceed down the route of incorporation. The vote was Unanimous.

f) Show Abandonment
The Chairman asked for questions
Mr Pike asked if insurance still existed. The Chairman said that it was for the Supreme Show only. The Chairman said the suggestion was that each show should procure its own insurance. Mr Pike said therefore effectively shows are not insured.

g) Proposals to improve the GCCF Financial Situation
The Chairman said that the GCCF was first and foremost a registering body and that the main business of the GCCF was registrations and transfers. A heated debate ensued on the proposed increases. Many delegates expressed their objection to the proposed £15 annual charge for prefix holders. Mr Crow said if £15 prefix charge was not accepted what would delegates suggest the GCCF did to raise enough money to keep the GCCF afloat. Concern was expressed over the £150 charge for disciplinary cases. Mrs Gregory, South and South Western Birman Cat Club, suggested allowing suffixes and making a charge of £10, this was discussed by delegates and agreed in principle, Executive will look into the practicalities of using suffixes at their next meeting. Mrs Gregory also suggested that IC/DC should not deal with arguments between breeders, she felt these should be dealt with via the small claim courts.

Mr Bray, Kernow Cat Club, suggested an administration fee of £3 per litter registration form.

Mrs Peace, Bengal Cat Club, said that if the prefix maintenance proposal was withdrawn she wanted to take up the idea of the litter registration fee as this would apply across the board and be fairer and proposed that rather than £3 it be £5.

With the exclusion of the £15 prefix charge, the proposed increases put forward by the Finance Committee were voted on en bloc and passed with two votes against.

The proposed litter registration fee of £5 for every litter registration form incorporating both prefix and non prefix registrations was passed with three votes against.

The proposed introduction of suffixes at a cost of £10 was approved.

Mr Robinson, West Country Cat Club, said it was incumbent on the Executive and Finance Committees to monitor the increases and report back to Council and proposed that 1st January every year all fees should go up by 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever was the greater, every year. This motion was carried with ten votes against.

It was agreed that the increases be brought into effect as soon as possible and it was hoped that this would be possible by 1st August 2009. The increases would not be retrospective.

The Chairman advised delegates that staffing reductions had resolved themselves in that Mrs Carole Butler would be leaving her post as Office Manager and returning to Manchester Mrs Wendy Jennings will be taking over as Office Manager along continuing with her role as Committee Secretary. Miss Sue James has retired and has been replaced by Mrs Pam Ford who had been acting as Mrs Whittaker's assistant. Also a probationer member of staff had resigned. He said that a member of staff, Mrs Linda Whittaker, was on long term sick leave, and her wages would no longer be paid after a certain period. Our girl Friday will be on maternity leave from December, she does not have a permanent contract as yet but she has indicated that she would like to return in due course. The Chairman said this would deplete the office staff drastically and asked everybody to bear this in mind. Mr Mike Barrett, Exotic Cat Club, asked if there were any tasks that could be done outside the office. The Chairman thanked him for the suggestion. He did not know of any at the present time but the option would be borne in mind.

A delegate called for moratorium on the DC/IC proposal voted on to charge £150 to bring a claim. Mr Robinson felt that the number of complaints would drop due to the £150 fee. Mr Hague suggested that more complaints be regarded as a fixed penalty. Mr Parkin, explained the Fixed Penalty procedure to delegates.

Standard of Points
It was suggested that the Standard of Points be reprinted in sections to make it more accessible to breeders. Delegates voted in favour of this.

CAT WELFARE TRUST
The annual Report from the Cat Welfare Trust was circulated with the papers for the meeting.  Mr Scruton, Chairman of Trustees of the CWT, advised the delegates that within the last week he had received the thesis and was hoping to post relevant parts of it on the CWT website.

WORLD CAT CONGRESS           
Deferred to the next meeting.

GCCF OFFICIAL JOURNAL
Deferred to the next meeting.

STANDARDS OF POINTS
The Executive committee recommends the following with effect from 1st June 2010
The Bengal BAC amendment to the Bengal Tabby Pattern description from “contrast must be extreme” changed to “should be well defined”

Mrs Peace clarified the briefness of the proposal on the agenda saying that under the spotted pattern  “contrast to the ground colour must be extreme” was to be replaced with  “contrast to the ground colour should be well defined” and in the marble pattern  “contrast must be extreme”  was to be replaced with “contrast should be well defined”  

APPLICATION FOR PROMOTION TO CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS
The Tortie, Tortie & White & Bi-Colour BAC request for promotion for the Tabby Bi and Tri Colour Persians was agreed with effect from 1st June 2010.

APPLICATION FOR AFFILIATION
Executive recommend the following club for affiliation
Selkirk Rex Cat Club.  The club was granted Affiliation to the GCCF with immediate effect.

JUDGES
a)      Judges for approval:
The following proposals for judge appointments were approved with immediate effect:

b)      Judge withdrawals
Turkish BAC advised that Mrs A Bailey and Mrs W McQuilkin have confirmed they wish their names to be removed from the Turkish list.  This was accepted.

British Shorthair Group Committee advised that Mr F Wolstenholme and Mrs B Wolstenholme have requested their names to be placed on the Emeritus List of the GCCF judges.  This was agreed.

There being no further time the Chairman closed the meeting.