Museums Association
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MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION Annual report 2008/09 Contents 02 President’s and director’s introductions 03 Reference and administrative details 04 Report of the council 4 Responsibilities of the council 5 Independent auditor’s report 6 Statement of financial activities 7 Balance sheet 8 Notes to the financial statement 26 Corporate members 2008-09 27 AMA and FMA awards 2008-09 28 Notice of the AGM 29 AGM 2008 President’s Director’s introduction introduction This has been a year dominated by There has never been a more important time for The MA, like any other business, is still The quality of our services will remain high, external pressures and a determination the case to be made. As we try and spend our way learning to adapt in this new climate. which is what members expect. Times ahead out of recession inevitably the price will be public are uncertain and members need us to be to make the Museums Association (MA) expenditure cuts after the next election. We And we are a business, albeit a charity leading, uniting and empowering. We will not fit for the decade ahead. should be making our case now and the MA will and not for profit. If we were not, then let them down. As we held our annual conference in Liverpool the play its part in lobbying governments and we would be forced to rely on public banking system was all but collapsing. The phrase supporting museums’ advocacy at a local level. funding and lose our most precious ‘credit crunch’ came into use only to be rapidly The MA has not been immune to change this year. characteristic – independence. superseded by the spectre of the most serious Financial pressures linked to the recession have recession since the 930s. The government was made it essential to review our business model. The winds of change have been blowing for struggling and then our parliamentary belief A root-and-branch appraisal of the association’s some time. Income has been tighter since 2006 system was undermined by the expenses purpose, core functions and activities is taking and this has been compounded by the sharp Mark Taylor scandal. Most political commentators have been place. It is a difficult exercise but I feel confident decline in recruitment advertising. Efficiencies Director, Museums Association predicting a change of government in 200. that we will be stronger and better equipped to and judicious cutting have helped us deal with meet future challenges. We will remain a this, but the recession has prompted us to Museums have had their own excitement. reassess the services we offer. It will be difficult, Changes in government in Wales and Scotland membership organisation, devoted to the best interests of the sector and the people who work but it can only make the association more have prompted new directions and a rash of sustainable. policies and strategies. In England, the review of within it. Renaissance in the Regions exposed serious It is a testament to the MA’s professionalism that management failings and made a large number of services have hardly suffered in the past year. We recommendations to bring the quality of continue to publish publications of the highest governance and management up to the standard quality and have expanded our training of vision and delivery. Simultaneously the Stuart Davies programme. The Liverpool conference was the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) President, Museums Association largest in the association’s history and we are issued its action plan, but this was disappointing relaunching the AMA and website in autumn. and seems unlikely to unite the sector with a We have engaged members with issues around vision to ensure museums fulfil their central role sustainability, are leading the sector on in society. workforce issues, and Effective Collections is changing museums’ relationships with their collections. 2 Reference and administrative details Status Solicitors Council 2008/09 Institutional councillors: Staff 2008/09 Professional development The organisation is a charitable Russell-Cooke, Solicitors administrator: President: Local authority: Head of sales and marketing: company limited by guarantee, 2 Putney Hill Nuala Maguire Stuart Davies Cllr Ged Bell William Adams incorporated on 20 November Putney Cllr Elizabeth Cameron Events coordinator: 930 and registered as a charity London SW5 6AB Professional vice president: Policy officer: Cllr David Gemmell Lorraine O’Leary on 7 November 962 Vanessa Trevelyan Nikola Burdon Auditors Cllr Anne Hawkesworth Editor, Museum Practice: Governing document Sayer Vincent Hon vice president: Cllr Michael Pye Account Manager, display Javier Pes The company was established Chartered Accountants Virginia Tandy Cllr David Smith advertising: under a Memorandum of Registered Auditors Anastasia Churchill Membership administrator: Most recent institutional vice Independent: Association which established 8 Angel Gate Pamela Poynter president: Richard de Peyer Collections coordinator: the objects and powers of the City Road Nichola Johnson Sarah Staniforth Sally Cross Events production manager: charitable company, and is London ECV 2SJ Sue Robinson governed under its Articles of Hon treasurer: National: Deputy director: Investment managers Association. Brian Hayton Stephen Allen Maurice Davies Diversify coordinator: Schroder Investments Limited Paul Davis Lucy Shaw Company number 3 Gresham Street Professional councillors Head of professional issues: 2523 London EC2V 7QA at large: University: Caitlin Griffiths Head of finance & Sandra Bicknell Sally MacDonald administration: Charity number Marketing manager: Emma Chaplin Lucie Slight 33024 Affiliated: Janson Harrison Isabel Churcher Nick Poole Marketing officer: Registered office and Emma Warren Head of publications: Zoe Spencer Operational address Ros Westwood Sharon Heal 24 Calvin Street Director’s assistant: Regional councillors: Senior journalist, London E 6NW Georgie Stagg Northern Ireland: Chris Bailey Museums Journal: Bankers Scotland: Joe Traynor Felicity Heywood Website editor: National Westminster North East: Alec Coles Patrick Steel Museum development Bloomsbury, Parr’s Branch East Midlands:Jonathan Wallis officer, professional Deputy editor, 26 High Holborn South West:Alison Bevan development and ethics: Museums Journal: London WCV 6QB East of England: Robin Hanley Charlotte Holmes Simon Stephens North West: Jo Jones Nottingham Building Society Yorkshire: Mary Kershaw Professional development Finance administrator: 5-3 Upper Parliament Street West Midlands: Michael Cooke & ethics coordinator: Jolanta Stevens Nottingham NG 2BX South East: Zara Luxford Rebecca Jacobs Director: United Trust Bank Wales: Rachael Rogers Account manager: Mark Taylor 80 Haymarket recruitment & exhibition: London SWY 4TE Head of events: Dennis Jarrett Ratan Vaswani Production assistant: Systems manager: Geraldine Kendall John Wellington Research & production Projects officer: editor: Helen Wilkinson Catrina Lucas Development officer for Scotland: Fiona Wilson 3 Report of the council The trustees, who are also directors of Organisation and governance Investment policy Risk management the company for the purposes of the The MA is administered by an elected council of By the terms of the memorandum and the The council has approved a three-year forward Companies Act, submit their annual management which meets in full session three articles of association of the MA, the council plan which identifies development targets and report and the audited financial times a year. Members of council are trustees of has the power to make any investment it sees income-generating activities to fund that the registered charity and directors of the fit. The council has determined that surplus development. Progress against the objectives statements for the year ended charitable company. Subcommittees and panels unrestricted funds are not sufficiently large to of the plan is monitored by council, a report 3 March 2009. of members of the council and others meet make long-term investments prudent. Surplus being presented at each of its meetings. The Reference and administrative information set during the year to oversee professional cash is held in interest earning bank and building plan is reviewed and updated each year, with out on page 3 form part of this report. The development, ethics, publications and events. society accounts with funds of the the review concentrating on identifying and financial statements comply with current Members of council are themselves members of grant-making trust being invested in charity evaluating external and internal risks, the statutory requirements, the memorandum and the MA and are elected by members of the MA equity and fixed interest funds. development of systems to control or mitigate articles of association and the Statement of and serve for three-year terms, being able to those risks, and contingency plans to minimise Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and serve not more than two terms in succession; Reserves policy the potential adverse impact should any risk all members are entitled to nominate and to materialise. reporting by charities’ issued in March 2005. The council reviews the reserves of the MA vote . The executive committee is a group of the each year to determine what financial buffer is elected trustees that advises the executive Review of financial activities Objectives and activities for the needed to protect its activities in the event of director who is employed by the council to direct public benefit an unexpected economic downturn, which