MA Annual Report
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Museums Association MUSEUMS 24 Calvin Street London E1 6NW ASSOCIATION T: 020 7426 6970 F: 020 7426 6961 www.museumsassociation.org Images courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust, Gallery Oldham Photographer Joel Chester Fildes Museums Including notice of the Annual Association General Meeting Annual report 2005/06 MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION Contents 02 Director’s introduction 03 Legal and administrative details 04 Report of the council 13 Independent auditors’ report 14 Statement of financial activities 15 Balance sheet 16 Notes to the financial statements 22 Corporate members 2005-2006 23 AMA and FMA awards 2005-2006 24 Notice of the AGM 25 AGM 2005 Director’s introduction Newcomers to the UK museum and to those who have an influence on gallery community can be forgiven for museums in the UK. being bewildered by the avalanche of However, financial independence carries bodies eager to help, fund and represent the requirement to generate, through museums and the people that work in membership and trading, sufficient them. They may want to know what the income to provide the services members Museums Association (MA) brings to the want. Likewise, expenditure needs to table that distinguishes it from all the be contained to ensure the books are others. The answer is simple; it is owned balanced. In a difficult trading year, by the membership; it is UK-wide; and adjustments have had to be made to it is organisationally and financially ensure that the association’s finances independent. remain healthy. These decisions, plus the The past year has illustrated the unstinting work of the association’s challenges involved in being an effective, council, committees and staff means that independent organisation while at the the services are maintained, the books same time ensuring that commercial are balanced and there is every reason to activities provide the stability to underpin be confident that the doubling of the size such activity. and effectiveness of the MA over the past ten years will be sustained. 2005/06 has proved to be one of the most successful for a number of years. The programmes, policies and services Membership has reached a record high, the MA run are constructed to help the the recently expanded events programme British museum community deal with is producing popular, high-quality significant political, technological, conferences and seminars and economic and cultural changes. In the publications and professional same way, the MA itself must learn to development activities continue to be adapt to the environment in which it of the highest quality. In addition, our operates. This explains why our Forward priorities for the coming year of workforce Plan for 2006-2009 emphasises and collections are forging ahead with increased and broader membership and initiatives and programmes that will have diversified income. It is only by combining a real impact. The quality of work in both such approaches with top-quality these areas is widely acknowledged and services and innovative programmes this has resulted in substantial investment that the MA can continue to provide from organisations including the the leadership the museum Museums, Libraries and Archives Council community requires. in our Diversify project and from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation in follow-up work to the MA’s Collections for the Future report. Independence is our most prized attribute. It gives us a degree of impartiality that comes from freedom from dependence on the public purse; it leaves us unaffected by government whim and financial vacillation; it allows us to operate Mark Taylor as we see fit within the structures laid Director, Museums Association down by charity and company law; and it enables us to speak honestly and openly There is every reason to be confident that the doubling of the size and effectiveness of the MA over the past ten years will be sustained 2 Legal and administrative details Status Council 2005/06 Councillors retiring at October 2005: The organisation is a charitable company Peter Berridge limited by guarantee, incorporated on President: Charles Saumarez Smith Robert Clark 20 November 1930 and registered as a Professional vice president: Janet Dugdale charity on 7 November 1962. Virginia Tandy Margurite Henry Institutional vice president: Lexie Scott Robin Hill Governing document Hon vice president: Jane Glaister Kevin Mason The company was established under a Most recent institutional vice Nick Merriman Memorandum of Association which president: Diane Lees Gordon Rintoul established the objects and powers of the Hon treasurer: Hilary McGowan Edmund Southwood charitable company, and is governed Iain Watson under its Articles of Association. Professional councillors at large: Brian Hayton MalcolmWood Company number Jonathan Platt Mary Yule 252131 Matthew Stephens Charity number Ros Westwood Staff 2005/06 313024 Vicky Woollard Marketing manager: William Adams Registered office and operational Regional councillors: Professional development and ethics address Northern Ireland: Chris Bailey coordinator: Nikola Burdon 24 Calvin Street London: Antonia Byatt Professional development London E1 6NW Scotland: Steve Callaghan administrator: Jacqui Buscher North East: Alec Coles Finance administrator: Bankers East Midlands: Heather Cummins Victoria Crouch National Westminster South West: Tamsin Daniel Deputy director: Maurice Davies Bloomsbury, Parr’s Branch East of England: Robin Hanley Information officer: Katie Dawson 126 High Holborn North West: Robin Holgate Professional development London WC1V 6QB Yorshire: Guy Kilminster coordinator: Kate Dunk Nottingham Building Society West Midlands: Emma Kate Lanyon Adviser: professional issues: 112 Jermyn Street South East: Ann McMath Caitlin Griffiths London SW1Y 6LS Wales: Rachel Rogers Head of publications: Sharon Heal Senior journalist, Museums Journal: United Trust Bank Institutional councillors: Felicity Heywood 80 Haymarket Local authority: Head of advertising: Stephen James London SW1Y 4TE Cllr John Commons Senior sales executive: Maria Knight Solicitors Cllr David Gemmell Research and production editor: Russell-Cooke, Solicitors Cllr Sue John Catrina Lucas 2 Putney Hill Cllr Marcus Johnstone Sales executive: Meg Nicoll Putney Cllr Michael Pye Events coordinator: Lorraine O’Leary London SW15 6AB Independent: Editor, Museum Practice: Javier Pes Membership administrator: Auditors Tony Conder Pamela Poynter Sayer Vincent Richard de Peyer Events production manager: Chartered Accountants Oliver Green Sue Robinson Registered Auditors Sarah Staniforth Head of finance and administration: 8 Angel Gate National: Lucie Slight City Road Paul Davis Marketing coordinator: Zoe Spencer London EC1V 2SJ Sandy Nairne Director’s assistant: Georgie Stagg University: Web editor: Patrick Steel Nicola Johnson Deputy editor, Museums Journal: Simon Stephens Affiliated: Director: Mark Taylor Nick Poole Head of events: Ratan Vaswani Systems manager: John Wellington Policy officer: Helen Wilkinson Head of marketing: Michael Wright 3 Report of the council The trustees, who are also directors of the Organisation and governance Stated simply, after all the adjustments company for the purposes of the The MA is administered by an elected required by the new regulations were Companies Act, submit their annual report council of management which meets in full made, there was a deficit on unrestricted and the audited financial statements for session three times a year. activities for the year of £29,555. A fall in the year ended 31 March 2006. Subcommittees and panels of members expected income, primarily due to poor of the council and other members meet at recruitment advertising volume, meant the Legal and administrative information set other times of the year to oversee MA had to use the £150,000 designated out on page 3 forms part of this report. professional development, ethics and operational reserve to meet normal The financial statements comply with publications and events. The executive expenditure. There is now no operational current statutory requirements, the committee is a group that advises the reserve available to meet a similar shortfall memorandum and articles of association executive director, who is employed by the of income although there is untapped and the Statement of Recommended council to direct the day-to-day operations equity in the Calvin Street building. Practice (SORP) Accounting and of the MA with the support of the other Reporting by Charities issued in At the end of the financial year there was employed members of staff. March 2005. unrestricted cash at the bank of The MA has an induction programme for £297,742. According to the adjusted Objects of the charity new trustees and they are invited to figures in these accounts, unrestricted The charitable objects of the Museums express a preference for joining one of the income increased from £2,222,968 to Association (MA) are to advance subcommittees. £2,134,787, that is 4.6 per cent. This education in, and to foster and encourage disappointing increase was in part due to the preservation and better understanding Review of financial activities the way subscription and membership fee of, the material heritage of mankind and The year 2005/06 was disappointing in income is now treated but also due to the the environment for the public benefit by that, for the first time in several years, the failure of recruitment advertising to the promotion and development of MA failed to return a planned