Henley Society AGM Highlights Transformational Year
The Henley Society welcomed 75 members to their 2021 Annual General Meeting held remotely on the Zoom platform last Friday (16th April).
The meeting was chaired by a Vice-President of the Society, the Baroness Buscombe of Goring, and was addressed by Member of Parliament for Henley, John Howell.
Mr. Howell’s talk concentrated on Covid, and on the recent proposed changes to the planning system as outlined in recent Government White Papers. He also answered Members questions.
The Chairman’s report, given by Geoff Luckett, outlined the many initiatives in which the Society had been involved over the year and stated that 2020/21 could be considered a transformational year for the amenity group, especially with regards to the doubling of the membership to over 530 following a successful campaign. This was now at a level not seen since the late 1970s.
He paid tribute to the hard work of a very willing Executive Committee without whom none of the Society’s successes would have been achieved.
David Whitehead, the Society’s Planning Committee Chairman, highlighted the work carried out in reviewing about 300 planning applications during the year, and commenting on them before determination by the Planning Authority, South Oxfordshire District Council.
A solid set of financial accounts were presented by Sandra Moon who has been Treasurer for the past 37 years, a truly remarkable feat.
The Executive Committee of Valerie Alasia, Julian Brookes, Dr Jenifer Copeland, Geoff Luckett, Catherine Notaras, Nora Scanlon and David Whitehead were re-elected en bloc and Karen Grieve and Sandra Moon were confirmed as Secretary and Treasurer respectively. The Executive Committee will elect its Chairman at their first Committee meeting following the AGM.
Geoff Luckett went on to say that “irrespective of what the Society has achieved over the past twelve months, there is no room for complacency and the Society will continue to lobby and campaign for what it believes is in the best interests of the town of Henley and its inhabitants.’ We must remain a town in which people wish to live, work and play, and indeed visit.”
He noted that the Society would celebrate its 60th birthday in 2022 and plans were well underway to celebrate the year in an appropriate manner.
For more details about The Henley Society go to their website at http://www.thehenleysociety.org/
