NEU Trafford District
Annual General Meeting 2025/26
Date: Tuesday 19 May 2026
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Jubilee Community Centre / Microsoft Teams
Chair: James Starnes, District Secretary
The meeting was called to order once ten members were present and was confirmed as quorate.
1. Welcome and attendance
The Chair welcomed members to the AGM and invited attendees to introduce themselves and identify their workplace and any union roles held.
Those positively identified through the meeting introductions included:
James Starnes, District Secretary, District Treasurer and District Health & Safety Officer
Rashenda Chapman, workplace representative
Chris Alecock, Brooklands Primary School representative and Branch Committee member
Damien Tumilty, Branch Committee member, Assistant Treasurer and primary school representative
Rosie Harris, Old Trafford representative, Branch Committee member and MPYW Officer
Liz Middlehurst (displayed in Teams as Liz Carney), Flixton Girls School
Julie Preston, Stretford High School representative
Kristoffer Harries, Manor Academy representative
Molly, Altrincham College representative
Kieran, Brentwood Special School representative
Additional members joined during the course of the meeting, including Jessica O'Kelly and other attendees visible through the meeting.
Apologies
Apologies were explicitly noted from Kay Gallimore. Claire Ludlow was also referenced when apologies were reported. The Chair noted that further apologies had been received and would be included in the formal record.
2. Minutes of the previous OGM
The minutes of the previous OGM were presented for approval.
Molly proposed approval, with the seconding indicated by Damien Tumilty/Rosie Harris at effectively the same point. The minutes were approved.
Matters arising
The Chair reviewed outstanding matters from the previous meeting.
Committee vacancies had been publicised on the website.
Quotes had been obtained in relation to transport/ticket options for the Together Alliance demonstration, but these were prohibitively expensive. No Trafford members had requested transport through the District, although members were understood to have attended through Stand Up to Racism.
Consequently, no District promotional materials had been required for that event.
Information on Pride boxes had been supplied to Jessica O'Kelly, with confirmation of quantities still awaited.
A pre-event meeting for conference delegates had taken place.
The outstanding actions were therefore regarded as addressed or carried forward where appropriate.
3. District Officer Elections for 2026/27
Rashenda Chapman acted as Returning Officer.
She explained that nominations had been submitted within the required timescale. The meeting discussed the provision within the NEU model rules requiring nominations to reach the District Secretary at least 28 days before the AGM. Trafford's established practice had been for nominations to be submitted confidentially to the Returning Officer and then presented at the AGM.
It was acknowledged that nominations had not additionally been passed to the District Secretary in advance, as envisaged by the wording of the rules. The meeting was advised that the existing approach had been intended to maintain independence and transparency. It was agreed that the process would be made fully compliant in future while retaining the role of the Returning Officer. No objection was raised to proceeding with the elections.
Nominations received in advance
The Returning Officer reported the following unopposed nominations:
Claire Ludlow - Membership Secretary
Damien Tumilty - Assistant Treasurer / Committee Member
James Starnes - District Secretary
James Starnes - District Treasurer
James Starnes - Health & Safety Officer
Jessica O'Kelly - LGBTQ+ Officer
Molly - Black Members Officer
There were no contested nominations and no requirement for job shares or a contested ballot. The candidates were consequently declared elected.
Assistant Treasurer
The meeting noted that Damien Tumilty had initially been co-opted as Assistant Treasurer during 2025/26 following finance requirements concerning authorised bank signatories and officer status.
For completeness, the AGM formally considered continuation of the additional Assistant Treasurer role within the District structure.
Decision: The continuation of the role was approved unanimously.
4. Additional officer and committee elections
The Chair invited expressions of interest in remaining vacant positions.
Equalities Officer
Molly volunteered to undertake the Equalities Officer role in addition to Black Members Officer, with the potential for joint work with Jessica O'Kelly.
Proposed by James Starnes.
Seconded by Rashenda Chapman.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
Disabled Members Officer
Natasha Cheawood expressed an interest in the Disabled Members Officer position following discussion about the nature of the role.
Proposed by James Starnes.
Seconded by Rashenda Chapman.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
New Professionals and Young Workers Officer
Rosie Harris confirmed that she wished to continue/stand for the MPYW role.
Proposed by James Starnes.
Seconded by Rashenda Chapman.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
Women's Officer
Julie Preston volunteered for Women's Officer.
Proposed by James Starnes.
Seconded by Rashenda Chapman.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
Other vacancies
No nominations were received at the meeting for:
Vice-President/President succession
Assistant Secretary, Member Support
Assistant Secretary, Member Development
Support Staff Officer
Post-16 Officer
The meeting noted that further opportunities remained for members to become involved.
Committee members
Chris Alecock agreed to continue as a District Committee member.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
Kristoffer Harries also agreed to continue as a District Committee member.
Proposed by James Starnes and seconded by Rashenda Chapman.
Decision: Elected unanimously.
5. Election of Auditors
The requirement for two auditors who did not hold District Committee positions was explained.
Rashenda Chapman and Nastasya Farrelly volunteered.
The meeting considered whether there was any requirement for the auditors to come from different workplaces. No such restriction was identified in the rules reviewed during the meeting.
Rashenda Chapman was elected unanimously.
Nastasya Farrelly was elected unanimously.
The Chair welcomed the fact that auditors had been elected at the AGM rather than needing to be identified retrospectively during the following financial year.
6. District Secretary's Report
James Starnes presented the District Secretary's report.
Support staff and Special Conference
The Secretary reported on the additional Special Conference held during the year concerning the union's position arising from the 2017 agreement with NJC unions regarding representation, recruitment and organisation of support staff.
The conference had voted unanimously in favour of the change, enabling the NEU to recruit and organise support staff.
Trafford had achieved a strong level of engagement, filling almost all of its available delegation. The Secretary regarded this as a particularly positive development, including because a number of delegates were members who had not previously been heavily involved in union structures.
Local trade union relationships
The Secretary reported that, notwithstanding wider developments concerning support staff organisation, working relationships with UNISON locally remained positive.
The local relationship with NASUWT was also reported as constructive, including examples of joint work and shared industrial activity where appropriate.
Annual Conference
The Secretary reported significant difficulties surrounding the timing of Annual Conference that year.
Trafford had originally identified seven delegates, but only two ultimately attended because of problems securing workplace release. Concerns had been raised with the union nationally regarding both the timing and the support available to delegates experiencing difficulty obtaining release.
The Secretary reiterated the importance of members being afforded appropriate time off for legitimate trade union activities, including attendance at trade union conferences.
Secretary's Report received.
7. Audit Report and Treasurer's Report
James Starnes, in his capacity as District Treasurer, presented the financial report.
Audit
The accounts for the previous financial year had been audited.
No issues had been identified either through the earlier Local Finance process or by the auditors.
Because auditors had not been elected at the previous AGM, arrangements had been made for the accounts to be audited by appropriately placed officers from another District. The Treasurer explained that this was permissible provided there was no reciprocal "you audit us, we audit you" arrangement.
The audit was reported as complete with no issues identified.
Previous financial year
The Treasurer reported:
Income: £16,055
Expenditure: £16,679
Year-end balance carried forward: £29,763.40
The meeting discussed the principal areas of expenditure. Significant expenditure included Annual Conference and other conferences, the Regional Council levy, meetings/functions, communications, printing, office costs and other authorised District expenditure.
Annual Conference expenditure in the previous year was reported at approximately £5,381, in addition to the conference place/subscription figure.
Current financial position
Current cash on hand was reported as:
£50,132.45
The Treasurer cautioned that this figure did not yet account for expenditure still in transit through the District credit card.
Treasurer's and Audit Reports received.
8. Local Subscription Rate for 2026/27
The Treasurer explained that the local subscription rate currently stood at 20%, following a period of approximately five years during which the rate had been 5%.
The lower rate, combined with the reduced activity during COVID, had progressively reduced the District's available finances. The increase to 20% had enabled the District to resume a fuller programme of activity, invest in communication and member engagement, support conferences and maintain funds capable of supporting industrial action.
The meeting also discussed the importance of maintaining suitable reserves. A soft reserve of around £15,000 had previously been identified for hardship purposes, with a proposal that this be increased towards £20,000, particularly in the context of possible future national industrial action.
The Treasurer proposed maintaining local subscriptions at 20% for 2026/27, with the intention that the rate could subsequently be reviewed and potentially reduced in stages once sufficient reserves had been established.
Vote
For: 11
Against: 2
Abstentions: 0
RESOLVED: The local subscription percentage would remain at 20% for 2026/27.
9. Preliminary Budget 2026/27
The Treasurer presented a preliminary District budget.
Most expenditure headings remained broadly consistent with the existing budget, with additional provision proposed for industrial action support.
The proposed budget included provision for:
industrial-action materials and support;
member and representative training;
telephone and communication costs;
increased travel provision, including where caseworkers rely upon public transport;
AGM and OGM costs;
conference attendance;
equality strand conferences;
Health & Safety Conference;
other sector conferences; and
general District operational expenditure.
Approximately £10,000 was proposed for conference expenditure, reflecting the increasingly significant cost of travel and accommodation.
A further pool of approximately £1,000 was proposed for other sector conferences, potentially including supply, support staff and MPYW activity.
Access to financial papers
Rashenda Chapman raised concern that members were being asked to consider a relatively complex financial spreadsheet without sufficient opportunity to study it in advance.
The Treasurer accepted this as a reasonable concern.
It was agreed that arrangements should be explored for providing financial information securely to AGM attendees in advance without publishing confidential District financial information openly online.
Preliminary budget vote
The budget was put forward as an in-principle preliminary budget, expressly subject to further examination and amendment by a Budget Working Party.
For: 11
Against: 0
Abstentions: 2
RESOLVED: The preliminary budget was approved in principle, subject to review by the Budget Working Party.
10. Budget Working Party
The Chair proposed establishing a Budget Working Party to consider the detail of the budget and make recommendations.
A minimum of three members was sought, with the Treasurer participating primarily in an advisory capacity.
The transcript records volunteers including Damien Tumilty, a Chris, and Natasha. The Chair's subsequent summary identifies the Chris as "Chris H"; accordingly this should be checked against the attendance record before final publication.
ACTION: Budget Working Party to review and refine the 2026/27 budget.
11. District Meeting Dates for 2026/27
Proposed meeting dates for the following year had been published on the agenda.
Discussion took place regarding a Branch AGM date that had also appeared on the schedule. Members recalled that the Branch AGM date had previously been determined by the Branch AGM itself, but there was uncertainty during the meeting over precisely what date had been agreed.
The meeting therefore agreed that the Branch AGM should be removed from the District decision, since determination of that date was properly a Branch matter.
The correct Branch AGM date would instead be established by reference to the previous Branch AGM minutes.
There was also discussion regarding holding OGM3 on a Friday. Damien Tumilty queried whether a Friday meeting might adversely affect attendance. The possibility of making the event hybrid and potentially linking it with a member social was discussed.
Vote
The District meeting dates, excluding the Branch AGM, were put to the meeting.
No votes against were recorded and one abstention was recorded.
RESOLVED: The proposed District meeting dates for 2026/27 were approved, excluding the Branch AGM date.
ACTION: James Starnes to verify the Branch AGM date separately against the previous Branch AGM minutes.
12. Any Other Business
12.1 Ratification of industrial-action expenditure
The Chair reported that expenditure had been incurred in support of industrial action within Trafford.
The District Committee had previously authorised, through a WhatsApp vote, expenditure of between £500 and £1,000. Expenditure was approaching the top of that range.
Items funded included:
leaflets and stickers;
reusable branded umbrellas;
a pool of branded hoodies for representatives/officers;
materials for picket placards;
breakfast for striking members on the first day of action; and
other directly related strike materials and incidental expenditure.
The expenditure was now brought before the General Meeting for formal ratification.
Vote
The recorded result was:
For: 11
Against: 0
Abstentions: 2
RESOLVED: The previously authorised industrial-action expenditure of up to £1,000 was formally ratified.
12.2 Industrial Action Support Fund
The Chair advised that further industrial action was possible at a number of Trafford workplaces.
Given this, it was proposed that the District establish a dedicated allocation of £10,000 for industrial-action materials and associated support during the current financial year. With approximately £1,000 already allocated, this represented an additional £9,000.
Members discussed:
the need to obtain value for money from printers and suppliers;
opportunities to reuse District-owned equipment and materials;
the benefit of maintaining generic materials capable of being deployed across multiple disputes;
potential conflicts arising from using suppliers closely connected to particular workplaces;
the speed with which materials may need to be procured once industrial-action timetables commence; and
the need to use District funds to support active organising rather than maintaining unnecessarily high unused reserves.
The Chair clarified that this allocation was separate from funding that might be required for national industrial action.
Vote
For: 9
Against: 2
Abstentions: 0
RESOLVED: A total budget of £10,000 was allocated to local industrial-action support for the current financial year, representing an additional allocation of £9,000 beyond expenditure already authorised.
13. Closing remarks
The Chair formally thanked members who had served on the District Committee during 2025/26 and welcomed the substantial number who had agreed to continue or take on roles during 2026/27.
The Chair particularly welcomed the increased number of members becoming involved in District activity and thanked attendees for their questions, scrutiny and challenge during the financial discussions, recognising the importance of proper oversight of members' funds.
No further substantive AOB was raised.
The meeting was closed after completion of the business. The transcript indicates that proceedings ran approximately 33 minutes beyond the scheduled 7:00 pm finish, placing closure at approximately 7:33 pm.
Actions arising
Action
Responsible
Status
Ensure future officer nomination arrangements meet the requirements discussed at the AGM while retaining an independent Returning Officer process
District Secretary / Returning Officer
For 2027 AGM
Explore a secure method for circulating financial/budget information to AGM attendees in advance
James Starnes
Outstanding
Convene Budget Working Party to review and refine the 2026/27 budget
Treasurer / Working Party
Outstanding
Incorporate appropriate provision for other sector conferences into detailed budget consideration
Budget Working Party
Outstanding
Verify the Branch AGM date against the previous Branch AGM minutes
James Starnes
Outstanding
Implement £10,000 local industrial-action support allocation
District Treasurer
Approved