Huddersfield Civic Society Executive Committee Meeting, May 11, 2026        

The meeting was held at Westins on St Andrews Road at 7pm. 

Attendees:  Gideon Richards (GR), Geoff Hughes (GH), Ann Denham (AD), Howard Smith (HS), Michael Woodward (MW), Sylvia Johnson (SJ), Robert Taylor (RT), Adrian Pitts (AP), John Eastwood (JE), Bernard Ainsworth (BA),Chris Marsden (CM).

Apologies: Andrew France (AF).

Chair Stand-in Activities

–     Chair this meeting: Howard Smith

–     Volunteer Chair for future meetings: Sylvia (July 13), Adrian (Sept 14), Ann (Nov 9)

  • Editor of next newsletter: Robert (away 3 – 10 June): aim to issue mid-June

Minutes of the Previous Meeting (9/3/2026, Version 0.2): Accepted as Final (proposed GR, seconded SJ).

Actions carried forward from 9/3/2026 Meeting

  • Produce draft HCS publishing policy (Action: GR + AP)
  • Circulate 2026 nomination requests for YHACS Peter Spawforth award when received (Action: GH)
  • Work with Kirklees HODS group on potential ’50 objects’ project (Action: SJ)
  • Publicise £1 off ‘Buildings’ and also ‘Villas’ and ‘Tolson’ with photos on HCS social media (Action RT) 
  • Use same/similar RT photos to publicise to HCS members, eg in next newsletter (Action HS)

Membership Report as at 9 May 2026

Member typeIndividual/U25JointCorporateTotalChanges
Totals – ALL CATEGORIES10536201617
Total ACTIVE members10234201564
Paid (correct amount)6920141039
Paid (wrong amount)660120
Free/Rollover941140
New this report70077
Not yet paid184527-5
Resigned this Year3253
Lapsed this Year00000
Deleted (corrected) this year00000
  • We have 7 new individual members since the last report on the 4 March. All are individual members.
  • 1 individual and one (2) joint members resigned, but the joint member(s) both rejoined as individuals … so are shown as “new” members in the “individual” column.
  • One of the new members has rejoined after lapsing last year, one was persuaded to join after sending an enquiry to the website about how to get hold of some of the glass fibre facade on the piazza, one joined after communicating with the Secretary, one joined at the A&C Houses talk, and one joined having visited our shop to buy a book (Buildings).
  • Five members paid their outstanding subs in the period (2 individuals, 1(2) joint and 1 Corporate).
  • One member made a duplicate payment in error, but has said to use the funds to pre-pay for 2027.
  • Further reminders will be sent during May.

Review incorrect membership payments and decide re chasing those concerned (Action HS+GR)

Treasurer’s Report (GR)       

Approx £4180 in current acc. (after c£104 due from Waterstones but £400 due to F of Tolson)

£16,363 in Savings Account.

Stephen Challenger (retiring HCS Treasurer) has acted as Independent Examiner

Circulate HCS 2025 Accounts: figures as before but with minor amendment to Notes (Action: GR)

Seek new Independent Examiner for next set of accounts (Action: GR)

Agreed to remain members of Civic Voice and to pay subscription when due est £220n (Action: GR)

Future Events:

  • Publicise Tue 30 June Portland Works, Tue 7 July 19/00 David Griffiths Lindley Arts and Crafts houses walk and Fri 14 Aug visits via HCS website and HCS Newsletters (Action: SJ + GH)
  • Decide late June if numbers booking are sufficient to proceed with 14 Aug Thornton visit (Action: SJ)
  • HLHS organising this year’s joint HODS talk on Joseph Kaye with David Griffiths Wed 16 Sept 19.00
  • Confirm Almondbury walk – subsequently arranged for Tue 11 Aug evening (Action: SJ)
  • Liaise with Revd Rachel Firth re Celebrate Huddersfield event, St Peter’s, Sat 19 Sept 2026 (Action: SJ)
  • In early Sept confirm Oct date with David Threlfall-Sykes – COO for HTAFC on Stadium devts (Action AF)
  • Next HCS Committee meeting on July 13 to consider Nov/Dec Speaker (Action: SJ as Mtg Chair)

Peter Stead Sustainability Award – Judging of Huddersfield University student entries

  • Expected to be received in next few days; awards to be made before Fri 5 June (Action GR + CM,SJ,AD)

Planning

Make Enforcement Request re unauthorised change to frontage of ex Botafogo rest. (Action: RT+CM)

Pursue issues re future of 568 fibreglass panels above Piazza units (Action: CM/GR + Yun Gao)

Circulate to HCS Committee planning application re signage proposed for new library (Action: RT)

Arrange June meetings on Enforcement and on Biodiversity with KC Julia Steadman (Action: GH)

 Future HCS activities and campaigns (HS)

  1. Develop plan + timetable to review Constitution etc by Mar 2027 AGM (Action: MW/CM et al)
  2. Try to establish what policies HCS has, then consider which/how/when to review (Action: GH)
  3. Complete HCS IT refresh (Google Non-profit account for shared docs, ids etc) (Action: HS)
  4. Develop draft HCS Events (= Talks and Walks) policy by Sept mtg to cover charging policy, members v non-members, whether to use Eventbrite, how publicised etc (Action SJ+HS+GH)
  5. Draft ‘1-page’ paper for July mtg on what a potential ‘Celebratory Plaques’ project with other local societies might consist of (Action RT+AD)
  6. Draft ‘1-page’ paper on the potential for future HCS Design Awards by July mtg (Action: CM)
  7. Liaise by Sept mtg with University re sponsorship of an annual joint event (Action: BA+GR)
  8. Work through potential ’50 Objects’ and ‘Kirklees Museums Hidden Treasures’ options, incl whether/how to work with Uni and with Kirklees Museums service (Action: SJ,GH,AD)

Carried forward to July meeting:

  • How HCS should be involved in Planning
  • Buildings at risk
  • Cultural Heart
  • Station to Stadium
  • The environment: Tree, Biodiversity, ‘Green’ issues
  • Clarify formal Officer roles (President, Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) and informal roles (Memberships, Planning, Newsletter, Website, Books, Events etc)  … identify owner (lead) and ideally a support (No. 2) for some roles.
  • Marketing/publicising HCS
  • Communications protocols – how to agree what communicated on behalf of HCS?
  • Succession planning for HCS committee roles

 Geoff Hughes 14 May, updated 20 May 2026