At: Woll’s house

Present: Alison Teal (Chair), Ruth Hubbard, Mark James, Paul Selby, Isabel O’Leary, Woll Newall, Andrew Kondakor, Sue Kondakor, Fran Kime, Helen McIlroy (Minutes), Wendy Hawksley

Ruth Hubbard welcomed the Co-optees

Observers:

Apologies: Anne Barr, Tina Sampson-Smith

Minutes: The minutes of the last committee meeting (25/11/25) were agreed as a true and accurate record.

Matters arising

1 Meeting with Kate Josephs confirmed for 2nd February, 1.30-2.15 (AT)

2 No further contact with Woodland Trust. HM to pursue

3 PS and RH have documented the attempts to make progress with the Facebook Group handover and will share with Woll. Full update in main agenda.

4 PS and WN have met with Fran Halsall regarding the website. Full update in main agenda.

5 AT will further the interactive QR code associated with the Plaque

6 Constitutional review is a separate item in the meeting

7 HM has booked the room for the General Meeting on 7th February.

8 Co-opting of members – here they are!

9 No response from a potential Trustee approached by AT.

Items on the Agenda

Item 1

Isabel reported on her work to find suitable locations for STAG-financed planting. She has made contact with Green City Action (Burngreave) and Greener Greenhill. She has also met with Jacob, a city forester, and done a reconnaissance visit to Spital Hill.

Pavements must be a minimum of 1.4m wide to allow for a tree pit of 0.4 x 0.4m plus at least a metre for the pavement.

Possible places for further planting are:outside the Eden Hub at Lowedges, where the owner is very keen. There is already a bench and a tree would help to make the area more attractive; outside Jordanthorpe Medical Centre, where there is a grassed area suitable for planting.

Paul has suggested a choice of 5 suitable street tree species and Isabel has prepared a visual ‘menu’ to show local people who will be consulted on locations to encourage ‘buy-in’.

Item 2

Should we use the majority of the money in the General Fund for additional street tree planting?

There was a good and healthy debate about this. Isabel has made such good progress in finding locations for the roughly 14 trees to be funded by the Legal fund.

Paul suggested that we should hold back about £1,000 to £2,000 in the General Fund for other expenditure but seek to utilise the rest to increase the number of trees STAG can fund in winter 26/27.

Item 3

STAG Public Facebook Group non-handover.

PS credited RH with her work on this issue, and reiterated that it is vital that we take action to protect ourselves.

Woll explained the situation to the co-optees, who were unaware of the full details of the situation.

Statements by Rich Ward and previous Committee members (including those ex-Committee members now claiming ownership of STAG’s Public Facebook Group for themselves) have always been clear, over many years, that the Facebook group is an asset of STAG. Minutes of the STAG Steering Group show that administration of the Facebook Group “will be undertaken by at least four nominated members of the Steering Group”. Minutes of the first STAG Committee meeting after constituting show that ownership of the Facebook Group was passed by the STAG Steering Group to the STAG Committee. There has never been a decision to give up ownership (and no Committee – who legally must act as trustees of STAG’s assets – could ever support or propose this), so it clearly remains a STAG asset that must be secured by all future trustees.

RH reported that a solicitor she had had positive interactions with is awaiting the go-ahead to give a legal opinion on the status of the Facebook Group, which RH will initiate with him on 13th January. This will give the unauthorised Facebook Group holders until midnight on the 12th (the date of the deadline they were given) to first respond to the previous letters they were sent.

WH said we should tell the members really clearly what is going on. There was mention of members previously giving a steer to the Committee that they want the handover from the unauthorised Admins to be done privately.

Previously, following the advice the Committee received, individual letters were sent on the 6th Jan to the unauthorised Admins and the Moderators of the STAG PublicFacebook Group, and previous members of the STAG Committee (as they all have different statuses legally regarding the Facebook Group not being handed over).

The letter gives a deadline of the 12th January 2026 for STAG to be given admin rights to the Facebook group. If this does not happen then the Committee will then have to move to the next stage of the advice received. The letter also informs them that – given the strong steer from members, and the legal situation – it is inappropriate for the ‘debate’ to continue in public, and that any further misleading posts will be deleted from the Members’ Discussion Group.

Item 4

PS and WN met with Fran Halsall to discuss ownership of the old STAG website and the important archive it contains, and how it should interact with the new website created by Woll. Fran shared some key information about Mary Marshall’s wishes before her death. Mary funded the maintenance of the old website with a bequest. Fran was open to the idea of transferring ownership to STAG, in return for key assurances. PS and WN will work collaboratively with Fran to achieve this.

Item 5

Woll had nothing to add about the interactive website.

Item 6

Constitutional Review (RH)

The aim is to simplify the Constitution to make it more fit-for-purpose for STAG as it is now where ‘work’ is mainly done by the Committee (rather than what the current constitution is designed for where members do the ‘work’ with the Committee just having a steering role), and to clarify, especially in relation to CoC and its procedures.

Any changes will need an all-member vote.

Currently we need to regularise the selection method for STAG reps on the SSTP.

This too will need an all-member vote, which Woll will organise.

No Trustee has as yet been found.

Item 7

SSTP. IO and HM reported that there had been no SSTP activity over the Christmas and New Year period.

Item 8

Preparation for General Meeting, possibly the last before the AGM.

Date of 20th April agreed for AGM as a step towards resetting AGM for March each year, after it was delayed until May last year. Given this 20th April date,

Nominations for becoming an Elected Committee member would need to open on 9th March.

Matters to bring to next GM (7th Feb):

Tree planting (funding)

Constitutional changesVoting methods for AGM

Show the Website

Item 9

Newsletter – due end of January

A co-opted member suggested the purpose of STAG should be immediately visible on the website. Woll to action.

Constitution

AOB

Woll to add co-optees to mailing list and other online resources

Next Committee meeting 16th February 2026.