How will direct debits for everything from broadband to software products to some Sqns i know who have a weekly cleaner etc be paid.
Its hard enough already setting these up for some units already when the building address and postal address are different. The fact that the bank account name wont now match the organisation name. E.g. XX Wing vs 123 Sqn, will make it harder still.
Is the Wing Civ Com going to take on responsibility for all arrangements around direct debit items.
What is the realisitic plan if a Sqn refuses to hand over the money in its bank account?
Maybe enquire about the cost benefit analysis / business case and request full disclosure.
3 questions.
What is the realistic plan to find a volunteer to be ‘accountant’ or 'treasurer for all this work at wing committee level.
What training and support will be available to this individual.
Has a mapping exercise of the expected workload for this volunteer been carried out.
Some great Questions in here already!
Ones relating to the sequestration of Squadron money/assets has already been addressed in the recent notice that came from the Corps Chair following the wing chairs conference and distributed via Region and Wing Chairs i.e. Squadron assets/monies will not be taken from them by wings.
The output from the conference as distributed:
The Conference accepts that the present Excepted Charity structure for Squadrons & Wings is no longer appropriate for modern society.
The Conference recognises the need to modernise the Charitable Structure and to follow the Working Group recommendations to move towards a Wing based Trusteeship which will preserve the valued contribution of volunteers at Squadron level.
Individual Squadron money and assets will be protected for the immediate and sole use of that Squadron.
It is intended that the process, which is already in a trial stage in certain areas, will be complete by April 2025.
Details of the milestones and timeline will be refined by the Finance and General Purposes Committee at their meeting on 8th November 2022.
Publication of the Schedule of Consultation and progress will be published by the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
The National Chair, together with Regional Chairs, will engage with Associations as soon after 8th November as possible.
Under this proposed system, what will be the process to find out which cadets are paying/ up to date with their subs, and how do we go about getting this information in a timely manner?
If each Wing is going to have an individual looking after the books, AKA Wing Treasurer/Bookkeeper, who is going to pay for such an individual?
Is the funding going to come out the Wing funds, either in total or by increasing the Wing’s contribution from squadrons, or split across squadrons to fund!!
If we have a cadet who cannot afford and activity such as a camp or vists, the OC talks to the CivCom in Confidence and they decide to sponsor the cadet. I had this on my old Squadron for a cadet who had over £400 paid for him. He joined the RAF and paid back this amount plus interest. Now how would that have worked? Would he have not gone and not joined the RAF working his way up the ranks to leave as a Sqn Ldr?
I think the comment you raise is valid, but maybe a more direct (or more answerable) question might be:
CWCs are there for welfare, for example helping pay for camps where a cadet may not be able to afford it; How will these sometimes delicate conversation happen now if someone from a Wing charity is approving the transactions? As opposed to currently a discrete conversation between the OC and CWC directly.
Fair comment but my questions are usually fact based and designed to be blunt by presenting actual situations that have happened and demanding a relevant answer rather than just hypothetical ones which can be easily dismissed.
What happens to those assets when a Squadron is closed?
If this does go ahead,
Squadron functions such as annual awards nights/dinners will there be a budget or will this be managed on a case by case basis
So i had the briefing around this today from my Wing chair…what i would say is its definitley worth asking your wing chairs for an update as they may answer the questions above…all the OCs in the room ended up agreeing its the right thing to do, but theres obviously questions still outstanding and they are still working through the detail. I think its a good idea atleast, given the horror stories out there.
From what i understand no one will stop any spending, unless its an OC buying his winter sun to Benidorm
If that’s the case they should produce an IBN or other annanoncement exposing the current ideas/plans. Might help put people at ease and also stop and scaremongering going on!
