Members’ Meeting - Tuesday, 24th Feb 2026 - HYBRID In-Person / Video Call 7-9pm

Discussion
1

SLMS Members’ Meeting

Hybrid In-Person / Video Call

Date: Tuesday 24th February 2026
Time: 7-9PM

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/bik-rjfx-xrm
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +44 20 3957 2499 and enter this PIN: 572 660 371#
To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://meet.google.com/bik-rjfx-xrm?hs=5

Join us for our next members meeting – in-person in the clean room, or via. video call - your choice - all members are welcome!

Please join in, question, raise issues, suggest ideas, be heard, listen to others, and find out how to get involved with running and furthering the Makerspace - or just come along and say hi – our meetings are held in a supportive, respectful and positive environment. We try to keep meetings efficient and not get into intractable arguments.

Running Agenda:
LOCKED - further agenda items, please add to agenda:

  • SLMS Growth / Finance Update
    How we are doing re. growth and financially? - Directors

  • Area Updates
    Techs opportunity to give updates on each area

  • Risk Assessments (for techs)
    In the process of surveying existing risk assessments and identifying those that are over 3 years (expiry period) and need to be renewed, as well as those tools and areas which have never been properly risk assessed.

  • Regular Members Meetings
    Discussion of pre-scheduling.

    ~ Outreach

  • Events and Visibility
    How much and in what ways do we want to reach out to new members? Would we like to grow faster or stay consistent? What are some organisations we can take inspiration from? What ways can we reach new members, eg. targeted postering, events etc.

  • Signage
    Related to ^, with changes to access and entrances, as well as prominence of Birdhouse Brewery, should we update our signage, perhaps adding more instructions?

    ~ Structural

  • Articles of Association
    Current articles of assosiation (legal principles) have served us well but may not be futureproof.

  • Suggestions of new roles
    Are there more responsibilities we can share to spread the workload for directors? Or should we increase the numbers of directors to increase consistency, avoid high turnover?
    + Communication with directors can be slow - could we discuss a timescale?

    ~ Accountability

  • Drinking alcohol in the space
    In terms of both the safety of members using equipment when intoxicated, as well as social implications for other members using the space (- potentially in contrast nature of SLMS as ‘workshop and social space’). Examples from other Makerspaces, eg. Cambridge

  • Grievances Policy
    Should these be the responsibility of directors (as current de facto system), or is there an alternative system, eg. group of (elected/self-appointed/nominated?) neutral arbitrators.
    + transparency, and lack of communication historically about decisions

  • Representative usernames and profiles
    Practical and trust based nature of having actual name and proper image of members. May not be possible to change existing members usernames.

  • Dealing with Mess, Breakages
    Issue with people not being aware of their responsibilities or not following them, and, more dangerously, not reporting breakages or incidents properly. Potential measures to address this.

  • Ex Members and Ex Techs
    Huge amount of shadow techs and ex-members who have access to discourse. Can we clearly differentiate between these, and perhaps have some sort of hand over process as techs leave?

  • Carry Over Items:

  • Update on raising metal shop floor
    For purposes of accessibility and safety. Last discussed Members Meeting on 18/06/2025.

Take a look at the Previous Members Meeting Minutes (Sept 2025) if you want to see where we left off last time.

Meeting Details:
June Members Meeting
Tuesday, 24th February 2026 · 19:00 – 21:00
Time zone: Europe/London
Google Meet joining info To Follow

Next members meeting in w/c 6th May, likely Thursday, tbc

For Techs who will be unable to attend, please add a message below to relay any news.

As usual please add anything you’d like to discuss in a brief post below this one. If you want to start a discussion on that topic, then please start a new thread and link to it - this helps to keep this thread readable. Please leave space for others, as we want as many voices heard as possible. If you are not comfortable raising an issue publicly then DM @directors or ask a trusted fellow member to raise it.

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2

Monday 23rd Feb, or Tues 24th Feb?

9 Likes
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Proposal to vote on minimum number of directors

Further to previous members meetings and this post:
https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/t/number-of-directors-and-turn-over/46916

I’d like to propose a formal ballot of members at the meeting to mandate an increase in the number of directors from 3 to 5, staggered over the next year, with the first in June 2026, and the next in October 2026.

4 Likes
4

Proposal to vote on changing our articles of association

Our current articles of association have arguably served us well so far in their flexibility when we were small, but they offer little or no protection to the long term safety of the space as a democratic, member led organisation.

I’m proposing we engage legal advise to help us draft new articles that formalise what we’ve come to know and love about our space to protect it into the future.

Discussion here: https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/t/is-it-time-to-review-our-article-of-association/47347

2 Likes
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Can we discuss drinking alcohol in the space please. And using tools in the space after drinking.
For the following reasons.

  1. We have had a number of incidents where a tool or area has been compromised after someone has used it under the influence.

  2. I alone have had two members on different occasions come to me worried about their safety with concerns about people drinking alcohol in the space.

  3. I am aware of at least one currently clean alcoholic that feels uncomfortable with people drinking in the clean room.

  4. We have a pub next door, surely if you need a drink or wish to have a drink with other members wouldn’t it be fairer to consume it in the bar rather than bringing it back to the space?

Can I suggest two votes

  1. To ban the consumption of all alcohol within the space . Maybe with the exception of social events such as bar-b-q Christmas party.
  2. A temporary ban from the space for anyone operating machinery whilst under the influence ?
21 Likes
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When the directors start with the finance update could they explain why the figures for

“Total assets less current liabilities”
And “Reserves”

have stayed at the same value of £90775 for five years?

Since September 2021 filing (for year ending sept 2020) until September 2025 filing (for year ending Sept 2024)
Whereas every year before this the figure changed.

This is also the period when we changed accountants so I have given plenty of time to maybe get the answer from them.

7

I still don’t know when the meeting is - Monday or Tuesday?

4 Likes
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I’d like tom’s proposal for a review of our Articles of Association to be discussed:

https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/t/is-it-time-to-review-our-article-of-association/47347/1

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@moderators
Please can you pin this post until the meeting?

Just to help stop it getting lost in all the other messages and ensure that as many members as possible see it.

3 Likes
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Exactly. The previous accountants did it wrong essentially.

This is the answer as a direct quote from the current accountants:

You may recall that there was a misunderstanding with your previous accountants, where they showed the accounts as having a profit, rather than a breakeven position.

The retained reserves are the accumulated profits from that period. We need to continue that amount on the balance sheet, but it does not cause an issues as far as I am concerned.

I had the same question when I became a Director.

4 Likes
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bump

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Am I the only one who is concerned with this?

people are talking about rewriting legal documents, or examining financial ones…

when we can not even clarify something as simple as a typo for more than 2 days!!!

As I said… concerning

4 Likes
14

I’m sad to say that there appear to have been a number of complaints/greivances raised with the directors.

I know that the directors have a lot to do and are volunteers and I don’t hold them personally responsible in any way.

Obviously I don’t know for certain, but they don’t seem to have been resolved.

I raised one in March 2025, it just went silent and was never resolved.

We do have a procedure for members to handle grievances. I’m not sure how many members even know that it exists.

https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/t/governance-2017-4of4-conflict-resolution/5857

It calls for a member who is appropriately neutral and (if relevant) knowledgeable about the area of disagreement to mediate.

If we use this procedure, it should reduce the number of complaints the directors have to deal with.

I think it would be useful if we knew of any members who are willing to act as Mediators.

I’m happy to help other members in this way. I was a secondary school governor for a decade and chaired the discipline committee, dealing with both pupils and staff as necessary. So I have some experience with this kind of thing.

Is anyone else willing to help try to resolve problems for other members?

2 Likes
15

The last two meetings were on Tuesdays; this seems to be a thing.

I propose that we clarify that the meeting is to be held on Tuesday 24th February 2026.

@moderators or @Clive please can you amend the first heading to confirm

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100% Agree that the way grievances are handled is not great, having been on the receiving end of them.

Unfortunately this is a proposal that was never approved or implemented which is why it is not used and no one knows about it. But it could certainly be reviewed and revisited any time, like now if desired and maybe it will get approved?

2 Likes
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I didn’t realise that it hadn’t been approved.

I think that we should discuss it at this member’s meeting with the aim of approving it. Even if it needs futher review. An imperfect policy is usually better than no policy.

1 Like
18

Tuesday the 24th

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Tuesday the 24th

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Proposing another item for discussion:

Setting a date and time for the next Member’s Meeting.

9 Likes