The starting point in understanding what's been going on in the EFDSS is to read the Board Minutes.
In them, you will discover the instersection of two problems. The first is our old friend, financing: the EFDSS has for some time been dependent on a number of income streams, most critically the Hall rental, and also grant handouts. Katy Spicer was recruited as Chief Exec because of her knowledge of the latter. However, the recession has seen a huge cutback in them, and although the EFDSS can normally survive, it will need its reserves.
The second problem is one to do with Cecil Sharp House itself. An Grade 2 listed 1930s building, it was built in the days before accessibility became a priority, and was not disability-friendly: a physically handicapped person has first to ascend a chairlift to get to reception, and then could not get beyond that floor to access the other parts of the building. As a result, it was decided to install a lift in the stairwell void, to comply with legislation which, to be fair, inclued opt-outs to avoid the cost destroying the institution attempting to comply with it, there being no point in making access open to all if the result is access becomes available to none because the ship has sunk as a result!
In CSH's case, the minutes show the project over-ran, and is costing signifcantly more than expected because the power supply was inadequate. At September, only a third of the cost was covered from current income, and the rest had to be funded from reserves, reducing them far below the recommended level. The delay in the work also had a deleterious effect on the rental income. How bad, I cannot tell, as the Accounts are not in a readable format.
The first I knew of the impact on the Café was a call for bids to take over from Nice Green in March 2013, in terms which would not allow Nice Green to continue. Ms Spicer's vision here was to create a tearoom café open to all passers-by, as if they were in the middle of Camden, which they are not: Nice Green were barely profitable, but not being a commercial organisation were not that hassled by it. The same may not be true of their replacements.
What the users were told in May was that they would close for a short while during the lift installation, but in reality they went never to return, premeditatedly. The new caterers are therefore pricing on the basis of their previous bio markup, without delivering the goods, as you see here.
Not many people attended the AGM, and the Minutes show the Board is selecting its members by Buggins Turn from within the Magic Circle.
What the situation is now, more than six months after the last set of published Board Minutes, is unclear. I would expect to see the Reserves have been seriously weakened, and as a result the Society may be seriously weakened. It is also interesting to see how seriously the published minutes are being redacted. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Perhaps, one would hope so. But I am aware of another future problem which would suggest it's not so much the exit as a train coming the other way, a train of a size large enough to require the availability of the Reserves.
Katy was recruited to ensure the Grant funding continues. It seems to be hitting problems, and some of the funding has actually subverted other income from royalties on the VWML. The Douglas Kennedy Fund has also been liquidated, although the memory will continue in grants. But as a whole, I'm worried we may be on the edge of more troubles.