United Kingdom: ME Association governance issues

Nothing to see here, basically is how I take it all.

ETA; A closed shop.

 

Can any member force an item to be covered under AOB? I have no clue about the rules that govern meetings.

 

Motion might be included under AOB - but I have no confirmation of this.

 

ah the old 'what are they going to do about it anyway' approach?

 

Would that mean that there were no postal votes in that situation?

 

I don't know, bobbler, whether the motion is being discussed under AOB, or discussed and voted on. If it is being voted on there should be a postal vote. If there is a postal vote, ballot slips should be included in the magazine.

 

A percentage of board members retire by rotation every two years (but can stand for re-election). This may be a year in which no board member is due for retirement but is re-standing. There may be no nominations for new trustees. But if there were trustee elections, my understanding is that notice should have been given weeks in advance and this has not been the case.

"23.
(a) Not less than ten weeks prior to an annual general meeting at which one or more of the directors retire, the company shall give notice to members asking for nominations for members to become directors of the company..."​

 

Does this mean there’s been no formal meeting of the trustees since the last AGM?

 

My understanding is that the minutes of an AGM are approved at the next AGM, not at the next routine meeting of the board but I am happy to be corrected.

 

I didn’t think that’s how it worked at the Appg AGM but I really have no idea

 

On the basis of the Agenda, this is this case. The managing group (ie the Trustees) will probably have discussed the draft minutes of the previous AGM at their first meeting after the AGM and initiated what they regard as appropriate action, but the minutes will only be formally adopted by the next AGM (or possibly a subsequent EGM).

Presumably if members feel after this AGM that it was unconstitutional because of inadequate notice their only course of action would be to seek to call an EGM or to object to the minutes at the next AGM in a year’s time.

 

According to Twitter, the motion will not be included in the AGM..subject to further discussion.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1862139470369177807


This whole thing just gets murkier and murkier.

 

I guess, if the motion is not included and none of the BoT is for re-election, other than signing off the last AGM minutes, there is nothing for anyone to vote on.

Would be interesting if anyone here is a member and able to attend online, what actually goes on.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1862151863144960024


Peter W
@mediumwhite
So people know the history here - 2.5 years ago, I and another raised the
@MEAssociation
’s financial hoarding with them, and the longevity of trustees. The issues we raised were dismissed, but we hoped it would be resolved in time. It has not been.

 

Sorry, I'm lost as haven't been following this in full - who is Nicky Proctor and what is her motion?

 

Two people put together a document raising concerns about the management of the MEA including their accumulating excessive reserve funds. They proposed a motion that the MEA should adopt the recommendations of the Charity Governance code, which would effectively prevent trustees from serving longer than 9 years. The whole thing can be read here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqPp0tdq0T41N469H6JJ2s4pBlNgk-LAsUnEqOE22lI/edit?tab=t.0

 

APPGs are informal cross party groups convened to pursue a particular topic or interest. The running of these groups is subject to the rules for APPGs as set out by the Parliamentary Committee on Standards:

https://www.parliament.uk/globalass...-groups/rules/guide-to-the-rules-sep-2023.pdf


The MEA is a company limited by guarantee, registered with Companies House and the Charity Commission and subject to the Companies Act 2006, and its Articles of Association. The trustees are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Act.

 

Apparently the members' magazine did not arrive in this morning's post.

If the magazine does arrive on Monday, this will mean that members have been given just 6 clear days' notice, instead of the required "21 clear days".

(All members are expected to be provided with the AGM notice + agenda + any other materials, not just those who are writing to the MEA to request a copy to be sent to them by email.)

Last year, 7 days before 11 December 2023 AGM, Neil Riley published a pre AGM Chairman's statement:

https://meassociation.org.uk/2023/12/the-me-association-annual-general-meeting-chairmans-statement/

Can we expect a chairman's AGM statement this year or will Riley be keeping his head below the parapet?

MEA on Facebook remain silent around this AGM despite busily posting and commenting on other issues. There have been no comments replied to on MEA Twitter/X for weeks.

 

I'd like to state my position at this juncture:

I do not support the encouragement of members to attend an invalid meeting. In my view, attending an invalid meeting is legitimising the MO of a board that intends to knowingly proceed with an unconstitutional meeting.

The meeting should be postponed and rescheduled for next year.

 

Might be worth turning up just to point out that it's an invalid meeting, though, and then leave...