United Kingdom: ME Association governance issues

The announcement is in the post above - I should have made that clear!

This:

 

He's issued a resignation statement (@Utsikt's post 1316), so yes it seems so.

 

Neil has given a lot of time and energy to the MEA over many years, for which he deserves credit, but undoubtedly the time is right for him to step down from such a key role as Chairman.

I wish him well.

The Association definitely needs some succession planning and bridge building with those that feel they have been excluded or marginalised.

 

Well, that's a relief.


"To ensure a smooth transition, Vice Chairman David Allen, will be stepping in as interim Chairman."

 

I have found David Allen very straightforward to communicate with.

 

There is no notice yet in the Companies House Filing History, but since 2007, retirement of directors are filed in the Filing History as "Termination of appointment...", with the word "Resignation" in the PDF.

 

I’ve (hopefully!) sent you a PM!

 

Hi Suffolkres,
Unfortunately the MEA and AFME magazines have all now been allocated. However, all the young members’ magazines – from TYMES and AYME are available. Would you like those?

 

Yes please.

 

Yes, received, thanks, and replied

 

Four new notifications were added, yesterday, to the MEA's Filing History on Companies House.

Looks like we might anticipate the apparent "correct" and "true" 2014 Articles (which are virtually and as yet, inexplicably, identical to the November 2013 Articles) being posted in the near future:


https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02361986/filing-history

05 Mar 2025 Termination of appointment of Neil Harrison Riley as a director on 3 March 2025 View PDF

05 Mar 2025 This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.

05 Mar 2025 This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.

05 Mar 2025 Resolutions

• Resolution of adoption of Articles of Association
• This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.

 

And, from some of what Dr CS posted on FB last night, he’s not learned anything from the last few months about why many were so upset by NR.

Basically told one person if they didn’t like it, there were plenty of other charities out there.

A number of people called him out on it and he has back-pedalled, but, yet again, the damage is done.

Riley going is good, but, so much more needs to change, dare I say it, with CS stepping back from the board.

 

98 Comments on Facebook to the announcement of Neil Riley's resignation...

https://www.facebook.com/meassociat...opKFDqp8Sy2bgrZ2MbLXPTuWMQpmaYLl?locale=en_GB

 

Just a small reminder of the type of behaviour deemed appropriate by Neil Riley and the MEA (and there is anecdotal evidence of similar behaviour towards others):

https://valerieeliotsmith.com/2022/...iny-identities-revealed-in-charity-complaint/

 

Today, a PDF of a Resolutions certification document for the November 2014 OGM and a set of Articles has been added to the MEA's Companies House Filing History page:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02361986/filing-history?page=1

05 Mar 2025 Resolutions

• Resolution of adoption of Articles of Association

View PDF Resolutions

----------------------------------

I've attached a copy below:

The signed Resolution cover page does not set out what specific changes were voted for in November 2014, as summarised in the Minutes of that meeting (ie adoption of the "new model form" and changes to Article 24 and Article 28).

It is attached to a scan of what appears to be a paper copy of the Articles document for which the PDF had the date 05-12-2013 in its file path, prefaced by the same Resolution text that prefaced the original November 2014 Articles, as registered with Companies House on 28 November 2014, though this time signed by Neil Riley.

At the end of the Articles are two pages of the Companies House form:

"RP01: Replacement of document not meeting requirements for proper delivery"


I cannot be bothered, today, to do a line by line comparison, but if it is identical to the document with the date 05-12-2013 in the PDF file path then the only change to the November 2013 Articles is the change to "Trustee Act 2000" because adoption of the "new model form" for articles and the changes to Articles 24 and 28 had already been put out to vote and adopted in November 2013 - a fact which the MEA Board has yet to acknowledge and provide an explanation for.

 

A PDF I have prepared with materials from ME Essential magazines from 2013 and 2014 and some notes:

https://dxrevisionwatch.wordpress.c...essential-egm-2013-and-ogm-2014-materials.pdf


The image below (Summer or September 2014) is the key notice:






So why would Neil not just tell us the reason(s) for the 2013 Resolutions being repeated in 2014?

And after all that, they go and send the wrong document to Companies House in November 2014 for registration, but apparently no-one notices until last December that it's not the version of the document that was voted for adoption at the 2014 OGM.

Open PDF here

 

Just a reminder. The previous Articles to the 2013 Articles were the 2007 Articles.

Comparison of 2007 Article 6. Allowed Payments with the 2013 Articles 28 Allowed payments:


2007 Articles:




2013 Articles:

 

Thank you @Dx Revision Watch for working at gathering the relevant information. Why could the MEA just not share this information straight away when it was realised last year that the wrong articles had been submitted?

 

Indeed. One cannot help but conclude that Mr Riley preferred obfuscation over setting out clearly what had happened and took a perverse delight in our frustration trying to make sense of it all.