BHS Election & Rights of Members

[ECB]

As another week draws to a close, there is still no date set for the general meeting called for by the legal petition of members. A violation of the Companies Act. No announcement of CEO vacancy nor sign of recruiting- despite several statements from the Chairman. Swanning around at Windsor for sure.

 

[onemoretime]

The whole situation seems to be getting nowhere fast. They are just completely ignoring the members! There must be something that can do but I don't know what!!

 

[Themis]

The whole situation seems to be getting nowhere fast. They are just completely ignoring the members! There must be something that can do but I don't know what!!

Yes there is something to be done. Write to the Charity Commission using the whistleblowing link, quote the BHS reg Charity number, and add your views to those already sent from members. This requires independent investigation.

 

[Themis]

Don’t fall for Fred’s antics on the Facebook page. He has no mandate to speak for members and certainly no mandate to speak for those who signed the petition. There is a legally binding process that the BHS must complete.

 

[ECB]

Looking back to the suspicious changes to the Articles of Association in 2013 & 2016 - check the postings from pink unicorn above - note that the chair person was the same. And this is the same person who allowed the CEO to be hired without advertising - overruling the views of the Board. And look who else was on the Board in 2016 - it's Fred the recent noise maker on the Facebook page who's been trying to set up a meeting to speak on behalf of members and bump the general meeting, legally called by petition, into the long grass.

 

[Themis]

Rumour growing that general meeting will be 11 June. With the Articles of Association section 25.1 stating 21 clear days notice, that will mean we should be informed today. Watch this space!

 

[Themis]

Rumour growing that general meeting will be 11 June. With the Articles of Association section 25.1 stating 21 clear days notice, that will mean we should be informed today. Watch this space!

Oh I see - 21 "clear days" does not mean working days. It's just 21 days! So we continue to watch this space for sign of.....a general meeting called for back in March and the advertisement for the CEO etc etc

 

[Themis]

The list of candidates in now on the website.

https://www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/about-us-and-our-work/our-people/trustee-election-2019​

Reduced from 15 to 6. And no welfare person. WHY???????? How can this be democratic?

 

[Themis]

And no welfare candidate- with the Welfare director on leave.

 

[honetpot]

Its here, but 'they' do not know why we want one.
If you do not recieve an email, please make sure that you are on the list because a link is included to register your attendance, or not, and proxy voting.

Notice of a General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that a General Meeting (the “Meeting”) of The British Horse Society (the “Society”) will be held at The Stareton Hall, National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, CV8 2LZ on Tuesday 11 June 2019 at 7.00pm to discuss and vote on the proposed ordinary resolution:

Resolution

To discuss and vote on the proposal of “No confidence in the Chairman, the Board of Trustees, and the Chief Executive of The British Horse Society”.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Its here, but 'they' do not know why we want one.
If you do not recieve an email, please make sure that you are on the list because a link is included to register your attendance, or not, and proxy voting.

Notice of a General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that a General Meeting (the “Meeting”) of The British Horse Society (the “Society”) will be held at The Stareton Hall, National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, CV8 2LZ on Tuesday 11 June 2019 at 7.00pm to discuss and vote on the proposed ordinary resolution:

Resolution

To discuss and vote on the proposal of “No confidence in the Chairman, the Board of Trustees, and the Chief Executive of The British Horse Society”.

Thanks honetpot - you beat me to it. If you are a member who shares the concerns of many, please ensure you act.

 

[Velcrobum]

Well the nominations committee has listened as Sally McCarthy who was previously deemed inappropriate has been listed as a candidate and no mention of LP!! The voting process seems to have been tightened up and is being dealt with by an independent company so it appears change might actually be starting

 

[Themis]

From today's message announcing the general meeting on 11 June at 7 pm
"The members did not include any reasons for proposing the resolution, but we hope you will support the Board in voting against the ordinary resolution which requires a simple majority to carry."
AND
"The Board of Trustees considers it appropriate to convene the meeting in advance of the forthcoming and significant rotation of Trustees that will happen at the Election Board Meeting in July 2019. The Society has taken legal advice in relation to the requisitioned General Meeting and is advised that the vote does not hold legal precedence, but is a political statement in regard to the governance of the Society."
As a member, who signed the petition, I have reasons for my vote of lack of confidence in the Chairman, recently resigned CEO, Board and leadership. I am certain that the 44 others have their reasons as well. And while a vote of no confidence may only be termed a political statement, it causes change especially alongside investigation by the Charity Commission, Inland Revenue, and articles in the Telegraph.

 

[Themis]

Well the nominations committee has listened as Sally McCarthy who was previously deemed inappropriate has been listed as a candidate and no mention of LP!! The voting process seems to have been tightened up and is being dealt with by an independent company so it appears change might actually be starting

At this point I think any change at best is surface level. There were 15 people nominated, why were only 6 selected to stand? With the scrutiny of the charity commission, hiring an independent company looks good. Selecting a candidate that was rejected last year also looks good. As for LP - I think the noise that was generated was heard - especially by the Charity Commission and the Inland Revenue.

 

[Orangehorse]

I thought it was rather terse and grumpy. There may have only been 42 members, but that is what is allowed and how many were willing to support them?

 

[rabatsa]

So the few members who have lodged email addresses with the society have been given 21 days notice of a meeting but what about the many members who are unaware of anything amiss? Will they be notified by post or forgotten about?

 

[JanetGeorge]

So the few members who have lodged email addresses with the society have been given 21 days notice of a meeting but what about the many members who are unaware of anything amiss? Will they be notified by post or forgotten about?

That's a smart question, rabatsa. I would love to hear from any members who haven't heard by next week - by e-mail or post. It might just be enough (as anoter example of poor governance) to get a follow-up in The Telegraph. But you will be pleased to here that members who have received the e-mail - but were not aware of the 'problems' - stared looking for answers and Google served them up with the tho threads on here - and led some to the FB Group. Nice little boost it's iven to the membership and some interesting answers to the 'why do you want to join the Group' questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/membersBHS/

 

[honetpot]

So the few members who have lodged email addresses with the society have been given 21 days notice of a meeting but what about the many members who are unaware of anything amiss? Will they be notified by post or forgotten about?

I have no idea how they will get around this, one of the reasons given for the timing of GM's has been publishing it in British Horse and i expected the notice to be sent in the bumph in the last issue. So members should, get a mailing as well.

There is also an issue of how many members are entitled to vote, under the Companies Act, which the company has to comply with.

25 NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
25.1 Subject to article 25.3, the minimum period of notice required to hold a General Meeting is
twenty-one clear days.
25.2 The notice of General Meeting must be given or sent to all Voting Members.
25.3 A general meeting may be called by shorter notice if it is so agreed by a majority in number
of Voting Members who together hold not less than 95 percent of the total voting rights.
25.4 The accidental omission to give notice of a General Meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice
of a meeting by any Voting Member, shall not invalidate the proceedings at that General
Meeting.
25.5 The notice of General Meeting must specify the date, time and place of the General Meeting
and the general nature of the business to be transacted. The notice must also contain a
statement setting out the right of Voting Members to appoint a proxy under section 324 of
the Act and article 27.

 

[JanetGeorge]

I thought it was rather terse and grumpy. There may have only been 42 members, but that is what is allowed and how many were willing to support them?

lol, a lot more now thanks to that idiot letter. I'll bet they didn't get PR advice about the phrasing (or even legal advice which might also have been worth having.)

 

[Themis]

I thought it was rather terse and grumpy. There may have only been 42 members, but that is what is allowed and how many were willing to support them?

With the Articles of Association, only 12 signatures were required. 45 were gathered without effort.

 

[Themis]

That's a smart question, rabatsa. I would love to hear from any members who haven't heard by next week - by e-mail or post. It might just be enough (as anoter example of poor governance) to get a follow-up in The Telegraph. But you will be pleased to here that members who have received the e-mail - but were not aware of the 'problems' - stared looking for answers and Google served them up with the tho threads on here - and led some to the FB Group. Nice little boost it's iven to the membership and some interesting answers to the 'why do you want to join the Group' questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/membersBHS/

Here's a good new post from the FB page -
Have you ever wondered how your membership fee is spent? BHS members enjoy useful insurance cover (through SEIB) which is part of what we pay for. Many members join for this reason alone. You give £69 for gold membership, which if you are eligible, gets made up to £86 with Gift Aid. Of that £86, only around £9 goes to the insurance provider for your actual insurance. That seems like a fair deal. However, that leaves £77 for the BHS. Do we, as members, really know how this money is used? Accounts are published in arrears and are virtually indecipherable. Detailed information, like the cost of the lorries, puppets, IT systems, Non Disclosure Agreements, exhibiting at Badminton, etc are all hidden. There is little transparency. Communication is one way and top down. These are the primary reasons I have no confidence in the leadership. And even if the faces change in the coming election, this is the way it has been for years. The faces might change but I doubt if the attitudes and behaviours will change. This is built in with the bricks. The system needs to change! And the vote of no confidence on 11 June, while it may be deemed a ‘political statement’ creates a public mandate from members for change and sets the new Board to that task.

 

[Themis]

Another good post this time about Proxy votes from the FB page -
Ben Thomas (Mi-Voice)

17 May, 10:42 BST

Dear Patricia

In order for a proxy vote to be valid, the member who wishes to appoint a proxy must complete either the online or postal form, selecting either the Chair or another person who is attending the meeting. The member can stipulate how the member is to vote or leave it to their proxy’s discretion.

On the day of the meeting, in order for the proxy vote to be counted, the named proxy must approach the Mi-Voice registration desk before the meeting commences so that they can be provided with their voting instructions. This will be done in the form of a paper ballot which the proxy will then need to place in the ballot box in order for those votes to be counted.

I trust this makes sense. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Yours sincerely

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

So the few members who have lodged email addresses with the society have been given 21 days notice of a meeting but what about the many members who are unaware of anything amiss? Will they be notified by post or forgotten about?

I had the email yesterday, today in the post is the same, with postal voting details as per the email.

 

[Surbie]

That's a smart question, rabatsa. I would love to hear from any members who haven't heard by next week - by e-mail or post. It might just be enough (as anoter example of poor governance) to get a follow-up in The Telegraph.

I have BHS emails on my safe list as I have a huge amount of junk coming in. BUT the email with the EGM notice comes from mi-voice, not from the BHS. That got sent to the junk folder. I bet other people miss it.

 

[Themis]

Another good post from the FB page about the meeting on 11 June - It gives members a public platform to re-state their concerns (why we have no confidence) and to state what they want from the new Chair and Board. It can be an effective way of assessing where we are as a society, drawing a line under the past and moving forward.

 

[ECB]

Another good post from the FB page about the meeting on 11 June - It gives members a public platform to re-state their concerns (why we have no confidence) and to state what they want from the new Chair and Board. It can be an effective way of assessing where we are as a society, drawing a line under the past and moving forward.

I agree with Themis. Members and potential members- I urge you all to vote in person or by a proxy. This general meeting, though it may appear unpleasant, is a way forward. Clear the air and let's go on from there.

 

[Themis]

And another good post from FB -

 

[ConnecticutYankee]

Seems a lot of BHS members have not received the email or hard copy letter enabling them to confirm attendance at the general meeting (vote of no confidence) or to send a proxy vote. It you have not received your letter, please contact BHS Headquarters urgently.

 

[windand rain]

I got mine but have not a clue as to who to appoint as proxy as I am not able to attend it all seems very underhand why can we not vote on line

 

[ConnecticutYankee]

I got mine but have not a clue as to who to appoint as proxy as I am not able to attend it all seems very underhand why can we not vote on line

If it would help I can post tomorrow the contact info on people who will carry proxy votes. I am one such volunteer. You can pm me if you wish.