13-04-2022, 11:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 16-04-2022, 08:07 AM by David Deary.
Edit Reason: Condensed Proposal - less is more
)
Hi All,
I feel as an individual member of Chess Scotland that it is necessary to call a Special General Meeting (SGM) under section 13.2 of the Chess Scotland constitution with the object of good governance. Over the last two to three years, it has been necessary for governance to be looser for the association to be resilient to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. This has meant that decisions have been taken by Management Board (MB) that would normally be made by the members at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Council meeting. Three such examples are below but this list should not be considered exhaustive:
It should be noted that I have no animus towards any elected officers, they are volunteers and I have no doubt that their motivations are pure. However, it is important that Chess Scotland as a members association is governed for the members as per the rules laid out in the constitution.
The Association's focus should be on the recovery of chess following the pandemic. A lack of communication and an absence of virtual meetings over the last two years has led to a disconnect between the Management Board and the membership. We need to press the reset button as an association and I do hope this SGM and subsequent AGM allows us to do that in part.
I propose the following motion for consideration at the SGM:
I am posting this here to give fellow members a chance to input to the motion. My intent is for this SGM and subsequent AGM to be a hybrid format with attendees in person in a covid-19 secure venue and online. This will cater for both those that live far from the venue or those who are understandably nervous about the covid-19 situation.
The formal request for an SGM will be made on Monday 18th April with the support of 9 other like minded Chess Scotland members and the necessary £100 (I've got it covered) to bring this meeting about. I am keen to seek feedback from my fellow members and I am open to suggestions on this thread, via private message on the forum or via email - david.deary at gmail.com (the at rather than @ is to hopefully avoid spam).
One last thing, I would be happy to withdraw this SGM, if the Chess Scotland Management Board sets a date for an AGM. I would even make a donation of the £100 to Chess Scotland in lieu of the SGM as a gesture of goodwill.
Thanks for reading,
David
I feel as an individual member of Chess Scotland that it is necessary to call a Special General Meeting (SGM) under section 13.2 of the Chess Scotland constitution with the object of good governance. Over the last two to three years, it has been necessary for governance to be looser for the association to be resilient to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. This has meant that decisions have been taken by Management Board (MB) that would normally be made by the members at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Council meeting. Three such examples are below but this list should not be considered exhaustive:
- Chess Scotland has not had an AGM since November 2019, it is a requirement of the constitution that an AGM should be held annually and no later than end of November.
- There has not been a Council meeting since the 2019 AGM either. According to the Information page on the CS website there are no minutes from Council meetings since March 2015 and the last meeting notice is for 25 March 2017. The Council may have met since then but there is no official record.
- Additionally, the Management Board decided to extend membership periods and not charge fees due to the inactivity of over the board chess. An appropriate decision given the pandemic but a decision that is not within their gift. Council is responsible for approving subscriptions setting under 6.3 of the Constitution. To date there has been no confirmation that Council has approved this decision.
It should be noted that I have no animus towards any elected officers, they are volunteers and I have no doubt that their motivations are pure. However, it is important that Chess Scotland as a members association is governed for the members as per the rules laid out in the constitution.
The Association's focus should be on the recovery of chess following the pandemic. A lack of communication and an absence of virtual meetings over the last two years has led to a disconnect between the Management Board and the membership. We need to press the reset button as an association and I do hope this SGM and subsequent AGM allows us to do that in part.
I propose the following motion for consideration at the SGM:
Quote:The SGM instructs the Management Board and Council to fulfil the governance required by the Constitution and set a date of before end-May 2022 for this season's AGM
I am posting this here to give fellow members a chance to input to the motion. My intent is for this SGM and subsequent AGM to be a hybrid format with attendees in person in a covid-19 secure venue and online. This will cater for both those that live far from the venue or those who are understandably nervous about the covid-19 situation.
The formal request for an SGM will be made on Monday 18th April with the support of 9 other like minded Chess Scotland members and the necessary £100 (I've got it covered) to bring this meeting about. I am keen to seek feedback from my fellow members and I am open to suggestions on this thread, via private message on the forum or via email - david.deary at gmail.com (the at rather than @ is to hopefully avoid spam).
One last thing, I would be happy to withdraw this SGM, if the Chess Scotland Management Board sets a date for an AGM. I would even make a donation of the £100 to Chess Scotland in lieu of the SGM as a gesture of goodwill.
Thanks for reading,
David