RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY REPORT OF WORKING PARTY REVIEW OF AGM FORMAT AND GROUP REPRESENTATION
Background to AGM Review
Group Circular GC 943 (issued in September 2023) informed Groups and Branches that a Working Party was being established, to include a few local Group nominees, to review options for for the format of the National AGM from October 2025 onwards. This was in reponse to Remitted Motion A17/22 from the 2022 AGM which had called for the EC to consider having alternate years of an on-line AGM and in-person meeting.
The Executive Council (EC) had also surveyed delegates at the October 2023 AGM on their views to inform the review. The results of the Delegates survey was circulated to Groups and Branches as an Annex to Group Circular GC 947 (issued in December 2023).
The scope of the Working Party review was extended by the EC in December 2023 to also consider the represesentation base of the AGM, now that so many members in England and Wales were no longer allocated to a local Group due to local Group closures.
In England Regions there were now 52% of members allocated to an Open Group; and 47% in `No Group`; in Wales there were 17% of Wales members in a Group and 83% in `No Group`, as only the North Wales Group was still active. Overall it means that there are over half of CSPA members in England and Wales who are not represented by a Group delegate at the National AGM.
In both the Northern Ireland Branch and Scotland Branch all members are in a single Branch with no local Groups , so all members have direct access to the Branch officers for input to the AGM.
The AGM Working Party met on three occassions: 16 January; 3 April; and 16 May.
Composition of Working Party
Les Calder (EC member and South-West Region Representative) – Chair
Mike Buckley (Sheffield & District Group)
Susan Hennah-Barham (EC member and Eastern Region Representative)
Wilson McDonald (EC member and Scotland Branch Chair)
John McLaughlin (Bedford Group)
Tony McMullan (Northern Ireland Branch Secretary)
Les Priestley (National EC Representative)
John Thompson (Norfolk Group)
Mike Sparham (National Treasurer)
David Luxton (Deputy General Secretary) – Secretary
Terms of Reference
The agreed Terms of Reference of the Working Party were as follows:
- Review the current purpose and format of the National AGM and consider alternative options including: an on-line virtual AGM; or a hybrid option combining an in-person and on-line AGM; taking account of the survey of delegates at the 2023 AGM (as attached as annex to GC 947/23); and other comments received.
- Consider the extent to which members views are represented at the AGM, taking account of recent analysis showing a high proportion of members who are not allocated to a local Group; and consider alternative models of Group representation at the AGM;
- Review the extent of membership involvement and engagement with the AGM process and timetable of nominations and motions from local Groups as set out in the current Rules and Constitution and consider how membership participation and engagement can be improved, including on-line options, and suggest any recommendations for change.
- Prepare a Report and recommendations for consideration by the Executive Council meeting on 18 April 2024.”
Consultation with Groups, Branches, and individual members
The first meeting of the Working Party, on 16 January, considered a wide range of
issues and options to address, and agreed to seek the views of Groups and Branches,
and individual members on the issues under review.
Group Circular 949, issued in late January 2024, announced the composition of the
Working Party, with Group representation, and invited Groups and Branches to submit their views on the format of future AGMs, to help inform the recommendations of the review. A request for members views was also published in the Spring issue of The Pensioner in March.
Comments were received from 10 Groups, and some individual members. Thank you to all the Groups and individual members who provided comments on the issues being considered by this review. All the comments received were then considered by the AGM Working Party on 3 April, and interim recommendations were put to the Executive Council on 17 April.
The EC then asked the Working Party to reconsider some of the recommendations, which were considered by the Working Party on 16 May, and led to revised final recommendations being presented to the EC in June, and endorsed by the F&GPC meeting on 20 June for circulation to Groups and Branches, prior to the 5 July deadline for submitting motions to the October National AGM.
It was agreed to issue this short summary of the Review with the Final Recommendations and publish the full final report on the members` area of the
CSPA website.
Summary of Final Recommendations
Recommendation 1.
The AGM format should continue to be in-person physical event and not a virtual on-line meeting;
Recommendation 2.
The AGM should continue to be held each year and not every two years (subject to overiding cost considerations);
Revised Recommendation 3.
The Working Party recommend that the keynote speeches at the AGM (of the GS address; and key Guest Speakers) should be video recorded, subject to value for money, and uploaded to the CSPA Website for member viewing.
Revised Recommendation 4.
Holding a one day AGM in a central City was considered but was ruled out due to the costs of hotel accommodation that would still be required which would negate any savings compared to the current arrangements ; and would lose the networking contacts between delegates at the AGM
Revised Recommendation 5.
The Working Party recommends steps to improve the existing opportunity for members not covered by a local Group or Branch to attend and participate in the AGM by funding a number of individual delegate places, at the discretion of the EC, in addition to the existing right of any member not covered by a local Group or Branch to attend the AGM at their own expense. The number of funded places would have to be limited on cost grounds as determined by the EC each year.
The Working Party noted that the EC would be putting a Rule change, as recommended by the EC`s Constitution Working Party, to the 2024 AGM in a an
EC motion in line with Recommendation 5.
The Working Party concluded that the above recommendations would not require a policy motion to the AGM, other than the proposed Rule change. The full Report of the AGM Working Party will be available to read in the Members` area of the CSPA website: www.cspa.co.uk Should you have any questions or need clarifications about any aspect of the contents of this Group Circular, please do not hesitate to contact me by email: david.luxton@cspa.co.uk
