ROYAL AIR FORCE POLICE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA KEGWORTH HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE 1 ST APRIL :30 FOR 14:00

Transcription

1 ROYAL AIR FORCE POLICE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA KEGWORTH HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE 1 ST APRIL :30 FOR 14:00 Opening of the meeting Act of Commemoration Apologies Approval of the 2016 AGM minutes Chairman s Report Treasurer s Report Secretary s Report Membership Secretary s Report Election of Officers (to include co-option voting) Election of Trustees Election of Auditor Consideration of Business submitted to the meeting RAF Police update (by courtesy of the PM / DPM) Location and date of the 2018 AGM Closing remarks and closure of the meeting

2 RAF Police Association 2017 AGM Proposals PROPOSAL 1: Nomination to the post of National Chairman It is proposed that Alan Mitchell (member no. 1050) be appointed as National Chairman of the Royal Air Force Police Association in accordance with the requirements of Rule 9(1) of the Association Constitution and Rules with effect from this 2017 Annual General Meeting Alan joined the RAF in 1973 and served in the Royal Air Force Police for 23 years before taking voluntary redundancy in 1996 having attained the rank of Sergeant. During his service, Alan was stationed at numerous units on the UK mainland, on a 2 year tour of Northern Ireland, HQ NAVSOUTH and P&SS Gibraltar. Alan has been involved with the RAF Police Association for some 21 years, having joined at the inaugural meeting of the Mid & South Wales Branch in Having been Vice Chairman for the past two years, Alan has gained valuable experience as an Executive Council member and now believes that the time is right for him to move forward and take the RAF Police Association towards the next decade. Proposed by T.E. Hellewell Seconded by K Claxton PROPOSAL 2: Nomination to the post of National Treasurer It is proposed that Jeremy Fenton be appointed to the post of RAF Police Association National Treasurer. Jeremy has undertaken this role since being co-opted at the October 2016 Executive Council Meeting. Proposed by M Thornton Seconded by P Todd PROPOSAL 3: Nomination to the post on the Association Board of Trustees It is proposed that John Armfield is re-elected at the 2017 AGM to serve another 4 years on the Association Board of Trustees. John first joined the Association in 2002 initially as a member of the East Midlands Branch until his relocation to France. He was instrumental in founding St Michael s Branch and was elected as Branch Chairman in 2015 a position he still holds following his re-election in 2016.

3 At the 2016 AGM he was elected to the Board of Trustees for a period of 1 year to fill a vacancy created by the premature relinquishment of office of an existing Trustee. Although resident in France, he has shown that he is able to fully discharge his responsibilities by both attending meetings held in the UK and the power of the internet. John is fully committed to the furtherance of the RAFPA and its members. In recognition of his service to both St Michael s Branch and to the Association as a whole he is the co-recipient of the Alan Rusling Memorial Award for Proposed by S C Lamacraft MA Seconded by N Rusling PROPOSAL 4: Nomination to the post of Webmaster. It is proposed that Mike Thornton be re-elected to the post of Association Webmaster/Moderator. The position of RAF Police Association Webmaster was created at the 2015 Annual General Meeting with the position being taken up by Mike Thornton. The 2016 Annual General Meeting of the RAF Police Association established that the position of Webmaster as an annually elected post of the Association. Proposed by AP Shaw Seconded by TE Hellewell PROPOSAL 5: Establishment of Webmaster to sit as a member of the Executive Council It is proposed that the Constitution and Rules of the Association (Rule 43(1)) be amended to include the underlined text and formalise the post of Webmaster as a member of the Executive Council. The Association Webmaster shall be elected by the members at AGM and sit as a member of the Executive Council Mike Thornton BSc was elected to the post of Association Webmaster/Moderator for and on behalf of the RAF Police Association with effect the date of the 2015 AGM and such appointee shall at all times be accountable to the National Executive Council Officers and shall conform to the laid down terms and conditions applicable thereof. Proposed by AP Shaw Seconded by TE Hellewell PROPOSAL 6: Distribution of the Provost Parade It is proposed that the discriminatory and financially unnecessary 2016 decision to impose a 2.00 charge for the provision of the Provost Parade be reversed and monies received to date be refunded to ensure reinstatement of the status quo.

4 Members took the decision at the 2016 Annual General Meeting to implement a charge to those members wishing to receive the Provost Parade in hard copy format. A charge of 2.00 per copy was determined to be appropriate to cover the cost of postage and packaging of each issue. Those making the proposal did so without consulting the Treasurer who would have provided the following information (a) that the cost of postage and packaging are already a consideration in determining the level of membership subscription and (b) that there is no requirement for the level of subscription to be increased with all the Associations current and foreseeable costs being within current levels of income. All members joined the Association with the understanding that they would receive a membership card and copies of the Griff and Provost Parade. The Provost Parade is freely available to members with internet access and so the decision taken in 2016 discriminates against those without this capacity in effect creating a dual membership subscription and further begs the question of why there is no charge for the postage of the Griff. Collection of the 2.00 has added an additional level of complexity to the Treasurer s role in having to account for the payments and to produce the Provost Parade mailing lists. Proposed by M Thornton Seconded by B Flinn PROPOSAL 7: Equity Statement It is proposed that with effect from this 2017 Annual General Meeting the Royal Air Force Police Association Constitution & Rules be amended to include the following Equity Statement. The Association is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy the Association in an environment which is free from the threat of intimidation, harassment and abuse The amendment could be placed within the Constitution and Rules at Rule 3 Objects. The current paragraph 3 could then be numbered as 3(1) and this addition being numbered as 3(2). Proposed by W White Seconded by M Johnston PROPOSAL 8: Rules Extending the timescale for the completion of the review of the Constitution and It is proposed that, due to the original timescale to complete items (2) and (3) as detailed below being underestimated, the time limit be extended to bring the result to the 2018 AGM

5 It was proposed that with effect from the 2016 Annual General Meeting: (1) The RAFPA Constitution Rules & Regulations be extracted from the Admin Handbook and displayed on the website as a distinct item with the Documentation Custodians Brian Flinn and Alan Shaw maintaining a watching brief on such document updates accordingly. (2) During the course of 2016, the Constitution Rules & Regulations be reviewed with a view to amending and simplification as considered necessary ad presented for approval by the membership at the 2017 AGM. (3) The Executive Council be requested to review and simplify as considered necessary the Administration Guidance aspects contained within the remainder of the Admin Handbook, having regard to the best use of the medium of the website. Item (1) has been completed. Proposed by B Flinn Seconded by AP Shaw PROPOSAL 9: Quorum requirements at ECM It is proposed that the 50% quorum requirements for meetings of the Executive Council be abolished and replaced by the requirement for Executive Council decisions to be determined by a simple majority decision by those EC members in attendance at the meeting. In recent years age, illness, travel distance and venue locations have made it increasingly difficult to ensure that sufficient members of the Executive Council attend meetings of the council to fulfil the current 50% Quorum requirements. The ECM is crucial to the management of the Association and it is essential that all meetings are productive. This has become increasingly difficult to maintain and may in future not be possible if the 50% Quorum requirement remains intact. Proposed by M Thornton Seconded by J Fenton PROPOSAL 10: Nomination to the post of National Secretary It is proposed that Jeremy Fenton be appointed to the post of RAF Police Association National Secretary Jeremy has undertaken the duties of National Secretary since being co-opted into the role at the April 2016 ECM. Proposed by D Budd Seconded by M Thornton

6 PROPOSAL 11: The wearing of RAFP Armbands by RAFPA members It is proposed that the membership of the RAF Police Association vote to accept the inclusion of the current pattern RAFP Armband/Brassard as an item that may be worn at official RAFPA events or where a member is representing the RAFPA in an official capacity and shall only be worn where the individual members attending the event concerned have chosen to do so. There shall be no compulsion for any attendee at any official RAFPA event to wear the armband if they do not wish to do so. The October 2016 ECM discussed the subject of the wearing of RAFP armband at official RAFPA events or by individuals representing the RAFPA, which had subsequently been granted approval by the PM and MOD in advance of it being discussed with the EC and the membership. At the October 2016 ECM it was made clear amongst those present that this process was seen as flawed and that the subject should have been put to the membership in advance of any official approval for wearing this item of uniform being sought. The overarching opinion of the EC was that the subject should once and for all be put forward to the membership to vote on at the 2017 AGM. Proposed by J Fenton Seconded by M Thornton PROPOSAL 12: (Proposal 12 has been withdrawn). PROPOSAL 13: Amendment to Standard Branch Regulations It is proposed that Standard Branch Regulation 10(8) be amended to read: The power to amend or repeal the Regulations shall be vested in the Association Executive Council The Standard Branch Regulations (SBRs) were adopted at the 1994 Association Annual General Meeting in anticipation of Regional Branches being formed and have remained, in the main, unchanged since then. The authority to amend the SBRs lays with a General Meeting of the Association vide SBR 10(8). When the formation of the St Michael s Branch was first suggested, it was recognised that due to its Virtual nature, it would not be able to conform to the SBRs and that a set of hybrid Branch Regulations would need to be framed in the spirit of the SBR s. The St. Michael s Branch Regulations have been in place since the inception of the Branch and have been framed in such a manner that they can be adapted for use by any Virtual Branch. Retrospective permission was given at the 2016 Association General Meeting for these Virtual Regulations with Association Rule 26(2) (Branches) being amended to read: The Branch shall be administered in accordance with the Standard Branch Regulations of the Association and the Association Administrative Handbook; in the circumstances that the Branch is

7 Virtual by nature it shall be administered in such a manner as mutually agreed by the Association Executive Council and the Branch There now exists an anomaly in that the SBRs can only be amended at an Association AGM but the Virtual Branch Regulations can be amended by the Executive Council. It is therefore suggested that SBR 10(8) be amended to allow SBRs to also be amended by the Council, the rational being; 1. There would be a level playing field for all Branches be they physical or virtual. 2. The process of reviewing the Association Rules and Regulations will be speeded up. 3. Valuable AGM time & resources can be used on other matters. Proposed by N Rusling Seconded by B Flinn PROPOSAL 14: Proposals for consideration at General Meetings It is proposed that all proposals shall be submitted to a General Meeting shall be subject to the following requirements: 1. Proposals shall only be submitted by Paid up Full Members of the Association and shall be prepared and so submitted in written form within any period stipulated by the National Secretary prior to said meeting. 2. Each proposal shall be submitted singly and duly signed on the original by both the Proposer and Seconder. The National Secretary may require said original to be forwarded within the specified time frame or, by on line copy previously sent, with the original handed over prior to the commencement of the relevant meeting. 3. Proposals shall be prepared in two parts: Part 1 shall contain the full wording of the proposal to be adopted with Part 2 defining the specific reasons for the proposal (failure to define said reasons will automatically nullify such proposal accordingly). 4. Either the Proposer or the Seconder must be present at the said meeting before such proposals can be heard and/or voted upon by the assembled members. The Chair of the meeting may agree separate procedures for proposals emanating from outside mainland Britain before such meeting commences. Parts 1&2 specifically, as above, and/or otherwise in general terms, simply clarify the current procedures but additionally, introduce procedures that ensure members from outside of mainland Britain can legitimately submit proposals without the expense of travelling to comply with these rules. The reason introduces the thinking and aims of the proposal. However, all too often in the past, Branch Committee members have had to guess at the purpose of a proposal and then had to offer guidance to their membership based on their own interpretation which, more often than not, amounted to pure guesswork. It should also be remembered that some members do not attend meetings.

8 It is suggested that the National Secretary should refuse to accept any Proposals that are not supported by reasons. The vast majority of votes at AGM are carried by the proxy votes with in the past no reasons being given for such a decision. The discussions held at the meeting will often produce ideas that have not been presented to those voting by proxy and will consequently swing the meeting vote in the opposite direction frequently quite dramatically. Such swings must indicate quite clearly that the proposal may have a highly questionable result for the Association if adopted. In essence, the presence of the Proposer and Seconder at the meeting (or a representative agreed with the Chair) means there is someone who can withdraw that proposal if they are satisfied that it is in the interests of the Association to do so. Finally, the requirement for the presence of the proposers at a meeting, is in common with many organisations, is a worldwide accepted procedure, and always provides the means whereby withdrawals and alternative actions can be initiated. Proposed by R. Laver Seconded by AP Shaw