03/03/2009 09:37:00
Members of the YHA National Council convened for an Extraordinary General Meeting in Birmingham on Saturday 21st February.
The meeting considered three motions that, taken together, would have led to changes in the Memorandum and Articles of the Company. The proposed changes would have enabled the election of a smaller board with its members directly elected by the Council.
At the end of the debate a ballot was taken and, despite each motion attracting majority support, the motion to make the necessary amendments to the Articles fell short of the 75% majority required for it be adopted. As a result, the changes could not be enacted.
Whilst most members of Council support the need for a smaller board, the key issues raised were the number of terms trustees could serve and the renewal process during a period of governance change. There was also concern that these proposals were only about board size and did not address the future of the regions and Wales.
Whilst governance reform continues to be important, we will take time to consider our next steps. We will also take into account feedback from the Wales pilot forums which are still continuing.
I’m pleased to say that several Trustees who had indicated their wish not to stand for the new Board are willing to stay at least until the 2009 AGM.
At a meeting of the Trustees after the close of EGM, it was unanimously agreed that the priority of the Board is to be solidly behind the CEO and the Executive team as they guide YHA through these difficult and challenging economic times.
Chris Darmon, YHA Chairman