AGM

[Michael Ashton]

My wife spotted a small notice in the Mail on Friday that the AGM will be held on Thursday 13th August in the Raiders Bar. I don't think a notice has been given anywhere else including the official web site.  

 

I thought that it had been decided and included in the Constitution to make as many Debenture Holders aware as possible. This poor notice is exactly what happened when I was on the Board and the result was that only about 20 people turned up. THERE ARE NOW A LOT MORE DEBENTURE HOLDERS.

 

I do feel that supporters were good enough to take debentures when the club was in very bad need of funds. I think it is only right to make those same debenture holders aware of when an AGM is to be held. The choice is then their's whether to attend or not.

 

I do think this matter needs addressing or the club will again be accused of running a 'closed shop'

[Deep]

Totally agree Micheal, I recall a certain former Director now Director kicking up such a fuss (see this forum EGM 24th September 2014, page 5) when the EGM on the Articles of Association was called with the only notification being in the Evening Mail, times have moved on and not many people buy the Evening Mail these days, the least the Club could do is announce on the Club website an AGM has been called on XYZ stating the legal notification will appear, has appeared in the Public Notices of the Evening Mail, then it is up to the Debenture Holders to read the Evening Mail. The Club seem to favour using Facebook, Twitter to promote,inform the fans, Debenture Holders of all other events regarding the Club why not the AGM.

[Alias]

This was posted on the BARROW RAIDERS WEBSITE , under LATEST NEWS , on Thursday before being published in the mail on Friday

BARROW RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB

THURSDAY 9 JULY 2015

BARROW RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB

NOTICE TO MEMBERS AND SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

Nominations are invited from debenture holders and season ticket holders (defined as those individuals holding a fully paid season ticket for the 2015 season) for Directors of the company. Prescribed nomination forms are now available upon request from the Club Secretary at BRLFC 78 Scott Street Barrow-in-Furness.

Completed nomination forms must be logged with the Club Secretary at the above address no later than 12 noon on Thursday 30th July 2015.

AGM FOR DEBENTURE HOLDERS ONLY WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY 13TH AUGUST 2015 AT 7.00P.M.

RAIDERS BAR CRAVEN PARK.

K.S. Heighton

Club Secretary

9th August 2015

[Plan of Attack]

 

This was posted on the BARROW RAIDERS WEBSITE , under LATEST NEWS , on Thursday before being published in the mail on Friday

BARROW RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB

THURSDAY 9 JULY 2015

BARROW RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB

NOTICE TO MEMBERS AND SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

Nominations are invited from debenture holders and season ticket holders (defined as those individuals holding a fully paid season ticket for the 2015 season) for Directors of the company. Prescribed nomination forms are now available upon request from the Club Secretary at BRLFC 78 Scott Street Barrow-in-Furness.

Completed nomination forms must be logged with the Club Secretary at the above address no later than 12 noon on Thursday 30th July 2015.

AGM FOR DEBENTURE HOLDERS ONLY WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY 13TH AUGUST 2015 AT 7.00P.M.

RAIDERS BAR CRAVEN PARK.

K.S. Heighton

Club Secretary

9th August 2015

&

Will this include statement of accounts ect?

[Campeze]

Give us a break guys. Been busy this week only just had chance to put it on FB. That small ad in the mail cost £120.

Yeah it's a full AGM with elections of directors and the accountant will be there to answer questions of the accounts etc

I really hope we can coax some people to the board who want to improve the club with like minded thinking and hard work. Not just talkers and hot air.

[Michael Ashton]

I do apologize Alias. I must have have missed that. I'll blame my eye sight. 

I just hope that there is a decent turnout and I totally agree with the last para of your message Pete.

Every supporter should realize that this is the one chance to see and hear of the financial situation and hear of the BOD plans for the coming year. An attendance of only 20-25 is so disappointing when you are among those charged with running the club.

 

Having said all that I'm on holiday on 13th August.

[atp]

The AOA state "Notice of Anual General Meetings, Extraordinary General Meetings to e in writing (National and Local Press) also on clubs website, Facebook, Twitter, And Fans Forum.

This has just took me less than five minutes to post.

Seeing that a small sub-comittee took a lot of there free time over a period of three months last year putting the Articles together, to be ratified at the meeting last September I would have thought the procedure could have been carried out more professionally.

[lifer]

Moan, moan, moan if anyone thinks they can do any better put your name forward, no matter what the club, players or fans try to do some people are never happy.

[Campeze]

The AOA state "Notice of Anual General Meetings, Extraordinary General Meetings to e in writing (National and Local Press) also on clubs website, Facebook, Twitter, And Fans Forum.

This has just took me less than five minutes to post.

Seeing that a small sub-comittee took a lot of there free time over a period of three months last year putting the Articles together, to be ratified at the meeting last September I would have thought the procedure could have been carried out more professionally.

The notice has to be posted 21 days prior to the meeting. This has been done. My apologies if it wasn't done to your professional standards Alan, as you know with the exception of the club sec we're all volunteers, giving up our time!

It would be completely fruitless and frivolous to spend thousands of pounds placing an advert for the AGM in the national press.

Your post here and several others you've posted are a prime example of what I mentioned above. If you want to do something productive and practical to help the club move on, now is a chance to step up and help.

The club needs do-ers. It's easy to find fault!

[bangbang]

Isnt 5 weeks notice long enough? Unless you have work commitments or away on holiday then surely if you wanted to be there then 1 weeks notice would be long enough to make arrangements to make it.

Murph keep up the good work.

[atp]

The option to post notice of meetings in the national press or any other place laid down in the AOA are not yours or the boards to make. The members voted and passed the Articles that state it must be done.

As a point of order if you decide to disregard the procedure laid down in the articles any member present can call the meeting void.

There are over 1600 debenture holders listed all over the country and abroad, not to give these members the option of attending is a disgrace, the club took there money when selling debentures.

There are some things the club can't skimp on and AGM's are one of them. It is not a case of moaning for the sake of it it's a point of running a business properly.

As stated above there are over 1600 debenture holders registered to just put a very small add in the local paper is not good enough, as is holding the meeting in the Raiders Bar in my opinion what are the plans if over 75 people turn up as that is the number the Raiders Bar can hold as far as I am aware?

As far as doing something productive and practical you are not aware of everything going on in the club, for example I was one of the sub-committee that revised the articles along with three other very good committed volunteers. I also have spent the last 10 months putting the debenture list onto computer with the idea of making it a lot easier to check at meetings and have requested three times for the club to request members to send there present details including e-mail address so as the club can contact members via e-mail which in turn would help avoid costly adds in the press as less and less people are using the press for news and information which they agreed to yet still no notice has been placed by the board?

Just to inform you Peter that your name is not on the debenture list so the question is how did you gain access to the debenture holders meeting at the Lizdoonie? Also did you vote on any items?

If this is a clerical error I apologise to you Peter in advance.

Some people do work for the club and say nothing, some people do work for the club and like everyone to know about it.

[livo]

I certainly don't proclaim to know anything about the AOA Alan but as a debenture holder, I would of been ###### to find out if the club had wasted hundreds of pounds advertising in the National Press. How do you that the club secretary hasn't wrote to these debenture holders who live far and wide.

[atp]

I understand what your saying Livo, dose it mean that if you live outside the Furness area you are less entitled to know about meetings? It is down in the articles that this MUST be the procedure followed.

I would imagine that writing to debenture holders who are outside the area would cost considerably more than an advertisement in the press.

There are a considerable number of debenture holders live outside the area, and are fully entitled to be given notice of meetings.

As I stated previouse I have been working on putting the debenture book onto computer and obtaining as many e-mail addresses as possible so as when meetings are called the secretary can e-mail as many members as possible to inform them of meetings etc, this would reduce costs considerably but untill I can complete the list with help from the club the present procedure must be followed as stated in the Articles.

As a business you can not register AOA at companies house stating the procedure the business intends to follow then for whatever reasons you decide at the time ignore them, if anyone at the club thinks they can I would advise they talk to the clubs solicitor.

[soss]

deleted

[Michael Ashton]

I agree with every word Alan. Four of us were specifically asked by the BOD to completely go through the AoA and we agreed to do so. We spent a considerable amount of time in going through every single clause on the Articles. For anybody who has not seen the articles this is a very big job. Our amended draft was sent back to the BOD who put it to the Clubs solicitors. A fresh draft was then compiled and an exrtra ordinary general meeting was held. I could not attend because I was in hospital but as far as I'm aware the AoA were passed by the debenture holders present. One of the sections contained details of how AGMs must be called.

 

I am no a moaner and never have been but I do expect things to be done properly. I'm a volunteer like every body else but my time is valuable to me and I don't like it wasted.

[Campeze]

ok, so just to clarify. Let me ask a straight question:

 

Do you think the club should spend £4000-£5000 announcing the AGM in the national newspapers?

 

Yes or No?

[Michael Ashton]

With respect pete why was this not brought up at the Extraordinary General Meeting.

[Flying whinger]

ok, so just to clarify. Let me ask a straight question:

Do you think the club should spend £4000-£5000 announcing the AGM in the national newspapers?

Yes or No?

I'll answer the bloody question if it's that hard......... Absolutely NO

[Penno]

No is the obvious answer, but it appears from what some are saying that it is written in the AoA.

I would say that the AoA need to reflect the world with live in now where more people read the internet than buy newspapers, not sure how this would need to be done though.

Regards Penno

[Phil. K]

I could not make the meeting to vote in the new AoA so it's hard to comment on why no one thought to ask about the idea of wasting money having to put notices in the national press but if that is what it says then that is what should happen full stop! Or the BoD would be no better than what we have had in the past . . . . .

[Alias]

Or the BoD would be no better than what we have had in the past . . . . .

You are surely joking ??????

No better than what we've had in the past ???

"Sigh"

[atp]

I think the board or commercial manager are getting carried away with the issue of advertising in the national press!

If they did some homework they would find an advert in ONE national newspaper would be sufficient.

The statement of thousands of pounds being needed is absolute rubbish.

The League Express, and Rugby Leaguer are both national newspapers an add in either one would do.

The board will have a good idea through costs of adds for coaches in the past

The AOA state it is required, previouse boards have done it without a problem.

[Deep]

Taken from the Articles of Association adopted by EGM 24th September 2014 and filed at Companies House 10th October 2014.

Notices.

Article 64, Notices requiring to be served by the Company upon the Members may be served either personally, or by leaving the same, or sending them through the post in letters addressed to the members at their last registered place of abode or business.

Article 65, The Registered Office of the Company shall be considered as the address of every Member who causes no other address within the United Kingdom to be registered.

Article 66. Any notice if served by post shall be deemed to have been served at the time when the letter containing the same would be delivered in ordinary course of the post, and in providing such service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice was properly addressed to a Member at his last registered place of abode or business with the United Kingdom, and put in the post.

Article 67, All notices required by the Act to be given by advertisement shall be advertised in one or more newspapers circulating nationally as the Directors shall think proper as well as in a local newspaper covering the Barrow in Furness area.

Unless an Article is amended the Club should follow the above mentioned Articles.

If a Member wishes an Article to be amended for any reason it should be raised at the AGM for the Members to vote on, whether it can be raised on the night or has to be in writing to the club secretary prior the AGM I am unsure a quick phone call to the Club Secretary will answer that question.

[lifer]

This may sound a stupid question, but if this was advertised in the north west evening mail(local press) which in turn is put on to said newspapers website, would this then not make it national or even international press...Just a thought...

Gaz...

[Red Stripe]

Very small turnout from the debenture holders tonight.