What's happening at Member Group level, folks? Outside SW London, I mean. With the debate appearing in Cycle, it's a good moment to step up your efforts. I've been finding that a post of User's from the CTC forum has been coming in handy for summarising the issues with undecided or apathetic members (possibly handier in this context, if Simon will forgive me, than the savethectc blog, which I think works better as an information source for those already wary of the proposal). Hope User will excuse me copying it below:
As some of you may know, I am on CTC Council and I was asked to sit on the Governance Working Group, which was supposed to look at all the options for the CTC's future shape and status. One reason I was asked to do this is that I used to work in the charitable sector (I was Deputy Chief Executive of two national charities) and I am the only person on Council with a formal qualification in charity management (I have the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators Certificate in Charity Management).
I went into my work with an open mind. I could understand the potential benefits to members of CTC having a unified structure. However, I was also mindful of the very real problems that such changes could bring, particularly if rushed into.
The Governance Working Group was supposed to be given the chance to do some 'blue sky' thinking and to look at all the options. Council and National Office were supposed to be 'hands off' and give us space to do our work without undue pressure. Unfortunately, this did not happen. From the beginning, there was constant interference in our work.
CTC is a dysfunctional organisation. This has become clearer over my year on Council. We have an imbalance where the membership are disregarded and National Office concentrates its efforts on project work for government through the Trust. Whilst I can see the benefit of some of the project work, it is badly managed and often loss-making. We don't even have a proper project accounting system in place - despite this being a contractual requirement.
Significant sums of membership money (fees) have been used over the last few years to prop up loss-making projects in the Trust - somewhere in the region of £1.75 million. And we're not talking pre-approved losses - we're talking getting to the end of the year and the Club having to bail the Trust out. And this is on top of the significant sums that the Trust charges the Club for rent, services etc.
Having seen just how bad things are, I can no longer support the idea of unification at this time and I will be actively campaigning against it. The Chair of Council is trying desparately to quell any discontent by suggesting that there is 'collective responsibility' on Council. I've reminded him that we are not a political party or a local authority - we are a board of directors and we individually have responsibility to be open and honest with our 'shareholders' - the members.
This does not mean that I do not believe that it is not appropriate for the future - but at present, if we were to unify the Club and Trust, we would simply end up embedding bad practice, lack of proper governance and dysfunction. I'm sure there will be plenty of fine promises about how these issues will be addressed as part of the changes but I simply don't believe them. I want to see those changes made before any status change.
Don't forget - once the changes have been made they can't be undone.
Those opposing the changes have been promised a 'right of reply' in the next issue of Cycle... but they won't be able to see what they're replying to. There is also a website in the offing that will give CTC members the unspun figures and facts.
There's a lot of guff being given out about the benefits (in particular around Gift Aid). The figures are overstated and most of these benefits can be accessed without unification as a charity. And those benefits that members currently get through the Club will not be guaranteed in any unified charity - they will become purely discretionary.
The CTC Trust was created without reference to the members. The Club's main asset (its property) was given to the Trust without consultation with the members - and in a hurry. CTC's staff were transferred to the Trust without consultation with the membership.
National Office and a few members of Council are trying to push through these changes without full and proper consultation with the membership. The fact that there is any consultation is only because some members of Council have insisted on it.
I'm not going to tell people how to vote on this. All I'd say is read everything you can get your hands on - and read everything with a certain degree of scepticism. Ask questions - and treat the answers you get with due caution.
Use your vote. If you can't get to the AGM then use your proxy vote. Don't forget that you can give your proxy vote to anyone - not just the Chair - and you can tell them how you want it cast.
Join us in insisting that the actual number of votes cast for any motion is recorded... this hasn't happened in the past. We've simply been told that the proxies mean that the vote has gone one way or the other - we weren't told how many were cast for or against. Transparency in voting is something the CTC is not good at.
Tell your friends. Don't forget - at present the CTC is still a membership organisation and it is for the members to decide what to do. This may be your last chance to have your say!
And as I said before... once any changes have been made, they can't be undone. If we don't get it right, we're screwed!
). What would be the latest I could join and take part in any vote - or is it already too late? If so I may hold off joining until this is all finished and decide whether to join based on the outcome.
