The
Trustees are
proposing an
amendment
relating to
the number of
consecutive
terms a
trustee may
serve. The
charity
trustees will
be pleased to
address any
questions
raised by
members on
this proposed
amendment
before the
AGM. The
background and
context for
the proposed
change are as
follows.
Under
our
Constitution,
based on
statutory and
regulatory
requirements,
one-third of
all elected
trustees of
UKMSA must
step down at
every AGM. Who
steps down is
determined by
who has gone
longest since
their last
election.
Additionally,
our
Constitution
states that no
trustee may
serve for more
than three
consecutive
terms (i.e. an
initial
election and
two subsequent
re-elections).
The existing
clause is
intended to
ensure that no
trustee serves
too long, thus
keeping the
Board ‘fresh’.
It ought to be
the case that
if one-third
of the
trustees step
down each
year, a ‘term’
should be
three years,
but the
reality is
that with
other natural
churn and
issues like
illness, most
UKMSA trustees
are facing
re-election
every two
years, so have
exhausted
their three
terms in
closer to six
years than
nine. Our
tenure rule is
therefore
working
against us in
a negative and
unintended way
to cause
premature
drain of
experience and
skill on the
Board. We
propose to
amend the
Constitution
to allow
trustees four
consecutive
terms instead
of three. In
considering
this
recommendation
for change,
members of
UKMSA should
be reassured
that there are
mechanisms in
the
Constitution
to remove any
trustee who is
not
discharging
their duties.
The
existing
wording and
the proposed
amendment are
set out below,
with the
changes
highlighted in
yellow.
The
existing
wording of the
Constitution
Section 16
reads:
“Any
person who
retires as a
charity
trustee by
rotation or by
giving notice
to UKMSA is
eligible for
reappointment.
A charity
trustee who
has served for three consecutive terms
may not be
reappointed
for a fourth
consecutive
term
but may be
reappointed
after an
interval of at
least three
years.”
The
amendment proposed
by the
trustees
reads:
“Any
person who
retires as a
charity
trustee by
rotation or by
giving notice
to UKMSA is
eligible for
reappointment.
A charity
trustee who
has served for four consecutive terms
may not be
reappointed
for a fifth
consecutive
term
but may be
reappointed
after an
interval of at
least three
years.”
