SMM 2021 Proposed Rule Changes
The Board considers motions 2 to 8 to be in the best interests of the Society and its Members as a whole and recommends that you vote in favour of these resolutions.
Motion 1 has been added to the Notice at the request of two Members: Peter Roffey and June Le Feuvre. The Board does not support this motion which it believes is not in the best interests of the Society and its Members as a whole.
Motion 1: |
Deferment of Motions 2, 4, 5 and 6 |
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To defer consideration of Motions 2, 4, 5 and 6 |
Motion 2: |
Board Leadership – Appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair
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Current Rules:
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10.18 The Directors shall elect one of their number (who may not be the Chief Executive Officer, nor a professional external Director, nor a former employee of the Society who has a pension with the Society) to be Chair at their first Meeting following the Annual Meeting of Members each year for a period of office to terminate at the commencement of the first Meeting of the Board following the Annual Meeting of Members held in the subsequent year provided that the Chair shall cease to hold that office if at any time he or she ceases to be a Director. |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rule 10.18 be deleted and replaced by the following Rules 10.18 (A) to 10.18 (H) below.
10.18 (A) At the first meeting of the Board following the Annual Meeting of Members each year, the Directors shall elect one of their number to be Chair of the Board for a period of office to terminate at the commencement of the first Meeting of the Board following the Annual Meeting of Members held in the subsequent year, provided that the Chair shall cease to hold that office if: (i) at any time he or she ceases to be a Director; or (ii) he or she is replaced as Chair in accordance with Rule 10.18 (E).
10.18 (B) At the first meeting of the Board following the Annual Meeting of Members each year, the Directors shall elect one of their number to be Vice-Chair of the Board for a period of office to terminate at the commencement of the first Meeting of the Board following the Annual Meeting of Members held in the subsequent year, provided that the Vice-Chair shall cease to hold that office if: (i) at any time he or she ceases to be a Director; or (ii) he or she is replaced as Vice-Chair in accordance with Rule 10.18 (F).
10.18 (C) The Board shall appoint an elected Director to act as its Chair unless no elected Director wishes to serve as the Chair or in the Board’s opinion no elected Director has the skills and experience to serve as Chair.
10.18 (D) If the Chair is an appointed Director, the Vice-Chair must be an elected Director.
10.18 (E) The Chair may be removed from office if the Secretary receives a notice signed by a majority of the Directors stating that the Chair should cease to act as Chair. In such eventuality, the Board shall elect another of its number to be Chair of the Board. The Director so elected shall then serve as Chair for the remainder of the previous Chair’s period of office, provided that the newly elected Chair shall cease to hold that office if: (i) at any time he or she ceases to be a Director; or (ii) he or she is replaced as Chair in accordance with this Rule 10.18 (E).
10.18 (F) The Vice-Chair may be removed from office if the Secretary receives a notice signed by a majority of the Directors stating that the Vice-Chair should cease to act as Vice-Chair. In such eventuality, the Board shall elect another of its number to be Vice-Chair of the Board. The Director so elected shall then serve for the remainder of the previous Vice-Chair’s period of office, provided that the newly elected Vice-Chair shall cease to hold that office if: (i) at any time he or she ceases to be a Director; or (ii) he or she is replaced as Vice-Chair in accordance with this Rule 10.18 (F).
10.18 (G) The Chair may not act as chair of a Board Committee and should not normally attend Committee meetings.
10.18 (H) The Board shall determine the roles and responsibilities of the Chair and Vice-Chair from time to time. |
Motion 3: |
Attendance
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Current Rules |
10.24 The Chief Executive shall attend every Meeting of the Board, unless requested by the Board not to do so. The Board may invite other Members of the Management Executive to attend Meetings of the Board. |
Proposed Rules: |
It is proposed that the current Rule 10.24 be deleted in its entirety.
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Current Rules |
10.26 Meetings of the Board shall be chaired by the Chair, or in their absence a Vice-Chair, or in their absence another Director who is not also the Chief Executive Officer. |
Proposed Rules: |
It is proposed that the current Rule 10.26 be deleted and replaced by the following Rule 10.26.
10.26 Meetings of the Board shall be chaired by the Chair, or in their absence a Vice-Chair, or in their absence another Director who is not also an executive Director. |
Motion 4: |
Changes to Composition of the Board of Directors
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Current Rules:
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10.1 The Board of Directors shall be comprised as follows:
10.1.1 (A) During the period before the May 2018 Annual Meeting of Members up to eight Directors, who shall be elected in accordance with election procedures approved from time to time by the Board: (i) up to four Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Guernsey; and (ii) up to four Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Jersey.
10.1.1 (B) With effect from the May 2018 Annual Meeting of Members up to six Directors, who shall be elected in accordance with election procedures approved from time to time by the Board: (i) up to three Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Guernsey; and (ii) up to three Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Jersey.
10.1.2 The Chief Executive Officer of the Society.
10.1.3 Where possible, two professional external Directors appointed by the Board to assist in achieving appropriate expertise and balance in the overall composition of the Board.
10.19 A person shall only be eligible to be a Director if they are a Member of the Society and fulfill the following criteria: (h) with the exception of: (i) the Chief Executive Officer; and (ii) any Director who already held office on the date of registration of the amendment of these Rules to include this provision (both for the purpose of ongoing eligibility and of nomination for, and taking office on re-election), (i) they are not a current employee of the Society; |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rule 10.1 be deleted and replaced proposed Rule 10.1 below.
10.1 The Board of Directors shall be comprised of up to eleven Directors: (a) six Directors who shall be elected in accordance with election procedures approved from time to time by the Board: I. three Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Guernsey; and II. three Directors elected by and from the Members of the Society resident in Jersey;
(b) up to two Members of the Management Executive may be chosen and appointed as executive Directors, at the Board’s discretion. They shall normally be the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. Any executive Director’s appointment shall be independent of his or her contract of employment and will not arise automatically on appointment to his or her executive role; and
(c) where possible, up to three appointed Directors may be chosen and appointed by the Board to provide appropriate expertise and balance on the Board. |
Current Rules:
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10.19 A person shall only be eligible to be a Director if they are a Member of the Society and fulfill the following criteria: (h) with the exception of: (i) the Chief Executive Officer; and (ii) any Director who already held office on the date of registration of the amendment of these Rules to include this provision (both for the purpose of ongoing eligibility and of nomination for, and taking office on re-election), (i) they are not a current employee of the Society; |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rule 10.19 (h) and 10.19 (i) be deleted and replaced proposed Rule 10.19 (h) below.
10.19 A person shall only be eligible to be a Director if they are a Member of the Society and fulfill the following criteria: (h) provided that, with the exception of the two appointed executive Directors, they are not current employees of the Society; |
Current Rules:
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No current Rule.
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Proposed Rules: |
It is proposed to insert the proposed Rule 10.19(p).
10.19(p) If in any year there are no candidates for election who meet the pre-engagement screening requirements referred to in Rule 10.19(k)(i) and/or the capacity requirements set out in Rule 10.19(k)(ii), then the Board may appoint a Director or Directors to fill the resulting vacancy or vacancies. However, any Director appointed under this Rule 10.19(p) may only serve for the greater of: a) one year; or b) the period ending with the annual meeting of members in the year following that Director’s appointment. The Board may only appoint one Director at a time from each Island under his Rule 10.19(p). |
Motion 5: |
Director’s Terms
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Current Rule:
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10.6 (A) Any Director elected by Members who holds office immediately before the 2018 Annual Meeting of Members shall complete their full four year term of office from the date of their election or appointment. Such individuals shall not be subject to Rule 10.6 (B).
10.6 (B) Subject to paragraph 10.6 (A) of these Rules any Director elected or appointed at or after the 2018 Annual Meeting of Members shall serve for a term of three years. Such Directors shall serve no more than four consecutive terms, or twelve years in total, and at this point should stand down for a period of at least three years before becoming eligible for election for a further term.
10.7 A professional external Director shall serve for a period of three years, subject to a review at least every twelve months and a maximum of two terms or six years. Professional external Directors may be removed from office at any time by a resolution passed by a majority of the members of the Board, and shall be remunerated in an amount (to be disclosed in the published accounts) from time to time fixed by the Board.
10.8 Any elected Director retiring under these Rules may be appointed to the Board as a professional external Director for a maximum of two terms of three years, or such shorter term as may be required to ensure that their consecutive years of service do not total more than 12 years. If appointed, when calculating consecutive years of service, any years served as an elected Director shall be included.
10.9 A professional external Director is eligible to stand for election to the Board as an elected Director. If such a person is elected, they will be classed for the purpose of these Rules as Director elected by Members in Guernsey or Jersey (as the case may be) and cease to count as a professional external Director from the date on which they take office as an elected Director. However, when calculating consecutive years of service as an elected Director, any years served as a professional external Director shall be included and their maximum period of service as a Director of either kind shall never exceed a total of twelve years. |
Proposed Rule:
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It is proposed that the current Rules 10.6 to 10.9 be deleted and replaced in their entirety by the proposed Rule 10.6 to 10.9A below.
10.6 As of the date of these Rules, no elected Director shall serve more than three consecutive terms of three years, or nine years in total. Having served the maximum term a Director must retire for a period of at least three years before becoming eligible for election for a further term.
10.7 An appointed Director may serve for a maximum period of nine years, subject to review by the Board at least every twelve months. Appointed Directors may be removed from office at any time by a resolution passed by a majority of the members of the Board. Having served the maximum term a Director must retire for a period of at least three years before becoming eligible for election for a further term.
10.8 Any elected Director retiring under these Rules may be appointed to the Board as an appointed Director for a maximum of nine years. If appointed, when calculating consecutive years of tenure, any years served as an elected Director shall be included in order to determine that Director’s remaining term.
10.9 An appointed Director is eligible to stand for election to the Board as an elected Director. If such a person is elected, they will be classed for the purpose of these Rules as Director elected by Members in Guernsey or Jersey (as the case may be) and cease to count as an appointed Director from the date on which they take office as an elected Director. However, when calculating consecutive years of service as an elected Director, any years served as an appointed Director shall be included and their maximum period of service as a Director of either kind shall never exceed a total of nine years.
10.9A Executive Directors are appointed and removed at the Board’s discretion and are not subject to any maximum term. |
Motion 6: |
Termination of Membership
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Current Rules:
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6.2 At the absolute discretion of the Board, a Member shall cease to be a Member if they are convicted of, or admit to having perpetrated an act of dishonesty to the prejudice of the Society. |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rule 6.2 be deleted and replaced in its entirety by the proposed Rules 6.2 (A) and 6.2 (B) below.
6.2 (A) At the absolute discretion of the Board, a Member shall cease to be a Member if they are convicted of, or admit to having perpetrated, an act of dishonesty to the prejudice of the Society.
6.2 (B) If a Member has acted in a manner that is detrimental to the Society’s interests, good standing or values, the Board may remove that Member by passing a resolution and shall ensure that the Member is duly notified that their Membership has been terminated. |
Motion 7: |
Dormant Accounts
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Current Rules:
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Loss of Contact
12.5 Where the Society has evidence that a Member no longer lives at the address shown in its Register of Members ("registered address"), then subject to carrying out the following procedures, the Secretary may remove the name of such Member from the Register of Members, and the Society may then cancel their shares and forfeit to the Society the amount standing to the credit of such Member in the share ledgers of the Society, together with any sum of money representing interest or dividend credited to the Member in the books of the Society in respect of their shares (together referred to as "credit accounts").
12.6 The procedures are as follows:
(a) the Secretary shall take reasonable steps to establish whether there is a forwarding address, and if there is one, to contact the Member at the forwarding address with the information set out below;
(b) the Secretary shall cause advertisements to be posted conspicuously in all places of business of the Society to which Members have access, giving the following information: (i) advising that the Society intends after a notice period of not less than two calendar months to revise its Register of Members to remove those Members no longer living at their registered address; (ii) advising that any credit accounts of such Members can be claimed within two years; and (iii) providing postal, telephone and website contact details for any person wishing to update their registered address, or to withdraw from Membership of the Society and claim the funds contained in any credit account;
(c) at the end of the notice period, the Secretary shall cause the Register of Members to be revised by removing those Members no longer living at their registered address, cancelling their shares and transferring any credit accounts of any such Members to a suspense account within the books of the Society;
(d) at the end of a period of two years commencing with the date upon which any credit accounts have been transferred to a suspense account, any such credit accounts that remain unclaimed shall be forfeited to the Society; and
(e) no credit account containing more than £10 shall be capable of forfeiture under this clause of this Rule. |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rules 12.5 and 12.6 be deleted and replaced in their entirety by the proposed Rules 12.5 to 12.9 below.
Dormant Accounts
12.5 The Society shall conduct regular reviews of its Register of Members in order to: (a) identify; and (b) where possible, re-activate any dormant accounts.
12.6 Where a Member’s Class A Share Account or Class B Share Account has been dormant for three (3) calendar years at the review date and the balance on that account is less than £1,000: (a) the Society shall issue notice to the Member at his or her last known postal and email address: (i) stating that his or her account has been classified as dormant; and (ii) stating that his or her account will be deactivated unless the Member contacts the Society within three (3) months of the notice and provides the Society with such information as it may require for regulatory and compliance purposes sufficient to enable the Society to re-validate and re-activate his or her account.
(b) during the three (3) month notice period, two (2) further notices will be issued to the Member at one (1) and two (2) months after the date of the original notice, in the absence of a response.
(c) if the Member’s account has not been re-validated three (3) months after the date of the Society’s original notice in accordance with Rule 12.6(a): (i) the balance on the account at that date shall be transferred to a Dormant Accounts Fund; and (ii) the individual’s name shall be removed from the Register of Members and that individual shall cease to be a Member of the Society.
12.7 Where a Member’s Class A Share Account or Class B Share Account has been dormant for ten (10) or more years at the review date, and the balance on that account is greater than £1,000: (a) the Society shall issue notice to the Member at his or her last known postal and email address: (i) stating that his or her account has been classified as dormant; and (ii) stating that his or her account will be deactivated unless the Member contacts the Society within three (3) months of the notice and provides the Society with such information as it may require for regulatory and compliance purposes sufficient to enable the Society to re-validate his or her account.
(b) during the three (3) month notice period, two (2) further notices will be issued to the Member at one (1) and two (2) months after the date of the original notice, in the absence of a response.
(c) if the Member’s account has not been re-validated three (3) months after the date of the Society’s original notice in accordance with Rule 12.7(a) the: (i) balance on the account at that date shall be transferred to a Dormant Accounts Fund; and (ii) individual’s name shall be removed from the Register of Members and that individual shall cease to be a Member of the Society.
12.8 Where a Member’s Class A Share Account or Class B Share Account has been dormant for more than (3) years but less than ten (10) years and the balance on the account is greater than £1,000 at the review date: (a) the Society shall issue notice to the Member at his or her last known postal and email address: (i) stating that his or her account has been classified as dormant; (ii) stating his or her account will be deactivated until the Member provides the Society with such information as it may require for regulatory and compliance purposes sufficient to enable the Society to re-validate his or her account;
(b) For the avoidance of doubt the balances on such accounts as are referred to in Rule 12.8(a) shall not be transferred to the Dormant Accounts Fund until after they have been dormant for ten (10) years when Rule 12.7(a) shall apply.
12.9 The Society shall use any balances held in the Dormant Accounts Fund to support the community, local charitable causes, environmental or social initiatives that are consistent with the Society’s values and the International Co-operative Alliances Principle’s & Values. Such funds shall not be employed in the operation of the business. |
Current Rules: |
Rules 12.7 and 12.8
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Proposed Rules: |
It is proposed that the current Rules 12.7 and 12.8 be renumbered 12.10 and 12.11.
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Motion 8: |
Copies of Accounts
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Current Rules:
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14.7 The Society shall keep a copy of the last balance sheet for the time being, always displayed in a conspicuous place at its Registered Office. |
Proposed Rules:
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It is proposed that the current Rule 14.7 be deleted and replaced in its entirety by the proposed Rule 14.7 below.
14.7 The Society shall keep a copy of the latest Annual Report and Accounts on its website and printed copies shall be made available to Members on request. |