Following the 2015 Annual General Meeting 5 key areas of change to the Governance of the Society were supported by the membership; they are now being implemented by the Board of Trustees and progress is outlined below:

1. Flexible Branches – A draft constitution has been agreed in principle by the Trustees. This new document is far less prescriptive and gives branches ultimate control on how they can support their members in the local delivery of the objectives of the Charity; this will be circulated to Branches in February.

2. Trustee Appointments – Elected Trustee Board roles have now been altered with all Trustees overseeing the overall governance of the charity rather than being elected in the as members of specific groups or as project sponsors . This approach brings the Trustees of RLSS UK in line with best practice for governance of the charity.

 3. Future Leadership of RLSS UK – A proposal was approved that will lead to the role of President being supported by the appointment of a Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have now agreed the appointment process for the Chair, the post will be advertised and the appointment will be announced at the 2016 RLSS UK National Conference.

4. Changing the voting mechanism to one member one vote – This proposal was backed to allow all members to have an individual say in the governance and future direction of the charity. The Trustees have agreed that for 2016 the ‘One Member One Vote’ process will be handled electronically for the charity by The Electoral Reform Services (for more information click here. All individual members 16 years of age and over now have the opportunity to vote in any RLSS UK General Meeting or any General Meeting of their own Branch.

5. The Role of the UK regions – The Trustees in consultation with branches and regions have now prepared an outline for the role of RLSS UK Ambassador. This role will support local activity and the charities objectives through strong advocacy across a geographical area. We are continuing to work on a local, bespoke level to find a solution that is right for you as members in that area. The CDPC team are currently preparing to work with regional chairs to map out the process and the role moving forward.