Annual General Meeting – Member Update
Lancashire Cricket would like to thank all our loyal Members that engaged with the recent AGM at Emirates Old Trafford – whether by attending in person, voting in advance of the meeting or watching online. The AGM can be viewed here.
Following the AGM, we wanted to give Members an update on a couple of important items that were discussed throughout the meeting.
Rule Changes
At the recent AGM, a series of Club Rules changes were put to Members, following a lengthy consultation process. During the process, and specifically the three open Member consultation meetings held, certain rule changes were discussed and removed from the final set of change proposals put to members - as it was clear that they did not have the support of Members or needed re-evaluating.
The vast majority of the remaining changes that were ultimately put to Members (and detailed in the AGM papers) received the two-thirds approval which was required, with the vast majority at well over 80%.
However, despite receiving a clear majority of support from the proxies received in advance, it became clear in the room on the night that three of the proposed Rule changes – relating to the Special General Meetings (SGM) - were generating significant debate, namely:
- To increase the number of members required to petition an SGM from 100 to 250.
- To specify that a period of at least 12 months must have passed since any previous SGM before any repeat or closely associated Resolution can be requested by Members.
- To extend the maximum timelines for hosting an SGM from 28 to 56 days.
The key reasoning behind the changes proposed were to keep costs down, provide more flexibility in scheduling such meetings and provide a more efficient vehicle for addressing most matters of concern to Members. The balance was being struck by an additional Club Rules change whereby the Club committed to hosting four Members’ Forums per year. As it happened, this additional Rule change achieved an approval rate of in excess of 95%.
It was determined, following discussions during the AGM, that the three SGM changes be technically paused and not taken to a vote with a view to them being reviewed again as part of any subsequent Rules review and after reflecting on the effectiveness of the Members’ Forums and success of the Club’s commitment to improving member communications.
Membership Services and Communications
It was confirmed at the AGM that Chris Peacock has been appointed onto the Board, voted by Members, as a Non-Executive Director responsible for Member Services and Communication.
Chris caught up with Warren Hegg in the LancsTV studio a couple of weeks ago where he discussed his working background, the first time he came to watch Lancashire and the skill set he will bring to the Club’s Board.
The Club has also recently promoted Phil Johnston, who many of you will know, from the Ticket Office to the Guest Services department – into a new role of Member Relations Manager. Moving forward, this will be a really important role in focusing on developing the Club’s services to our Membership.
If you have any questions, please contact the Club on membership@lancashirecricket.co.uk.