AFFILIATION FEES-Comments from Mike Smith on response from Martin Clark to Malcolm Allsop

1.    The responsibility for financial matters is with the Treasurer and Management Committee reporting to National Council and         the AGM.

2.    Changing the responsibility for deciding affiliation fees from the AGM to National Council is a major change; normally         National Council would have had a paper outlining the reasons for any such proposed change. I was unavoidably absent from     National Council in January ;  I have not seen any relevant paper but have been told by other National Councillors that there         was none and no  explanation of-or discussion on - this matter.

3.    Membership Committee (which I chair) produced 16 detailed recommendations concerning Individual Affiliation  for             discussion at  October National Council and 1 further one for January National Council; none of these involved this matter as         it is clearly outside its remit and within that of  Finance Department.

4.    Individual Affiliation can operate under the current financial mechanisms . This proposal is not required to put any new         Individual Affiliation system into place; it could have come up at any time.

5.    My role on Rules Committee is to help to create propositions based on policy decisions by others; it is a technical role.

6.    The voting aspects of incorporation were created and presented by the then Rules Committee Chairman for discussion before     approval by National Council and then by the Annual General Meeting.  

I hope this clarifies the situation.

Mike Smith
Deputy  Chairman candidate  in support of Alan Ransome