Statement from Interim Chair of KBPG
Statement from Interim Chair of KBPG
As read out at the EGM on 18th January 2024
I would like to remind everyone why we are here tonight.
On 16th November, at the KBPG General meeting, without warning or appropriate notice, the Chair and Vice Chair of the group gave immediate notice. This is contrary the clear guidelines of the Charities Commission and not in the best interests of the group of for protecting our badgers. The Chair also resigned her role as Trustee and Secretary, again with immediate effect.
The Treasurer had already given notice some weeks earlier, allowing her to be replaced. Unfortunately the new Treasurer resigned with immediate effect a few lays later, along with the Membership Secretary.
All of this left the remaining two committee members in a quandary as to how we could legally proceed. We agreed to meet the following week along with a small number of other concerned members to decide what the next appropriate steps were. It was agreed that a temporary committee would be formed purely to get the group in a more stable position. An interim committee was made up of a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary and assisted by others.
An attempt at reconciliation was made with the former Chair but she was adamant that she would not be returning to the group. Subsequently, she and some other members and former members of KBPG have been establishing a breakaway group, apparently to be called the Huddersfield and District Badger Society.
The committee had only met 3 times in the previous 3 years, and there was no routine of discussing and resolving financial questions. Rather than implement a better system of financial control, the former Chair saw a discussion on this subject as a pretext for her resignation.
The immediate consequences of the resignations and subsequent lack of cooperation with the remaining group included:
- The former Chair was (and remains) a signatory on the Group’s bank account. As she has refused to sign any payments, we are unable to pay invoices in a timely way, or provide funds for significant work such as sett protections, and would be unable to discharge any future debt.
- We have needed to take action to ensure, as we are legally required to do, that Members’ contact data are protected from theft or misuse or unauthorised use. Membership data has been duly handed back to KBPG, but we have not received assurances that the data are not held in duplicate form or that they will not be used by unauthorised persons in future.
- Much of KBPG’s stock of equipment for events remains in the possession of the breakaway group and requests to make it available (eg for the successful coffee morning in Meltham on 9 January) have been ignored.
I was elected to the committee on the night of the resignations. This left only two people in a formal position on the group. We both felt we should help the group move forward and duly co-opted the rest of the members at the meeting on to the committee for their support. However, we both resigned our committee positions last night, in order to give a future committee a fresh start and an opportunity to work with anyone who is prepared to cooperate with KBPG in future.
We still have three trustees currently, they and the remainder of the co-opted committee have agreed that they will support the trustees and the group in coming to whatever conclusion that might be. I include myself in that group.
I apologise for the length of this statement but felt it was important to get all of the above on record.
I would like to say a huge thanks to all of you for your actions and support.