Minutes of the

RLC Association Annual General Meeting 2006

Email: Regtsec@rhqtherlc.org.uk

CASH Email: DRLC/REGT SEC

RHQ 5/10

See Distribution 15 th May 2006

The Royal Logistic Corps Association Trust

Annual General Meeting – 11 May 2006

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of The Royal Logistic Corps Association Trust held in the Tela Theatre, The Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut at 1700 hours on Thursday 11 May 2006.

Present
Brig J J Little - Chairman
WO1 (RSM) P E Davis - RLC RSM
Lt Col (Retd) D J Owen - Regimental Treasurer
Col (Retd) J D Fielden - Regimental Secretary
Lt Col (Retd) M P Bray - RLC Association Controller
Maj (Retd) M J Dalley - Editor

The following Trustees of The RLC Association Trust:
Col R C Hambleton
Col J W Lewis
WO1 (RSM) J Russell

and 215 members of The RLC Association. Mr Michael Wiggins was present to represent Radford and Sergeant the Auditors. Apologies had been received from Maj Gen White, Brig Copeland, Cols Baker, Budd and Rossiter.

Item 1: Opening Remarks

1 . The Chairman welcomed all those present and thanked them for attending the Annual General Meeting. He explained who the Corps’ Trustees were and outlined the purpose of the Annual General Meeting and the importance of bringing a number of RLC Association members together each year in order to:

a. Brief those present on business transacted in their name during the past year.

b. Provide feedback to the Trustees on the way the Trust is managed.

c. Comply with Charity Commission procedures regarding:

• Holding an Annual General Meeting.
• Publishing Minutes and Audited Accounts, which is done through The Sustainer, The RLC chain of command and on The RLC website, following this meeting.

Item 2: Matters Arising From The Minutes Of The Last Meeting

2. There were no issues raised from the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting which were agreed.

Item 3: Regimental Colonel’s Summary Of The Trustees Report And Audited Accounts For 2005

3. On behalf of the Regimental Colonel, the Regimental Secretary and The Royal Logistic Corps Regimental Sergeant Major presented an illustrated summary of the Trust’s Annual Report and Audited Accounts for 2005. The Chairman drew attention to the copies of the audited accounts that had also been distributed prior to the meeting and invited questions. The Chair was asked why no specific reserves were identified in the annual accounts for staff redundancy. It was explained that the salaried Trust staff are MOD employees, whose fundingis met by MOD not the Trust.

Afternote: The Trust has reserves to enable it to continue operating in the event of a loss of income from the Day’s Pay Scheme.

4. It was then proposed by Pte Table and seconded by Pte Wrigley that The Royal Logistic

Corps Association Trust Fund Annual Report and Accounts for 2005 (attached at Annex A), be accepted. This was unanimously agreed. Mr Wiggins, representing the Auditors, left the meeting at this point. The Chairman then encouraged all the military members at the meeting to maximise the opportunities for sport and adventure training that the Corps offers and to ensure that all had joined the Day’s Pay Scheme.

Item 4: Election Of Auditors

5. The Chairman explained that it was necessary to appoint auditors for the coming year and it was recommended that Radford and Sergeant be re-elected. It was proposed by Lt Taylor and seconded by Pte Ali that Radford and Sergeant be retained as Auditors for the accounting year 2006. This was agreed unanimously by the members.

Item 5: Convergence

6. The Chairman then delivered a report on progress with Convergence arrangements with the Forming Corps (copied at Enclosure 1). In response to subsequent questions he confirmed that:

a. The withdrawal of MOD funding for Forming Corps support posts in April 2007 was one of the drivers for convergence.

b. The RASC/RCT are not currently planning to converge, but the door remains wide open. There is no adverse impact, at this stage on RLC and the converging Forming Corps of RASC/RCT maintaining their own self-funding organisation.

7. It was proposed by CPL McArthur that members endorsed the decision of the Trustees of The RLC Association Trust to conclude convergence arrangements with the Associations of RAOC, RPC and ACC along the lines outlined by the Chairman. This was seconded by Pte Marshall-Nicholls and agreed by all members present.

Item 6: Revised Rules Of The Rlc Association Trust

8. The Chairman explained the need to amend the Rules of The RLC Association Trust in order to reflect the new committee structure and expanded membership, particularly to incorporate representation by the Forming Corps. The revised Rules had been formally agreed by the Trustees at their meeting in November 2005. They have been displayed, along with the Annual Report and Accounts for 2005, in Princess Royal Barracks and St Omer Barracks and were posted on The RLC Website at the end of April. Copies were distributed at the meeting. The main proposed changes are:

a. Revised membership of the Trust and its Committees to embrace Army organisational change and inclusion of Forming Corps representation.

b. To widen the objectives, in line with the Trust’s Second Deed of Variation, to embrace benevolence, welfare and fraternal support for members of the converging Forming Corps.

c. To include affiliated membership to embrace members of Forming Corps Associations.

d. Expanded rules and structure for branches.

9. The adoption of the Revised Rules of The RLC Association Trust were proposed by Pte Lee and seconded by Pte McLaughlin. Members unanimously agreed.

Item 7: Any Other Business

10. No formal business had been proposed under Any Other Business. There was a suggestion that the Road-show by RLC MCM Division should include membership of the Day’s Pay Scheme. The Chairman undertook to investigate this. He concluded by enjoining all present to ensure they remained subscribers to the Day’s Pay Scheme and to encourage others to join.

Date Of Next Meeting

11. The next meeting will be at 1700 hrs on Thursday 10 May 2007 and this will be advertised in the February 2007 edition of The Sustainer.

Drew Fielden
Regimental Secretary Chairman

Annex:

a. Annual Report and Accounts 2005.

b. Revised Rules of The RLC Association Trust

Enclosure:

1. Statement on Convergence of The RLC and its Forming Corps.

Item 5: Convergence Of The Rlc And Forming Corps

The 2005 AGM was alerted to the proposals for convergence between The RLC Association Trust and the Forming Corps and this is an opportunity to update the membership.

The current arrangements for support of welfare and benevolence for The RLC Association and the Forming Corps are undergoing change. Planning is now well advanced for the convergence of RLC, RAOC, RPC and ACC Associations to be completed by April 2007. By that date it is planned that the staff of RHQ The RLC will have assumed responsibility for all benevolence and hopefully most welfare and administrative support of these Forming Corps, each of which will retain its own Association executive committee and branch structure within The RLC Association. The current intent of the RASC/RCT Trustees is to continue to manage their own affairs.

RHQ The RLC is taking on a small increment of MOD funded and private staff to support the additional commitment of the converging Corps Associations There should be minimal direct impact, from the membership perspective, and RHQ The RLC will continue to provide and fund comparable levels of fraternal and benevolence support to the Forming Corps Associations for as long as there is a need. In return Forming Corps funds will be transferred to the management of the Trustees of The RLC Association Trust.

A binding Charter of Convergence has been agreed and will be signed by all parties in September 2006 and the converging Corps already have membership of appropriate RLC committees (Benevolence, Heritage and Investment) and a trustee on both The RLC Association Trust and The RLC Museum Trust. A clear set of convergence principles has been agreed by the trustees of The RLC Association Trust and the converging Corps Trusts. Your Trustees have also now formally endorsed a Second Deed of variation to our Trust Deed. This embraces the objects and interests of the converging Corps Associations as well as The RLC and aligns the Trust to the 21 st Century and current charity law. You will also shortly be invited to endorse the Revised RLC Association Trust Rules amended to reflect all the essential changes for convergence.

The path to convergence has not been free of incident over the last 4 years, but your Trustees are satisfied that the full package is robust, sustainable and affordable in both the short and longer term and in the best interests of The RLC and the converging Corps.

Members are invited to take note and to support a proposal for Trustees of The RLC Association Trust to conclude convergence arrangements with the three Forming Corps along the lines proposed.