One has to be so careful nowadays. The wrong word, or a word missing or a word too many, and you could be facing catastrophe, or worse!
In short, Nico has resigned as Chair of the Mid Kent branch, partly because of unclear wording in our constitution. A request for a Special Meeting required “five members or 10% of the membership”. The intention, clearly, was that the request should be made by 10% of the current membership, with a minimum of five, whichever is the greater. The general interpretation, however, is that five requests are all that is necessary in all circumstances.
In the current covid-ridden circumstances it was deemed to be in no one’s interest to try and convene an Extraordinary General Meeting to settle the matter, hence Nico’s decision to tender his resignation with instant effect.
The situation is made all the more confusing by the fact that the constitution defines membership so widely, that practically everyone in Kent could declare themselves a member of MidKent4EU! Still only five of them would be necessary to call an EGM.
For now, therefore, Peter Daws, the Vice-Chair, becomes acting Chair, and we wish him all good as he shoulders this burden. Arrangements will need to be made for elections at some stage, maybe at the next Annual General Meeting. Certainly at the next AGM there need to be proposals for amendments to the constitution, to plug the visible holes and to remedy some of the vagueness.
European Movement Mid Kent 