The Worcestershire CCC Board have approved changes to the Club’s rules and constitution which ensure they meet the guide-lines of the Code Of Conduct on Sports Governance approved last year by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Worcestershire CCC members will now vote via ballot on whether to accept the revamped rules and constitution.
The proposed rules and voting papers will be sent to all members shortly and they are asked to register their vote in favour and post these to the invigilators by return.
Former Worcestershire Commercial Manager and Committee Member and current Vice President David Exall has been working for the past 18 months on updating the rules as recommended in the Code of Conduct.
Exall, who has played a major role in many of the Club’s rule changes over the past 25 years, has worked hand in glove with Board member and prominent lawyer Andrew Manning-Cox in this process – just as he did in the past with former Secretary, Mike Vockins.
The FCA are responsible for regulating the conduct of more than 56,000 businesses and have recently focussed on the governance of sports bodies.
Exall said: “About two years ago the Government set up a working group with Sport England and UK Sport to put together codes of practice for governing bodies, competitions and individual clubs.
“It made a whole load of recommendations to make these organisations better governed.
“The more I looked at it last year, the more I thought just changing a few words and dates was not going to be enough because the regulating authority will want to see something that shows we are following the Code of Conduct that they are recommending for ‘registered societies’ such as Worcestershire CCC.
“What became obvious at the time of the last AGM was that it needed a total rewrite.
“Andrew Manning-Cox has been a tremendous help and influence in putting this document together along with his colleagues at Gowling WLG (Solicitors).
“They work extensively in this field and so we’ve been able to work very harmoniously together. He has been an absolute star.
“The new look rules-constitution has been approved by the Board and will now go out to ballot. But we know that what is being proposed complies with the Code Of Conduct as recommended by the FCA and is in the best interests of our members.”
Exall pinpointed a couple of areas of the new rules that will be of particular interest to those members.
He said: “The Code we followed requires all Board members to serve no more than nine years in total.
“Then you have to wait six years before you can go back on the board. That gives more people the chance to become involved and serves to ensure their independence.
“The other aspect is that there is a recommendation for a Nominations Committee made up of representatives of the Supporters’ Association, Vice-Presidents as well as a Board representative.
“They will stand as an independent committee on vetting all applicants who wish to become Board members to ensure they are fit and proper persons and understand what is required of a director ”
To view the signed minutes from the 2017 AGM please click here.
