Conference 2001

At September 2000 there were 647,477 members of the Legion, a 3% fall from the previous year. The Legion has 4491 branches and 844 clubs.

A survey conducted on behalf of the Legion found that 93% of the population believe that remembrance has a place in the 21^st century.

Of every pound raised in the name of the Legion, 86.6p is spent on welfare and benevolence.

For the statisticians amongst you, delegates attending Conference numbered as follows:

Time	Voting	Non-Voting
Saturday	624	47
Sunday 0930	623	43
Sunday 1420	605	46
Monday 1000	610	42
Monday 1400	495	37

John Hawthornthwaite (a Garats Hay member) was elected National Vice Chairman. He received 358 votes against his two opponents' 154 and 90.

Malcolm McCaw was elected on to the National Council. Susan Kelly, Jim McDonald and Hilary Trant were elected on to Conference Committee.

There were two presentations from Project Groups, the Royal Charter Review and Annual Conference Review. Both groups gave an update on progress, but gave only short presentations as the results of their work was presented in a whole series of motions to Conference due to be debated over the weekend.

An appeal to conference was made by York branch to withdraw all the relevant motions from the Project Groups that involved changes to the Royal Charter and Rules. The appeal read as follows:

"This Conference feels that the National Council has made charter motions 2 – 7 deliberately long and confusing and requests that they be withdrawn so that each rule change can be considered on its own merit and not collectively."

The appeal was upheld by Conference and the motions withdrawn. Because of their length and the fact that they were withdrawn, I have not included the motions in my report, but I am happy to provide copies to interested parties (as long as I don't have to type them!).

CHARTER MOTIONS

1. Reduce the age requirement for Ordinary membership from 17 ½ to 16. Carried.

OTHER MOTIONS

For completeness, I have included all motions and, where appropriate, appended notes. Please note that "starred" motions (marked by *) are Legion policy.

1. * This Conference requests the National Council to make representations to HM Government for the introduction of a 100% statutory disregard for War Disablement pensions and War Widows Pensions in respect of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Refund and remove the burden from local authorities to that of Central Government.

Carried. A statement from the National Council said that there are only 6 local authorities not allowing the disregard. Harrow, which had announced it was going to stop allowing the disregard, had changed its mind.

2. This Conference requests the National Council to make representations to HM Government with a view to reducing the percentage of disability required from 40% to 20% when assessing ALSO (Allowance for Lower Standard of Occupation).

3. This Conference requests the National Council to make representations to HM Government with a view to reducing the percentage of disability required from 40% to 20% when assessing entitlement for War Pensions Mobility Supplement.

4. *This Conference requests HM Government to revert to the practice of updating War Disablement Pensions through the use of Dual Criteria, which was successful for many years.

5. This Conference request that, in line with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Scotland, Wales be represented at the wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

6. This Conference commends the Northern Ireland Regional Office staff for their annual efforts in fund raising for the Poppy Appeal, thus setting an excellent example which other Regional and County Offices might follow.

7. This Conference asks that the National Council ensures that all monies raised during the months of October/November be credited to the Poppy Appeal.

8. The National Council is asked to consider introducing charity shops nationally.

9. This Conference recommends that the maximum allowance authorised for a modest gift to those ex-service members in hospital or chronically sick at home, should be increased from £4 to £5 per month.

10. This Conference views with concern that in the imposition of payments towards convalescence in the RBL Convalescent Homes it is proposed to disregard only £2000 of savings of a single applicant and £5000 for a couple. Conference accordingly recommends that the RBL should operate the same level of disregards as the DSS.

11. This Conference accepts The Royal Charter Review Project Group's Report and instructs the National Council to implement the Group's proposals by petitioning HM The Queen for the issue of a Suppplemental Charter.

12. This Conference resolves that the Annual Affiliation Fee for Ordinary and Associate Members be increased to £10 with effect from 1^st October 2001.

13. This Conference requests that the method of setting of Affiliation Fees should be reconsidered at Annual Conference 2002.

14. This Conference requests the National Council to pursue negotiations with the Women's Section to effect the merging of the two organisations to maximise resources and to reduce duplication of expenses and welfare work.

15. This Conference acknowledges that the affiliation fee has to be adjusted from time to time, but asks the National Council to consider realising the asset of 48 Pall Mall and relocate to a more modest location.

16. This Conference requests the National Council to introduce National Competitions in Billiards, Cribbage, Dominoes, Whist and Air Rifle (Gun) Shooting.

17. This Conference views with concern the recent publications on the possible amalgamation of The Royal British Legion and SSAFA Forces Help, and requests the National Council to put any proposed changes to the Legion's Corporate governance to this Conference.

18. This Conference requests the National Council to consider the removal of the necessity for a member to be awarded a Gold Badge before qualifying for further National Awards.

19. This Conference views with concern the continuing decline in Legion membership and recommends to the National Council that every Service man and woman should be given free membership of the Legion during his or her last complete year of Military Service and their first year in civilian life.

20. This Conference considers that all members of the Gurkha Forces should receive pay, pensions and other conditions similar to those afforded to all British forces and requests the National Council to support this view.

21. This Conference is concerned at the way the Gurkha ex-Servicemen have been treated in regards in not being granted work permits to work as lorry drivers in the United Kingdom and requests that the National Council takes the matter up with HM Government.

22. This Conference urges HM Government to pay the Gurkhas the same compensation as British prisoners of war under the Japanese in World War II.

23. This Conference requests that the 300 soldiers shot at dawn for cowardice, during World War I, whilst on active service, 1914-1918 in Northern Europe, should have their military records amended to say they died in action.

24. This Conference deplores the intention of HM Government to reduce to ten years the existing twenty year maximum period within which British citizens, specifically ex-Service men and women, living overseas retain the right to vote in UK elections and requests the Government to retain the status quo.

25. * This Conference earnestly requests that the National Council takes up the plight of the prisoners of war, 1939-1945 conflict, whose pay during their term of imprisonment was withheld by the then government.

26. This Conference urges the National Council to use their influence with the Ministry of Defence to get recognition, in the form of a General Service Medal, for Servicemen who served in the Suez Canal Zone emergency from 1951-1954.

27. This Conference calls upon the National Council to approach the appropriate body with a view to making the National Service Medal (1939/1960) an official medal.

CONCLUSION

The Conference was again well run. I was personally very disappointed at the appeal to Conference being upheld on day one as it effectively stopped 3 year's work by the two project groups – who had fully consulted all formations throughout. A positive slant is that it gave plenty of time to debate all the other motions properly .

The guest speaker was the Adjutant General. He gave an interesting talk (with hopeless Powerpoint slides for such a large venue – he was not fully prepared and poorly briefed) about facts and figures, recruitment etc. It was a worthy effort to have a senior serving officer, but I'm not convinced he understood his target audience.

Conference next year in Bridlington could be amusing. Bridlington (I know it well) has only one reasonably sized hotel (and that only about 120 rooms), the rest being B&Bs. We were informed that HQ is already looking at bussing in delegates from Scarborough (20 miles) and York (40 miles). Any volunteers?

REPORT ON THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2001

HELD AT THE WINDSOR HALL, BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, BOURNEMOUTH, 26^th to 28^th May 2001

INTRODUCTION (and extracts from presentations)

CHARTER MOTIONS

OTHER MOTIONS

CONCLUSION

REPORT ON THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2001

HELD AT THE WINDSOR HALL, BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, BOURNEMOUTH, 26th to 28th May 2001

INTRODUCTION (and extracts from presentations)

CHARTER MOTIONS

OTHER MOTIONS

CONCLUSION

HELD AT THE WINDSOR HALL, BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, BOURNEMOUTH, 26^th to 28^th May 2001