REPORT ON THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2002

HELD AT THE SPA, SOUTH MARINE DRIVE, BRIDLINGTON.

25 and 26 May 2002

Your conference delegates were Terry Whittles, Vice President, and John Clark, Chairman. This was the first occasion on which we were able to send two delegates.  

INTRODUCTION (and extracts from presentations)

  This was the first conference under the new National Chairman, Ian Cannell. He controlled conference extremely well and it was the most professionally run conference I have attended to date.

The various guest speakers had obviously been primed to tell conference to look to the future and consider change more positively. In general conference was a lot more positive this year, with the "luddites" tending to lose the debates.

The following had been elected to National Council by their regions:

J.J. BROOKES West Midland Region

W.J.H. LODGE Northern Region

A.I.V. LYON Republic of Ireland

G.E. MATTHEWS South Eastern Region

The second preference candidate elected by conference to serve on the National Council was Kevin Mitchell (Northern Region).

2003 Cardiff
2004 Scarborough
2005 Torquay
2006 Blackpool.

National President, Lt Gen Sir Roderick Cordy-Simpson KBE, CB

The public perception of the Legion when we are seen at events is very strong.

Underneath the public face, debates and struggles on how to move forward can blur what the Legion is about.

The National Council has worked very hard to try and streamline the organisation.

Surveys carried out with every Branch and every member showed that a large majority recognized the need for change.

(Basically his address was a plea for conference to be sensible and look to the future).

National Chairman, Mr Ian Cannell, MBE, FRICS, MIPR

Followed the President’s lead and, quoting from the RBL Scotland Annual Conference from the previous week "No change is not an option."

The balance of motions at conference is wrong – very few motions on what the Legion is about and too many under the "Internal" (organizational) heading.

His most controversial comment was that the Legion spends too much time and money (c£100k per year) on discipline. He wants to remove the disciplinary rules from the Royal Charter and rely on the law of the land for misdemeanours.

Chairman of RBL Scotland, Mr Robbie Allen

The RBL Scotland can be parochial, with limited horizons. This is a weakness but can be turned into a strength as, if strong locally, it leads to a strong national organization.

Concerned at the decrease in membership as people age.

Their Annual Conference voted for significant change (he didn’t give any detail) and we should also change along with them.

Chairman of Fundraising (National Council), Noel Rogers,OBE

Last year’s Poppy Appeal raised £20.1m.

This year’s target was £21m and, at conference, stood at £21,254,947.09.

Minister for Veteran’s Affairs, Dr Lewis Moonie MP

The United States Department for Veterans Affairs spends more per year than the whole of the UK MOD. They also employ more people than the MOD – including all our armed forces.

The MOD is re-evaluating the role of the armed forces and recognizes the need to deal with "asymmetric" warfare (i.e. not conventional armed forces acting in a conventional manner).

There will be a changed role for reserves to backfill for regulars engaged on operations.

Currently 13% of our armed forces are deployed and 20% are committed to operations.

There is a Veteran’s Task Force looking primarily at:

• Access to healthcare
• Removing social exclusion
• Provision of local authority housing.

The War Pensions Agency was renamed "The Veteran’s Agency" in April 2002.

He is developing a Policy for Veterans and is getting help in many areas from the RBL.

He wants to improve and widen the delivery of the Veterans Agency.

Lord Clarke of Hampstead

(His background is as a trade unionist within the Post Office and Labour Party activist over many years. Currently a member of the Working Group looking at the future structure of the RBL).

Recruitment is a major issue. We need to target the current service populations as they leave the services.

Don’t be reluctant to look change in the face and take appropriate action. Post Office unions in the 1960s put their heads in the sand and refused to modernize – the current generation of workers is paying the price.

The voluntary sector must accept the need for professional help.

Other speakers were the General Treasurer (John Tedder), the Secretary General (Ian Townsend) and the Chairman of the Womens Section (Maureen Cole). None of them said anything out of the ordinary.

Numbers at Conference

Voting Delegates Non-Voting Delegates

Saturday AM 589 41

Saturday PM 592 41

Sunday AM 589 40

Sunday PM 576 41

CHARTER MOTIONS

(Charter Motions are worded to show all changes to all appropriate paragraphs in the Charter – most of these have been removed to save space)

1. This Conference agrees that future Motions to amend the Royal Charter and Schedule of Rules shall be debated and voted on first by Annual Conference and then by the National Council and therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

2. This Conference agrees that delegates to Annual Conference shall be nominated by Branches and elected at County/District Conferences on a proportional basis according to the membership strengths of the Counties/Districts concerned and therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

Pages 26 and 27 delete Rule 47 and insert:

"47.(a) Each County/District shall be entitled to send at least two delegates to the Annual
Conference

(b) Counties/Districts whose total membership on 15 March preceding the Annual Conference:

is up to 7,500 shall be entitled to send two delegates
7,501-10,000 shall be entitled to send three delegates
10,001-15,000 shall be entitled to send four delegates
15,001-20,000 shall be entitled to send five delegates
over 20,000 shall be entitled to send six delegates.

3. This Conference agrees that the election of Chairman and Vice Chairman be conducted by postal ballot and not form part of the business of Conference, and that the President shall be appointed by the National Council. Conference therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

4. This Conference agrees that the election of National Council Members be conducted by postal vote direct between Branches and Regions within Electoral Groups and therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

5. This Conference agrees that the election of the three second preference National Council Members be discontinued and therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

6. This Conference agrees with the General Treasurer's recommendation that a Committee be commissioned with the task of setting the Affiliation Fee and therefore confirms the following Charter Motion:

7. Page 10, Article 14, delete existing Article and insert;

"14. The Head Office of the Legion shall be located in England, Wales or Northern Ireland."

MOTIONS

GROUP "A" - PENSIONS AND DISABLEMENT

1. This Conference views with concern the current criteria regarding Ghurka Pension rates and requests the National Council to press the Ministry of Defence to bring them into line with British Army pension rates.

Lost

2. This Conference requests the National Council to make urgent representation to H.M. Government to award equitable service pensions to those who were disadvantaged during the pensions trough years and to take remedial action to prevent a re-occurrence.

Carried

3. This Conference requests the National Council to make urgent representation to H.M. Government in the matter of the disadvantaging of ex-Service persons by deprivation of income due to them as a result of the opting out of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme by the Ministry of Defence in 1978, and requests that they be financially compensated as entitled.

Carried

4. This Conference deplores the distribution of letters during the main Poppy Appeal period, to members of the public, whereby requests for donations of set amounts are made.

Carried

5. This Conference urges the National Council to recommend that the words 'When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today' be included, as usual practice, following the Silence, at all Acts of Remembrance, thereby following the pattern of the Legion's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and Annual Conference.

Carried

6. This Conference requests the National Council to give urgent consideration to the plight of homeless ex-Service Men and Women and to press rigorously the Government and local authorities to provide suitable secure accommodation and assistance to those who have given loyal service to the armed forces of the Crown.

Carried

7. This Conference requests the National Council to consider the establishment of a Residential Home in Nepal for the benefit of ex-Ghurka soldiers and their dependants.

Lost

8. This Conference deplores the restricted space available in the Legion Magazine for Branch news and letters, and requests improvement on an early and regular basis.

Carried

9. This Conference views with concern in these times of financial strictures that the Legion is paying for production and distribution of The Legion Magazine, and requests the National Council to seek ways of securing sufficient advertising revenue to produce and distribute the magazine at no cost to The Royal British Legion.

Carried

10. This Conference instructs all Legion formations, working parties etc. that any reports, questionnaires etc requiring a reply from Branches/Counties be sent to Secretaries no later than 8 weeks prior to the closing date and that those 8 weeks do not include the closed period at Remembrancetide.

Carried

11. This Conference resolves that any proposed changes to the Royal Charter or the Rules of The Royal British Legion be notified to Branches at least 6 months prior to the date stated for notification of motions for County/District Annual Conferences.

Lost (TW spoke against)

12. This Conference considers that the withdrawal of the National Sports Competitions by the National Council has a detrimental effect on recruitment, damages esprit de corps and Conference requests that the National Council's decision be reversed.

Carried

13. This Conference resolves that the annual affiliation fee for Ordinary and Associate Members be increased to £10.00 with effect from 1 October 2002.

Carried

Amendment No. 1 Delete "£10.00" and insert "E9.50".

After "2002" add ", to £11.50 with effect from 1 October 2003 and thereafter increased annually in line with increases in the Retail Prices Index".

Lost

Amendment No. 2 Delete all after "increased" and insert "Annually by £1.50 with effect from 1 October 2002: this amount to be reviewed after a five year period."

Lost

Amendment No. 3 Delete "£10.00" and insert "£8.50".

Lost

14. This Conference requests the National Council to implement the proposed Supplemental Royal Charter by Petitioning H.M. The Queen.

Carried

15. This Conference asks the National Council to consider holding the Annual Conference mid week.

Lost

16. This Conference asks the National Council to consider a Charter Motion that all Branches not attending Annual Conference contribute to the running of Conference in the following way:

Up to 50 members £5.00
51-100 members £10.00
101-150 members £15.00
151-200 members £20.00
Over 200 members £25.00

Lost (TW spoke against)

17. This Conference requests the National Council to consider former Members of the Royal UlsterConstabulary becoming Ordinary Members.

Lost

18. This Conference requests the National Council to take steps in raising income for the General Fund by methods other than increasing the Affiliation Fee.

Lost (TW spoke against)

19. This Conference views with concern the manner in which Headquarters insists on dealing with legacies left by will to a specified branch.

Carried

20. This Conference requests the National Council to consider members of the Bevin Boys Association becoming Ordinary Members.

Lost

21. This Conference requests the National Council to consider members of the Women's Land Army becoming Ordinary Members.

Lost

22. This Conference resolves that the Ministry of Defence, The Atomic Weapons Establishment and the Germ Warfare Establishment plus Governments of all political persuasions should:

Carried

23. This Conference requests the National Council to make representation to H.M. Government to consider creating a new national holiday designated "National Veterans Day" to be held on the Monday following Remembrance Sunday.

Carried

24. This Conference requests the National Council to make representations to H.M. Government to establish a statutory funeral industry registration and regulatory authority since the requests for financial assistance for funerals has considerable effects upon charitable organisations such as The Royal British Legion.

Lost

25. This Conference calls upon Branches within whose area a holder of the Victoria Cross was born to ensure that the recipient's valiant deeds are recorded on a suitable plaque or tablet in a most fitting place in the district of his birth.

Carried