elections

Railfuture is the campaigning name of the Railway Development Society Ltd, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (Registered in England and Wales No. 5011634 Registered office: 24 Chedworth Place, Tattingstone, Suffolk IP9 2ND.

Elected Positions

Since 2008 there has been a maximum of 10 directors of the company:

• Chairman
• and 9 other directors.

One of these directors will be elected each year by Board members as Vice-Chairman, with individual directors also taking responsiblity for Finance, Health and Safety and so on.

Since 2008 all directors have been elected for a term of three years. However, the chairman is elected each year. All current Railfuture members are entitled to vote.

Appointed Officers

The following officers of the company are appointed by the Board:

• Treasurer or Financial Officer
• Membership Secretary (New and Renewals)
• Sales Officer

These three officers do not necessarily have to be Board members, in which case they would report to a specific director. Applications should be sent directly to the chairman.

Elegibility to Stand as a Director

Anyone who is a fully paid-up member, regardless of how long they have been a member, is entitled to stand for chairman, director or one or more of the officer positions listed above. They must be nominated and seconded by a fully paid-up member, and to be a director must meet the criteria set for providing Directors’ Insurance.

Responsibility of Directors

The Board of Directors welcome new blood, especially from those sections of the community that are currently under represented, including women, ethnic minorities and younger people.

Use of e-mail is not essential but would be a considerable benefit.

Directors are expected to attend four Board meetings a year, and undertake tasks in accordance with the Business Plan. Travelling expenses are paid to attend national meetings, although guidelines approved by the Board recommend waiving the first £10 for each meeting.

All directors are expected to be involved in regular campaign work within the Society, such as being active in their local branch or a member of one of the committees.

The five named officer positions require a considerable amount of time to be dedicated to Railfuture business.

There is currently no Sales Officer and the board would like to fill this vacancy in the 2010 elections.

Nomination forms are available now.

Nomination Forms

The two forms to be completed are:

• 2010 Elections Nomination Form

• Ethnic Opportunities Monitoring form.

Alternatively request a copy by writing to Railfuture Returning Officer, P.O.Box 7690, Hinckley, Leicester LE10 9WJ. Please note: papers requested through the post will not be sent until early January.

Timetable

Nomination forms must be returned between 1st January and 1st February each year. The end date is absolutely final and no excuse (such as mail strike) will be accepted. It is strongly recommended that the completed papers are returned earlier so that mistakes can be notified and corrected.

Election ballot papers will be sent out to memebrs in March. They must be received by late April or very early May (as specfied on the paper).

Election results will be announced at the AGM in May, and directors will take up their role immediately.

The first meeting of the new Board will be in June.

Further Information

For further informaiton about the election process, please contact Chris Precey, the Railfuture returning officer at the P.O. Box address given above.