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Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by 50044 Exeter, Dec 25, 2009.

  1. Small Prairie

    Small Prairie Part of the furniture

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    Looks like 2022 could be the year of good news for L&B.

    EA have done nothing but amazing work with buying land and keeping most , if not all the land owners happy and on side .

    It is however , extremely good news that the EA can now accept donations that are also good for gift aid too .
     
  2. 30717

    30717 New Member

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    L&B Members will be receiving in the post, the voting papers for the AGM in May, and once again they have a choice of candidates for election as a Trustee.
    Mike Whiteacre, an experienced Railway Civil Engineer, has been proposed for election. Until last years election, the Trust had not had a contested election for over 10 years with retiring Trustees being automatically re-elected. A Trust operating this way becomes stale and does not always operate in the best interest of the Charity and its members. Charities and Trusts need fresh blood to stay relevant and to question decisions being made. If you are happy with the status quo the you can vote for the retiring Trustees, but if you are not happy with the way the performance of the Trustees or the progress of the extensions, then you should vote for Mike as that is the only way that change will happen.
    For those that have not seen it, Mike's CV is attached.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. MuzTrem

    MuzTrem Member

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    Can I gently suggest that this sort of internal politics is best kept off a public forum like this one? It never reflects well on an organisation to see them airing their dirty linen in public.

    Surely there must be means by which Mr Whiteacre can make his case directly to L&B members without needing to announce it to the wider world?
     
  4. Michael B

    Michael B Member

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    I think you have been most gentle. The papers for the meetings have now been sent - those and the meetings are the places for contact with people for electioneering. Having said that, is it necessary to be a Trustee to be able to put forward one's expertise ? If so then with the present arrangements we lose one expert to gain another. Is it all about having the necessary power ? I don't know, having never been a Trustee or a Director. The unceremonious pre-organised forcing out of Andrew Dow is something we don't want to ever see again in any of the organisations connected with the control of this Railway. That made me decide offering myself for election a Director or Trustee was in danger of being unsatisfying, to say the least. If it is necessary to be a Trustee it strikes me there ought to be a facility to second those with expertise for specific tasks. Or does that exist already ? Having thrown the cat amongst the Pigeons I will wait for the views of 'experts'. (which Mr Gove so dislikes)
     
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  5. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I am a trustee/director elsewhere (non-railway). As such, I am not elected to my role for my specific expertise, but in order to help direct the organisation. I am expected, however, to take an active interest in the matters afoot, and to be accountable for the major decisions of the organisation.

    In my case, the current structure has been in place for a relatively short time, following essential reorganisation due to previous major problems that could have threatened the whole organisation. As a relative "new boy", much of my induction focused on the need to understand and challenge the papers presented by the officers, and to avoid getting into a position where individuals amassed so much control that they could direct the organisation up blind alleys (or worse).

    I stood for election because I believed that I had something to offer, and in a competitive election, unseated a sitting trustee/director whom I know to have done much good and important work. He continues to offer significant support as a volunteer, and demonstrates continued loyalty to the organisation and it's mission. I am subject to a limit of two 3 year terms of office as an elected member, and 6 years will be plenty of time for me to do that role before handing on to someone else - should I be re-elected.

    Reflecting on previous discussions about contested elections on this thread, my own view is that contested elections are inherently desirable, as is a degree of churn on boards. Without commenting on the candidate's specific claims in that flyer, what struck me is the degree of continuity over a sustained period on the board. That, in and of itself, raises a warning flag to me that there is a risk of staleness in the board and suggests that a different perspective would be desirable, assuming the right candidate is available. Part of that risk of staleness is a risk that good ideas from volunteers may not get the hearing that they deserve.

    I should stress that I am writing in the abstract, without detailed knowledge of what is happening within the L&B, and that the character, competence and judgment of individuals all have a significant bearing on what would be the right decisions.
     
  6. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Agree Totally. Those of us who are Trust members have received the necessary documents and can make an informed decision based on them. I have made my decision and have returned my forms.
     
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  7. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Without wishing to express/imply any view either for or against any candidate, I would ask - how?

    As has been pointed out already, the information which a candidate can have circulated with the AGM election paperwork is limited. Unless a candidate has access to the membership mailing list, and funds to pay for all the stamps, then outlets such as this forum and Facebook etc would appear to be the only alternative options.

    There have been problems elsewhere in the past because the 'management' controlled the means of communication to the membership about elections, candidates etc, with the result that many members were left 'in the dark' about the true nature of events 'at the coal face'.

    I would have thought that, in the interests of democracy and 'openness', then candidates should feel free to get their message across by whatever means are available to them. After all, you do not have to listen to them if you do not wish to do so.
     
  8. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    >>>> "is it necessary to be a Trustee to be able to put forward one's expertise ...?"

    From past experience, there are differing views on this....

    I was in a situation once where effectively I was the de facto Project Manager for a particular work package, but held no official post. It soon became clear that, despite being recognised as their 'resident expert' in that particular field, even with an agreed set of requirements, work plan, and budget the Chairman of the Trustees would not permit me to make any design decisions, initiate any work or spend any money without prior approval - in effect, he wanted his Board to micro-manage the task. All requests had to be channeled to the board through a nominated Trustee, who was an infrequent Board attendee and devoted most of his time to other elements of his portfolio. In the end I withdrew from the task, as it rapidly became clear - in the complete absence of any timely Board agreement on anything - that it could never be delivered effectively or on time and I would become the 'scapegoat' for problems that actually rested with the Board and were outside of my control entirely.

    By contrast, having been on the management board for a different project elsewhere, there was certainly the scope to (a) exert some influence into the decision-making process and (b) exercise some authority to progress the work in a timely and effective manner. The situation was helped by having a Chairman who was quite happy, once his Board had reached a decision, to delegate the execution to the relevant Board member(s) and leave them to get on with the task. The problem however was that, as a board member, I could not concentrate solely on my primary task, but had to make time also to participate in other discussions and provide design input and costings etc for 'other work'. So to some extent there was a distraction/disruption that could have been avoided if I had simply been an ex officio operative.
     
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  9. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    From another environment, I can relate to both sides of this. There is no right answer, but there are many wrong ones.
     
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  10. Kanonkopdrinker

    Kanonkopdrinker New Member

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    Exmoor Associates' website has been updated to include details of the Open-Day at Bratton Fleming Station on Sunday 15 May 2022
     
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  11. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    candidates used to be allowed 350 words to promote themselves, this now seems to have been cut to 150 words, would anyone vote for a MP in an election on 150 words without canvassing wherever he/she could ?
     
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  12. ross

    ross Well-Known Member

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    On these pages, it seems that saying anything to promote a new face to any board of trustees is outright disloyalty. Doesn't seem to matter if the putative candidate is better qualified- if they can't tell anyone that and far-off members have no idea except what the board themselves say, the same people will carry on.
     
  13. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    Also,sadly all those far off /armchair members only get the views given in newsletters and magazines, criticism is very much frowned upon and wherever possible removed from social media hence why objective posts appear on these pages sometimes, people are all too quick to say 'dont air dirty washing on here' but no doubt if or when the sh1t hits the fan they will be the first to say 'why didnt someone say something'
     
  14. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Those who may know the background to the saga of the former Trustees of the WSRA a few years ago may understand the situation all too well :)
     
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  15. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Speaking as a "far off/armchair member" I would personally like to see more information provided on the members pages of the website - the last post was on 8th March! Since this date I would have expected a post to say that the AGM papers were on their way and that there was an additional candidate so there would be a meaningful vote. I would also expect to see the results of the Trustees election on these pages before they appear on Social Media.

    These pages could also be used to explain what was happening about Planning applications - with some ideas what to say in any support submitted to the local authorities. Also news of the status of the TWAO application. I know that these 'official' submissions are complex and have to be 'right' and my guess is that the apparent delay with these is to get them right so that we have every chance of success - but I would like to be told that this is the case. On the other hand the delay could be that the consultants dealing with these matters are not the best for the job and that they need replacing.

    I am also well aware that Social Media platforms and even this forum are carefully examined by opposers of the railways and their agents so it is important that they are not given any ammunition.
     
  16. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    I think the point is that this isn't a members forum, it's a public one. How many L&B members are on NatPres - 5? 10? It's just not the right place for campaigning for a position in a membership based organisation, regardless of what that organisation is or who the individuals involved are. Add in the potential risk of providing ammunition for those objecting to the L&B and you can see why some people suggest you do this type of campaigning in a more appropriate setting
     
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  17. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Where would you suggest?
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2022
  18. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think the use of a general forum for campaigning is legitimate, but raises genuine issues. However, the flyer that was posted here struck me as entirely reasonable, and said nothing that should be considered exceptionable.

    More generally, I would be concerned if how an organisation runs itself is going to be determined by how it's opponents might use anything said publicly. The line between not being provocative & observing reasonable confidentiality on the one hand, and obsessive secrecy on the other, are easily crossed, and carry dangers.

    I personally welcome the fact that there is a competitive election for this post, and see the process as benefitting the L&B whoever is elected. The trust and it's supporters should be proud that they can muster a competitive election - too many organisations struggle to even fill their boards.
     
  19. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    There is the .io group, which at best is only semi-private, but even this seems to be virtually extinct now, sparking into life briefly about once a month or so, for the odd bit of esoterica.
    Probably heavily modded, too.
     
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  20. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    I think that's the rub - any forum/group associated to the L&B (and thereby the current Trustees) is probably going to be modded and bias in favour of the current incumbents. Therefore any 'safe place' to declare your credentials as a prospective Trustee has to be somewhere neutral, such as NP.
     
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