AUGUST 2000
BNTVA NEWSLETTER
I have chosen to write to you all in the form of a newsletter and to bring all members up to date as to the current happenings within your Association. West Midlands Branch You will no doubt have received a letter from Mr Brian Chaimberlain concerning a meeting to be held at Tamworth on 2nd September 2000. I have decided to forward a copy of this newsletter and the enclosures to all members of the BNTVA in order to quell any misunderstandings and to set out the Association's position once and for all. Firstly I would confirm that the meeting which Mr Chaimberlain proposes to hold is not sanctioned by the BNTVA. It is yet another attempt at damaging the Association's reputation and causing division amongst the membership. The motives appear to be the continued campaign against Mrs Sheila Gray by several members and ex-members of the Association. st
I enclose a copy of my reply to Mr Chaimberlain dated 31 July 2000 setting out the position. This matter is simple. th
On 15 April 2000 at the AGM held in Blackpool the then Executive Committee stood down in the usual way and then stood for re-election. Mr McGinley, after initially being re-elected as Chairman, stood down when the Association re-elected Mrs Gray to the position of Secretary. Mr McGinley did not have to do this. He chose to do so, and chose to leave the meeting, accompanied by a number of members, including Bill Kittsen, the former treasurer. These men then took no further part in the meeting. Those remaining at the AGM (still a significant number of members) accepted Mr McGinley's resignation and elected a new '-..,..- Executive Committee. You are all aware of those people who now make,-up the Committee from the minutes of the AGM which were sent to you shortly after. The Association's Solicitor has confirmed that the Executive Committee which has now been elected is proper and fully in accordance with the Association's constitution. I enclose a copy of the constitution for those of you who would wish to satisfy yourselves of the position. The simple fact is that the current Executive Committee was elected by the members of the Association at the AGM. The election was perfectly proper. The members accepted Mr McGinley standing down and elected Peter Fletcher and John Lowe as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. Under the terms of the Constitution the Executive Committee remain in place until the next AGM, when they will step down. The members at the AGM can then chose to elect a new Committee or to re-elect some or all of the existing Committee. I must make it clear that there is no mechanism in the Constitution for electing a new Committee at any other meeting other than an AGM. For this reason the meeting proposed by Mr Chaimberlain is pointless. When Brian Chaimberlain wrote to Sheila Gray requesting that a special meeting be called S_heila responded by asking for details of those matters which would be raised at the meeting. Mr Chaimberlain's reply was to confirm that he wished to attempt in some way to circumvent the elections at the AGM and to elect his own Committee. Because this could not, under the terms of the Constitution, be achieved the Association does not think that it is a prudent and sensible use of the Association's precious funds to incur the expense of a meeting where the desired outcome cannot be that a new Committee is elected. To do so would, as has happened so many times in the past, cost the Association a great deal of money just to appease a small minority of '--' members. This is not what the Association stands for. Accordingly the Executive Committee does not propose to waste any further time or money dealing with this meeting, or any other such attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Association. Those who are not satisfied with the job being done by the current Executive Committee will have an opportunity to vote for it's replacement at the next AGM. I am pleased to be able to advise that I have received confirmation of the date for the next AGM. This will take place in Blackpool, at the Horseshoe th Showbar as usual on 28 April 2001. Until then we will continue to carry out the duties for which we were elected. I now have an opportunity to shed some light on the Association's financial situation and to enlighten you all as to the position regarding many of your former Executive Committee. Court Proceedings against Bill Kittsen After the AGM in April the new treasurer, Ken Roberts, was left to do his job without any accounts or bank books. The previous treasurer, Bill Kittsen, did not forward these to Ken. Accordingly the Association (via it's Solicitor) wrote to Bill Kittsen requesting that the books be returned, together with all other Association property which he held. Further time was given to return these items, however Mr Kittsen refused and finally a Court Summons was issued against him. These Court proceedings are the ones referred to in the recent letter that some people have received from Mr Kittsen. To clear up any confusion which that letter may have caused, the BNTVA is suing Mr Kittsen for the return of property. I have been advised by the Association's Solicitor that the Association cannot bring Court proceedings in it's own name. As such one of the Executive Committee must sue in a representative capacity. I am advised that it is normal for this to be the Secretary, hence the fact that Sheila Gray's name appears on the proceedings. Sheila does not, however, sue in her own right, but as a representative of the Association and with the full authority of the Executive Committee.