DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Discussion of the re-branding of CTC as Cycling UK.
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Philip Benstead
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DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Philip Benstead »

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY OF THIS PETITION PLEASE EMAIL philipbenstead1@gmail.com
CTC Members
CTC Local Group Secretary
CTC Affiliate Groups
Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC)

Philip Benstead
CTC Brand Petition,
19 Greencoat Mansions,
Greencoat Row,
Westminster,
London, SW1P 1PG

philipbenstead1@gmail.com
0794-980-1698

18 February 2016

Dear Secretary/Member

If sent to you in error, please forward to the correct person.

CHANGE OF THE BRANDING NAME OF THE “CTC” to “CYCLING UK”
DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

You and your CTC members may have become aware that at the Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) Council meeting on 23rd January 2016 agreed on a vote of 10 to 5 to replace the existing “Cyclists` Touring Club or CTC” and associated logo(s) and heritage marks with “CYCLING UK” or another branding name and logo(s). https://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/1/UK00003150027

We are petitioning the CTC to demand a poll of the whole club so CTC members will have the opportunity to indorse or overturn the motion.

It is our opinion the entire decision-making process was flawed and any dissent was either ignored or shouted down. A similar technique was used regarding the governance issue, but more of that a little in the future. We need 200 valued CTC members signing, but I want many more to avoid any being discounted and to show the strength of feeling.

It has been drawn to our attention that there are already similarly named cycling-related internet sites

https://www.facebook.com/ucyclingk/?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/CyclingUKNews
http://cycleuk.bike/

Please could you circulate this petition to fully paid up CTC members.

Please ensure that their name/number is legible and that they must also sign it in black or blue ink/biro.

Please note that we have the support of some councillors.

We are seeking the poll details to be in the April/May edition of “Cycle”; so time is short.
Please return the completed sheets in an A4 size envelope to me ASAP at
Philip Benstead CTC Brand Petition,
19 Greencoat Mansions, Greencoat Row, Westminster, London, SW1P 1PG.

Please ensure the correct first class postage is used, you need to use the Large Letter rate of 100g = 95p, 250g = £1.26, 500g = £1.68, 750g = £2.42.

NB Data Protection Act, your email address was obtained from a public available source on the internet.

Many thanks for your help,


Philip Benstead
BRAND PETITION COORDINATOR AND POST-BOX
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
Psamathe
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Psamathe »

I wish you luck but I can't see National Office agreeing. They seem to have everything pretty well sewn-up these days.

If I could I'd be supporting you (but I'm no longer a member).

Ian
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Philip Benstead
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Philip Benstead »

Psamathe wrote:I wish you luck but I can't see National Office agreeing. They seem to have everything pretty well sewn-up these days.

If I could I'd be supporting you (but I'm no longer a member).

Ian


They can't refuse it in the articles and if they try I will go to the Charity commission.

PS see your pm
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
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gaz
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by gaz »

Philip Benstead wrote:They can't refuse it in the articles and if they try I will go to the Charity commission.


Article 11 of the Memorandum of Association.

The Charity Commission has already given advice to CTC on what action to take in the event of being bound by a poll of the whole club: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=62180

Council have already determined that the change of trading name and branding is in the best interests of the Charity. The Trustees are legally bound to act in the best interests of the Charity. The Charity Commission does not believe it to be appropriate for the Members to bind Council to a course of action that they would not otherwise have followed.

I'm sure that if a Poll of the Whole Club is called on this issue Council will have little option but to seek immediate legal advice, certainly if it is succesful in overturning Council's decision.

There is no doubt in my mind that 200+ members will sign the petition. I look forward to finding out what the associated prize draw offering to encourage a good turn out will be, last time round it was a Goretex jacket :roll: .

Edit: Most recent Poll of Whole Club: http://www.ctc.org.uk/sites/default/fil ... 101006.pdf

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We are Cycling UK.
Last edited by gaz on 28 Feb 2016, 4:09pm, edited 1 time in total.
Regulator
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Regulator »

What's the bet if there's a whole poll of the Club, Head Office won't use ERS to carry out the poll in case the membership gives the 'wrong' answer...
Vorpal
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Vorpal »

A poll costs lots of money that might be better spent on campaigning.
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Ron
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Ron »

Vorpal wrote:A poll costs lots of money that might be better spent on campaigning.


Agreed.
A change of name, logo and image was long overdue.
Bicycler
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Bicycler »

Vorpal wrote:A poll costs lots of money that might be better spent on campaigning.

You're probably right. It's probably a waste of time. There's no way out of the charity pit and, as gaz says, there's little scope for democracy in it.

That said, it must be good to be in one of these roles. You can make a controversial and expensive decision affecting members of an organisation without communicating with the vast majority of them. You later present the situation as a fait accompli. When they object at the first available opportunity, you brand them troublemakers and say a vote would be too expensive.

Anybody remember when they were saying that the main benefit of being a full, rather than affiliate, member was voting rights?
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Philip Benstead
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Philip Benstead »

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... nge-213541

CTC to rebrand as Cycling UK in April: some members object to the change
• Nigel Wynn
• February 26, 2016
0shares

National cycling charity formerly known as Cyclists' Touring Club will be re-branded as Cycling UK
- Former CTC council member calls for poll of members to vote on change
image: http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirew ... 30x419.jpg

CTC will rebrand as Cycling UK in April

CTC, the national cycling charity, will be re-branded as ‘Cycling UK’ from April. The aim of the new name is to help “magnify the great work that we do to inspire people into cycling” according to the organisation’s chief executive Paul Tuohy.
Tuohy said in a statement that the new name is a result of extensive consultation with members, partners and stakeholders. However, some CTC members have expressed that they are not happy with the rebranding process.

“Through the rebrand process we engaged with over 2000 members, supporters, partners and local and national government departments across the UK,” said Tuohy.

“Based on this comprehensive research, and listening to your views, we are confident that this change is one that reflects the pride that we all take in our charity, and that helps to magnify the great work that we do to inspire people into cycling, as we campaign to protect the gift of cycling, and help people to overcome personal barriers to cycling.”

Although the public name of the organisation will change, it will still be registered as a charity and as a company under the name Cyclists’ Touring Club – a name that dates back to 1883 when it was changed from the original 1878 name of Bicycle Touring Club.

“Our charity will still legally be registered as the Cyclists’ Touring Club with its charity and companies registrations unchanged. The Cyclists’ Touring Club is not being disbanded. In fact, part of the need for this change is because we hope the new brand will enhance our touring offering,” said Tuohy.

“The new name (as I’m sure many of you will now have seen) is ‘Cycling UK’ and the brand ‘we are Cycling UK’ will be adopted as the ‘trading name’ of the charity. We are very proud of our heritage and history, and we know that a new name and brand will really help to make our charity even more attractive to many more people.”

Not all CTC members are happy about the change, with several claiming that they were not consulted about the new name. Former CTC council member Philip Benstead is attempting to gather 200 CTC members to petition for a member-wide poll on the rebranding.

In a letter to CTC members, Benstead wrote: “We are petitioning the CTC to demand a poll of the whole club so CTC members will have the opportunity to endorse or overturn the motion. It is our opinion the entire decision-making process was flawed and any dissent was either ignored or shouted down.
“We need 200 valued CTC members signing, but I want many more to avoid any being discounted and to show the strength of feeling.”

CTC chair of council David Cox replied to Benstead’s letter, saying: “The decision [for the rebrand] came at the end of an impressively thorough process. While some Council members were initially cautious of the jargon that can surround exercises like this, there was a near-unanimous acknowledgement that the team working with us understood CTC with all its complex heritage and exciting future – and had captured our collective desire to share the joy of cycling.

“Only one Council member voted against the proposed rebrand, with 15 voting in favour.”

The new name and logo have already been logged with the Intellectual Property Office for registration as a trademark.
The rebranding will be officially launched in April through the organisation’s magazine, Cycle.
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
uciffc
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by uciffc »

Bicycler wrote:
Vorpal wrote:A poll costs lots of money that might be better spent on campaigning.

You're probably right. It's probably a waste of time. There's no way out of the charity pit and, as gaz says, there's little scope for democracy in it.

That said, it must be good to be in one of these roles. You can make a controversial and expensive decision affecting members of an organisation without communicating with the vast majority of them. You later present the situation as a fait accompli. When they object at the first available opportunity, you brand them troublemakers and say a vote would be too expensive.

Anybody remember when they were saying that the main benefit of being a full, rather than affiliate, member was voting rights?



I've been a member for years & today is the first I've heard of this nonsense. I'm really sad partly about the lack of consultation, partly about the blandness of the new name and all the marketing ***** that will inevitably go with it (whenever people talk about an 'offer' I shudder) and partly about the feeling of powerlessness except to leave. And, sadly, that's what I guess I'll be doing
Steady rider
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Steady rider »

Did Cycle mention the possible name change?

The Charity Commission approved the terms that the whole club could be asked to vote on an issue and the Trustees probably agreed to follow the articles.
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gaz
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by gaz »

I do not keep back issues of Cycle to trawl through and see if there have been either explicit or implicit mentions of "refreshing the brand". So far as the Charity Commission is concerned I linked their comments on Article 11 above. They could hardly be described as "approval".

CC to CTC 28th Feb [2012]
Article 11 – Poll of the whole Club

I notice that there is a provision in Article 11 whereby the whole Club may be polled on any question. Any decision arrived at by a poll of the whole Club shall bind the Club and the Council (i.e. the charity trustees) for six months.

Although this Article doesn’t affect charitable status, it isn’t really appropriate for a charity.
...
This particular Article could bind the trustees into taking an action, or refraining from taking an action, contrary to what they might otherwise decide would be in the charity’s best interests if they were free to exercise their discretion. For all of the above reasons it is not an appropriate provision for a charity and we would strongly recommend that it is deleted. Ultimately, the decision whether or not to do so is one for the members of the company.
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gaz
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by gaz »

I quite expect a Motion at the 2017 AGM (or not too long after) to delete Article 11, unless Council finds some other legal method to remove/ignore it first.
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Vorpal
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Vorpal »

Bicycler wrote:
Vorpal wrote:A poll costs lots of money that might be better spent on campaigning.

You're probably right. It's probably a waste of time. There's no way out of the charity pit and, as gaz says, there's little scope for democracy in it.

I didn't actually say it was a waste of time. Just that the money might be better spent elsewhere. But I agree that it isn't a club anymore, and members should not expect the rights of club members.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
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Bicycler
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Re: DEMAND FOR A POLL OF THE WHOLE CLUB

Post by Bicycler »

Vorpal wrote:I agree that it isn't a club anymore, and members should not expect the rights of club members.

Perhaps that should have been made clear when proposing the change to charity status and asking the turkeys to vote for Christmas? I think that most people coming anew to a charity would expect to be donors rather than members and wouldn't expect anything in the way of a say over policy. In the case of the CTC though it was presented as business as usual for members but with charitable status benefitting the CTC's campaigning objectives, fundraising etc.

It's the same with the whole rebranding exercise. Some would always have been sad to see the CTC name disappear, but the anger some are feeling is due in no small part the way that such a major change was not communicated with members until it was a done deal.

It doesn't have to be that way though. I've been a member of an organisation turned charity that did go through a name change and several other potential changes of policy, including members becoming donors. The major difference was the level of communication and consultation with the members/donors and transparency throughout the whole process. We felt like valued contributors to the organisation. Who in the CTC feels that way?
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