Summary
We are in the process of amending the Articles of Association, which needs to be approved by a Company General Meeting. In order for the changes to be approved, quorum needs to be met. As per 21.2 of the current articles, ‘1% of the total membership (represented in person or by proxy), whichever is great, shall be a quorum.’
Proposed changes
Key changes
Following extensive review, a summary of the key changes proposed as part of the Amendment to Articles can be found below. The changes can be split in to two key areas:
Nomenclature
- Updating references to the 1993 Charities Act to the 2011 Charities Act
- All references to ‘Union Council’ being changed to ‘Union Executive’
- All references to ‘General Manager’ being changed to ‘Chief Executive Officer’
- All references to ‘Company General Meetings’ being changed to ‘Company Law Meetings’
- Adopting gender neutral language and avoiding phrases such as ‘his or hers’ and ‘he and she’
Substantive changes
- Trustees to be defined as ‘Company Law Members’ who are able to amend the Articles in the future
- The quota required for a student to call a referendum or to submit a vote of no confidence in an Officer Trustee to be adjusted to 1% of the student body. This was previously set as 0.5% to call a referendum and 2% to submit a vote of no confidence in an Officer Trustee. This change has been made to bring us further in line with best practice from other Russell Group Students’ Unions.
Should the changes be approved, they will take effect from 16 July 2023 with any relevant changes to the Bye-Laws to be confirmed by Union Executive.