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Martyn, Roger and all Sorry to keep going but I am afraid I get very concerned at some of what I am reading re the comments about the new governance proposals., and thanks Roger for asking the sensible questions. Perhaps Martyn you can explain whether the council of any other professional body has found it necessary to appoint investment fund managers, accountants, actuaries and lawyers to make up one third of the membership of its council. I think not. When Council needs professional advice, it has a duty to seek it from its qualified and regulated professional advisors. The trustees of the pension fund have a separate responsibility to ensure that they receive proper actuarial, legal, accounting and investment advice on behalf of the fund's beneficiaries. Would those specialists you intend to add to the governance body be elected or chosen, and would they charge a fee for attending governance meetings which often would not involve the need of their skills? The issue is that some of us believe that the proposals should be amended so that almost all members of Council are elected for a three or four year period. That would improve the accountability of Council, which the Charity Commission describes as being a "hallmark" of good governance. If Martyn still believes it is necessary to improve the "skill set" of council beyond the elected members, then the number of such co-opted members should perhaps be limited to two. And when Council requires professional legal, accounting, fiduciary or investment advice, it must look to its advisors who are regulated and qualified (and insured) to give such advice. In my experience and knowledge this is how most if not all charities and small organisations operate. The 'experts' on their field are paid to give the advice, they have no real interest in what the membership need or want. Cilip used to have its own paid accountant, property law is a specialism required occasionally, and Cilip, as far as I know has one property? I am a member of a number of organisations, one in particular (and I think I have mentioned this before),. Is the Magistrates Association, which runs a similar organisation and in central London and has of late done major reviews., but it takes specialist advice as and when it is required. Would be worth Cilip looking at it's, and other like organisations, Governance structure, and how they do not disenfranchise their members? The current proposal from Council is I think doing this. CILIP is a membership body, and members of its Council should be elected and accountable to the members. f ----Original message---- Frances Hendrix -----Original Message----- From: Library and Information Professionals [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Martyn Wade Sent: 08 August 2014 16:26 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: CILIP AGM 2014 Dear Roger I’m happy to provide clarification and answer your questions. One of the aims of the governance review is to make sure CILIP is led by people with the right skills to make the best decisions for the organisation and the members. Members will have an option at the AGM to vote for a Board comprising 8 elected and 4 appointed Board members, the appointed members will not necessarily be individual members of CILIP. Once the elected Board members are in place a skills audit will be carried out. The skills required from the appointed Board members will be identified from the audit and based on the strategic priorities for the organisation. This mix of elected and appointed Board members is designed to create a Board that has the right combination of skills and experience to deal with varying and often complicated issues needed to govern a charity and professional body – for example investment management, pension fund management, charity law, and property law. In 2012 a Project Board examined CILIP’s governance – including the current model, how other professional bodies are governed, our charity requirements and charity law obligations. The mix of elected and appointed Board members was part of their recommendations, and has been outlined in the proposals about the governance review. CILIP is on a sound financial footing, and it’s important it stays that way. I hope this provides the details you need. The agenda and papers for the AGM are available from the CILIP website: www.cilip.org.uk/bigday2014 Regards Martyn Wade Chair CILIP Council