Resolution to redefine the National Council to Members' Council

At the 2021 AGM it is proposed that the National Council be renamed the Members’ Council (the Council) and its role redefined.   

This proposal is the culmination of two years’ work by a Council task and finish Group, and an extensive consultation process with Members.

The work will be presented to Members at the 2021 AGM as an ordinary resolution to approve the new Members’ Council Terms of Reference (Council ToR).   This document has been through a rigorous drafting process and now exists as “Working version one”.    This name has been deliberately chosen to emphasise that, if approved, the Council would be at the beginning of a process as a revised body.   Council would review the ToR at least every three years to meet the changing needs of the Members and the BMC.  The reviews would be administered by the Council and agreed by voting Members at an AGM.

How will Members’ Council differ from National Council?

The proposed Council will do all the things that the previous National Council did, but with the aim of doing them in a more effective way.   Specifically, the Council will:

• Remain the custodian of the views and priorities of the Members under the leadership of the President;
• Aim to ensure the views of the Members are fully and transparently acted on by guiding the BMC on policy, on the Strategic Plan (Strategy);
• Create new Member representative roles to increase member engagement;
• Give specialist committees a greater voice on Council;
• Fully support the BMC Strategy and Vision, which is to ensure ‘a better future for climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers’.
• Ensure the effective use of Members’ subscriptions;

Subject to approval of the Council ToR at the AGM, elections will be held for the new volunteer roles which have been created to help Council achieve its ambitions.  Full details of all these roles can be found at https://www.thebmc.co.uk/agm-volunteers

What is in the proposed Council ToR?

Council has set itself four primary ambitions:

1. Effective engagement with Members:
   
   a. Councillors to engage with and encourage feedback from their own constituencies, in order to gain a clear understanding of Members’ wishes, issues, and aspirations.
   
   b. Where a matter is agreed to be significant, it will be taken to Council for development, resolution and passed on to the Board where action is warranted.
   
   
2. Effective engagement with all parts of the BMC: 
   
   a. Councillors to interact and encourage positive discussion with all parts of the BMC to identify the business and the activities in which Members should be engaged.
   
   b. Key issues will be identified, discussed and developed within Council and subsequently directed to the most appropriate part of the BMC organisation including the Board and Board Specialist and Standard Committees (Committees).
   
   
3. Role of “Critical Friend to the Board”:
   
   a. Council to provide oversight, support and scrutinise the Board’s performance against the Strategy and ensure that Members’ interests are represented.
   
   b. Work in partnership with the Board to ensure that all reserved matters, as defined in Schedule One of the AoA, are clearly and transparently delivered (Appendix 1).
   
   c. Scrutinise and critique the performance of the Committees facilitated by Council Nominated Directors (CNDs), Nationally Elected Councillors (NECs) and appointees to the Finance Committee (FC), the Audit and Risk Management Committees and the Nominations Committee (NomCom) aided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
   
   d. Monitor and critique the quality and value of the relationship between partner organisations and the BMC.
   
   
4. Outreach beyond core BMC business:
   
   a. To both learn from and to influence the outdoor sector, increase membership and in particular by engaging with under-represented groups.
   
   b. To consider the broader environment in which the BMC operates and provide guidance to the BMC Board and senior leadership to enhance the Strategy.

The Council realises that it is a challenging task to deliver the Four Ambitions and thus there is a need for good organisation and communication whilst also respecting Members’ aspirations.  Council will be a creative, collaborative and enjoyable environment, where volunteer time is most effectively used and valued. The BMC ethics and ethos are vital in all that the Council does.

If you have any comments please email MembersCouncil@thebmc.co.uk by Wednesday 31^st March 2021.