Cycling UK AGM: Why I’m urging all members to vote

It only takes five minutes, but voting in our upcoming AGM is one of the most important ways that Cycling UK members can engage with us as a charity. Our organisation has always been powered by members, so it’s vital that any changes have the backing of our members. This is your opportunity to have your say and help us shape the future of Cycling UK.

As trustees, we use our skills and experience to guide the organisation strategically, to ensure that it can have the biggest positive impact for members, the wider cycling community and society as a whole. It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously. 

Sometimes we propose changes to ensure we can maximise that impact and it’s really important to us that members vote so that we can affirm we’re on the right track.

This year we’re proposing some changes to the governance of the charity, in the form of special resolutions. The first is to help make sure we can attract the skills, experience and diversity of background that we need on the board of trustees. This is vital because we need specific capabilities and areas of experience, which aren’t always available within the members who put themselves up for election. Should that be the case, we can co-opt a trustee – in other words, recruit someone who has the particular skills or background we need.

We all want to see more people, and a broader range of people, cycling. To do that effectively, we want our board to better reflect the diverse people we now work with across all of our activities. I’ve been involved with my local Cycling UK member group for over 20 years and know how important it is for the sustainability of our groups and activities to be attracting new people to cycling.

We’re therefore proposing to increase the maximum number of co-opted trustees from three to four out of the twelve trustees. This will increase our ability to look more widely for particular attributes and experiences, should we need to. Of course, all co-opted trustees join Cycling UK as members and the recruitment process ensures they are committed to cycling and aligned with our values.

Another of the special resolutions we’d like you to vote on proposes removing the requirement for members to vote on price changes. Our membership fees are a significant proportion of the charity’s unrestricted income, and the uncertainty around this every year adds complexity and uncertainty to our processes and financial planning.

This isn’t about dramatically increasing the prices, and the trustees – who are all members – are committed to ensuring that membership remains fair and affordable. This change is about allowing us to plan ahead better, which means we can increase our impact as a charity.

The final resolution we’d like you to support is some changes to our Articles of Association. These will bring the Articles up to date by using gender-neutral terms, aligning them with best practice, and bringing them in line with company law without changing their effect.

I first joined what was then CTC as a teenager, as I discovered cycle touring for the first time. After a period when I didn’t cycle as much, I rejoined in 2003 and later discovered off-road riding, which has really changed my life and health. Riding my bike, solo or with a group, brings me freedom and joy, and some escape from whatever else might be happening in life. And sometimes it just gets me from place to place, for free!

I believe passionately in helping as many people as possible to experience the joys and benefits of cycling that are such a big part of my life. And I want to help make the UK an even better place for all of us to ride our bikes and trikes. The changes we are proposing will help Cycling UK to do that, so I urge you to support our mission by making your voice heard and voting to support those changes.

How to vote

Voting is easy to do. You can vote by post or online. Your ballot papers are included with your August/September issue of Cycle magazine. They provide full details of the meeting agenda and the proposed resolutions. They will be posted separately to any members who have opted not to receive the magazine.

Full instructions are given for voting online. You will need to enter your unique two-part security code, which is provided with your ballot paper.

Members can also vote by proxy, with full details outlined on the ballot paper. 

The deadline for electronic and postal votes is 9am on Tuesday 24 September 2024.