Election Update – Membership and Election Eligibility

The Election Management Group (EMG) are aware of some uncertainty around membership, the validity of people to vote/ nominate/ stand for election and whether membership records are accurate. We would like to clarify the following points:

1. The Trust Board have acknowledged communication and organisation haven’t been “to the high standards everyone would wish.” The EMG are liaising with remaining board members to ensure this does not detrimentally affect the election process.

2. On 1st October HUST board announced an “amnesty on membership renewals up to and including the election date” to allow members at the date of the postponed election an opportunity to still have their say. The EMG are honouring this promise and reiterate:

Any person who held adult membership of the trust on the date of this year’s AGM (17th September 2015), will be eligible, to vote, to nominate candidates or to stand for election.

3. Trust membership runs from AGM to AGM so if you joined the trust as an adult member, or renewed your adult membership of the trust at any time between the 2014 AGM and the 2015 AGM you will be eligible to participate in the election.

4. The membership amnesty ends at the conclusion of the election process. There is a requirement for any elected Board member to be a full member of the Trust. Anybody who is elected and who has not already renewed their Trust membership will therefore be required to immediately renew their Trust membership.

5. The EMG is working with the membership list that it has been provided with by the Trust. However we acknowledge the possibility that there may be some inaccuracies in the list and have taken the following steps to ensure that the election is as inclusive and constitutionally correct as possible under the circumstances.
i) All members listed on the membership list provided to the EMG as holding adult membership at the time of the 2015 AGM will be notified of the election either electronically or by mail.
ii) Any individual who wishes to confirm their eligibility to participate in the election may contact the EMG directly.
iii) In reaching a decision about an individual’s membership status and eligibility to participate in the election the EMG will consider both the membership list provided by the Trust and any other relevant evidence.

6. In the interests of continued support for HUST we encourage members whose renewal is due to renew as soon as they can. However as long as the above criteria is met, this is not a requirement for members to be eligible to vote, nominate or stand.

7. The EMG and remaining HUST Board members are working in a less than ideal situation, however the EMG are pledged to following principles of openness, transparency and fairness in getting a new Board in place so that HUST can quickly return to business.

8. If any member has queries regarding their eligibility to participate in the election please contact the EMG at hustelections@gmail.com. Complaints or concerns about the election process should be addressed to the Neil Le Milliere the independent EMG chairman: neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com.