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21 Aug 2018
NFYFC vote of no confidence rejected by 83 per cent majority
The vote was prompted by NFYFC’s decision to cancel the annual convention following issues in Blackpool this year.
Lauren Dean
Exactly one month on from calls to issue a vote of no confidence in the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Board of Management (BOM), Council members rejected the proposal.
Meeting at NFYFC Council on Saturday in Coventry, an 83 per cent majority voted against the move which could have seen local clubs break away from the federation.
The no confidence vote was prompted by NFYFC’s decision to cancel the annual convention following issues with ‘excessive drinking and anti-social behaviour’ in Blackpool in May this year.
Two further amendments were proposed at Saturday’s meeting to the original motion of a vote of no confidence and both were also overruled.
They included a vote of censure and a vote of censure with an apology.
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Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (YFYFC) said they were also looking to take a club-level vote on a decision to undertake a feasibility study looking at the cost and other implications of breaking away from the BOM, and to adopt a new membership survey in order a gauge members’ true feelings about the organisation.
In a letter to all members following the Council vote, NFYFC chairman Lynsey Martin said: “As I saw throughout National Young Farmers’ Week, we all love this organisation and are proud of what it achieves.
Financial storm
“That was evident this weekend when YFC members represented your counties and are helping to shape future plans.”
NFYFC former president Lionel Hill said it was the largest turnout for a Council meeting ’for a very long time’.
In answer to a question on how or where finances would come from in the future, Mr Hill said BOM chairman Heather Black said that during her career in the youth sector she had seen charities struggle from funding cuts.
Mr Hill said: “She [Heather Black] said NFYFC was fortunate to have £2 million in reserve to help weather the financial storm.
“I am unsure whether this sum is in addition to or includes the nearly half a million pounds that the BOM has already committed to the refurbishment of the NFYFC building at Stoneleigh.
“I would respectfully point out that so much of these reserves have been accumulated over the past 50 years.”
An NFYFC spokesperson said the sum allocated to refurbish the NFYFC building (£440,000) was a restricted fund called the YFC Centre Endowment Fund, set up when the federation moved to Stoneleigh Park and kept for use only on developing the YFC Centre.
The £2 million reserves are in addition to the YFC Centre Endowment Fund.
“No money from the reserves is being use for the refurbishment of the building,” the spokesperson said.
NFYFC Council also agreed to appoint a Working Group of YFC members to lead on the membership’s input to the organisation’s strategic plan.
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