Model Rules Review - what would you like to change?
We are starting work on revising the current model rules for community-owned shops. The new version will include recent innovations, such as community shares, and will be written in a far more readable way.
It's also a great opportunity for ironing out any little problems in the existing rules. So, if your shop uses the model rules and has ideas on what you'd like changed, let us know.
We will shortly have the first draft of the new model rules. If your shop would like to be one of our test group for the new ideas, do let me know.
We are also in the process of updating the Plunkett Advice Sheets for community owned shops, so we would be keen to hear from people about what they would like to see in the in the relevent advice sheets to help them understand the options available to them, and understand what the model rules provide.
When are the new sheets available
The new sheets should be published and made available from July 2010.
When I took over as Secretary of Monks Eleigh Community Shop I inherited a resolution from the AGM to change our rules to eliminate Rule 51 with reference to the membership voting for unaudited accounts. The feeling was that this rule was irrelevant to our situation and so should be eliminated. As an Industrial and Provident Society, the FSA only allows this option below a certain turnover.
However, as an Industrial and Provident Society we are obliged to have any rule changes approved by the FSA. This started to look like a very bureaucratic process and I got the distinct impression that we were being discouraged from moving away even by one comma from your model rules (which is quite understandable in my opinion). Subsequently, we held an EGM to reverse the decision to eliminate Rule 51. There is, after all, no problem in having superfluous paragraphs in the rules.
My question is: If your new model rules are tested and approved, how easy will it be for organisations such as ours to adopt them and have them approved by the FSA? Will you be smoothing the path with the FSA in this respect?
Best wishes,
Arthur Grosset
In a nutshell, yes, we see Plunkett's role as "smoothing the path" for shops. Wheel reinvention can be very time consuming for a shop. We want to design a set of rules that will meet the needs of most shops to avoid the need for amendments for most people. We will also be producing a "conversion kit" for those shops that have the existing model rules to convert to the new ones with the minimum amount of fuss. This will be a free service for those who've purchased the old rules from us (except any possible FSA charges). More details to follow.