There is going to be a clear out of the current board of the Trust at the SGM. That was clear because the current board do not want to continue, but some will have to stand to comply with the articles of the Trust I believe.Bangitintrnet wrote: February 15th, 2024, 2:27 pmAnd as as asked the original poster, I would expect some benefits to be covered by the transfer document between the trust and HJ.........wattsville_boy wrote: February 15th, 2024, 2:01 pmPrior to HJ taking over the County, the Trust were averaging £8.5k a month in payments to the football club, but in the last year that accounts are available made two "one-off" payments to the club to keep it solvent. Now I expect numbers of Trust members to fall post-takeover but if the new Trust board decide to continue to contribute to the club then there is a conversation to be had regarding benefits accrued from this largese...Bangitintrnet wrote: February 14th, 2024, 5:43 pmSomeone who receives a benefit in the form of say hospitality, who is it now providing and paying the cost of that?Exile 1976 wrote: February 14th, 2024, 4:59 pmBangitintrnet wrote: February 14th, 2024, 3:55 pmNo reason to be sorry, I am simply pointing out that the trust and the club are now different entities, and to discuss the future with no knowledge of how the relationship will work in future, is a tiny bit presumptuous......Chris Davis wrote: February 14th, 2024, 3:32 pmI'm not in a position to answer any of those questions, I'm sorry.Bangitintrnet wrote: February 14th, 2024, 3:12 pmSo the trust are just assuming that the current trust benefits package will still be gifted by HJ and the club are they?Chris Davis wrote: February 14th, 2024, 1:40 pmI am not aware that there will be any formal Trust meetings scheduled prior to the SGM, so there will not be any opportunity for HJ to attend. Further, from my recollection, it was not connected with the consultation exercise. Just a 'fuzzy feeling' thing that HJ would be invited to address the Trust at some particular unspecified Trust meeting in the future.Bangitintrnet wrote: February 14th, 2024, 1:28 pmI didn't attend the meeting, but understand that HJ will be attending the next trust meeting. Will that be before formal decisions, or at the launch of the survey?Chris Davis wrote: February 14th, 2024, 1:14 pm The Trust AGM on the 25 January was followed by an “informal meeting with members to discuss the future of the Trust”. This informal meeting did take place. The purpose of the meeting was to canvas initial thoughts on three matters:
1. How the Trust should be run in the future. (I don't know if this includes whether the Trust should be run at all but I doubt it!).
2. How we should elect two new directors for the board of the football club and what we should expect of them;
3. How the Trust can represent the interests of supporters and best support the club under the new ownership model.
There will also be a survey of Trust members as a follow up.
Each one of the above list is a complicated matters and in my opinion too complicated for a survey alone to tackle. But at least it's an attempt at the involvement of the Trust members and that should be applauded. Having been at the meeting, I am not sure of how valid suggestions from the floor were, bearing in mind the complexities and the relatively small time to consider the issues. I am not even sure if anyone, on behalf of the Trust Board was taking note of the points made. Post the meeting, there has been no communication on it setting out the suggestions made,.
Doubtless, someone on the BOD or on behalf of the BOD will be currently designing this survey. That needs a careful design in order not to lead the result in particular directions but without going the other way and being meaningless. Whatever, I think that survey needs to be out quickly, as almost three weeks have already gone and a Special General Meeting is to be called in March or April to “make formal decisions”. So, that timetable seems to assume that the whole consultative process has been completed and the Board, by mid April at the latest, has taken the time to take proper consideration of that consultative process in order to present the concrete proposasl on which formal decisions can be made, which the Directors have promissed to do.
I think that reasonably we ought to expect to receive the survey document in the next few weeks.
Perhaps something was mentioned about conditions placed on HJ, with regard trust benefits, as a result of the Trust gifting shares to HJ?
If not, it seems to me, that the trust want benefits simply provided, but still want to be able to decide how money accrued (presumably due to those benefits) spent in a way that might not align with the person gifting the benefits....
I am pleased however, that it seems it is possible to have a grown up conversation on this.
For those who want me to mention the Carlisle accounts, of course they are no longer in L2 so are no longer relevant. However if people really want openness, then they need HJ to represent L2 at the EFL at the earliest opportunity (assuming he would want to).
So HJ wants the Trust to still give thousands of pounds to his club and to shut up and just do it with no benefits? That’d go down well.
That is the practical difference now that the trust and the club are separated.
However at present, it seems that the trust are still deciding the benefits, and how money is spent, and due to human nature look to personal circumstances, rather than the big picture when deciding.
All I am actually trying to point out, is do the trust benefits align with those of HJ'S commercial objectives?
As far as I can tell, nobody knows, and it seems from the trust's point of view, nobody wants to invite him to discuss his plans.
It could be that change could help the club, help fans, and raise more cash, but we don't know, and it seems we don't particularly want to know at present.
The new board will have a conversation with HJ when it's members have indicated the direction they wish the new Trust to go in and when the income generated by Trust membership is known. I think most people think numbers will fall and so the revenue generated will be reduced.