Pat Cumbers as Senior Townwarden

 

 I have felt honoured to be part of Melton Mowbray Town Estate, a very interesting, ancient charity.

A lot of very exciting things have happened since October 2007 but I have not been at the heart of the Town Estate in the way I had expected and was entitled to be as Senior Townwarden.

I have always been unwelcome and often it would have been easy to give in and resign but I felt I had a duty to the people of Melton Mowbray to persevere.

Prior to my election I had given much thought to the Town Estate and with my background, I believed I was well placed to complement the work and ideas of the existing Board of Feoffees.

I also believed strongly in more openness, more consultation and accountability to the membership – i.e. the people of Melton Mowbray and said so at the Annual Meeting.

On 2 October I had my first Townwardens’ meeting ( the weekly meeting between both Townwardens and both Bailiffs) and received a set of office keys.

I was somewhat surprised to discover that there were no written duties or procedures for the Senior Townwarden and no standing orders or procedures for the Board of Feoffees.

But the Bailiff (manager) had helpfully prepared a list of topics covering the work of the Town Estate. It all looked very interesting but straightforward and I was looking forward to working with my new colleagues in my new role of Senior Townwarden.

Every person in a new job, whether it’s heading a major company or sweeping the streets needs to be shown ‘the ropes’. I expected help and I was not expecting any major problems.

However, just three days after my election, the Vice Chair of the Town Estate convened a Special Feoffees’ meeting with the agenda as printed below.

I had not been contacted by the Chair or Vice Chair to discuss any perceived problems or the way forward.

There had been no attempt to ensure I could attend the meeting which had been called so hurriedly.

This did not auger well.

 

So on 11 October 2007 I attended my first Board of Feoffees’ meeting.

I was not welcomed as a new member of the Board and no mention was made of the historical

significance of my being the first female Townwarden in the history of the Town Estate since it began in 1549.

Two resolutions were produced, the first was as follows -

SPECIAL FEOFFEES MEETING – 11 OCTOBER 2007. 1ST RESOLUTION. The following resolution is proposed by the Chairman of Feoffees, Derek Larder, and seconded by the Vice Chairman of Feoffees, Ken Saunders. To transfer the operational management of the Town Estate, for the time being, from the Town Wardens to the Feoffees. A Feoffees Management Committee consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, the two Town Wardens and Feoffee John Southerington to be formed to run the day to day operational management of the Town Estate with the Chairman of Feoffees acting as the senior operations manager. REASONS The newly elected Senior Town Warden does not have the requisite experience and background to provide the continuity of day to day operational management of the Town Estate that is required by the Feoffees. That is to say - Not having served the usual 2 year term as Junior Town Warden to understand the policies, practices and procedures of the Town estate. - Not having any known commercial background that fits with running a charity which operates in the not for profit sector. The Senior Town Warden will continue to carry out the civic duties of the office and represent the Town Estate at other ceremonial and social occasions. The Town bailiff will report to the Chairman of Feoffees, for the time being. John Southerington is included in the committee because of his key role in the bridge project.

 

It was certainly not good practice to introduce such a resolution ‘without notice’ - the resolution should have been issued with the agenda. 

It was untrue to say I lacked the ‘requisite experience and background’.

What was meant by ‘Not having any known commercial background that fits with running a charity which operates in the not for profit sector’ ? If it was not known, why did nobody ask ? Actually they did know about my commercial background as I had given a short versionof my C V at the Annual Meeting.

I had many years commercial background and much experience of the charitable/community and the ‘not for profit’ sectors.

At the time of my election my CV included the following ;- 

I had extensive business experience including Banking, Accountancy and Insurance.   I had chaired the local Volunteer Bureau for a number of years.   I am a trustee of another charity.   I had been a Borough Councillor for over 10 years.   I had been Mayor of the Borough and raised a record £42000 for charity.   I have served on all major policy committees at the Council and many working parties.   I had chaired Melton Borough Council Planning Committee   I had been a Trade Union representative.   I had experience of managing staff   I was chair of Melton Seniors Forum   I was a school governor at two local schools.   I was lead member of Melton Borough Council in respect of various matters including Equalities, Risk Assessments and Seniors   I had helped organise various charitable events for the good of the Town, using TownEstate land and facilities.   I had researched the history and background of the Town Estate.   I was completely conversant with the governing document – the Scheme Of Arrangement.

  

I knew that I was as qualified as any of the existing feoffees and I later realised in many ways I was better qualified than most feoffees because of my background and experience.

 I had not been elected unopposed - I had defeated the incumbent Senior Townwarden.

That same Townwarden had previously been Senior Townwarden for two years until October 1986. Amongst the problems at that time, was the keeping of Town Estate records , including the accounts, at home despite requests from the then feoffees that the records he had removed should be returned.

His successor had stated in the Townwardens’ report dated August 1987.

'At the time of the last Town Meeting (i.e. October 1986) the current finances of the Town Estate were not good and its total indebtedness was in the region of £60,000   The Townwardens were concerned at the effect of this situation on local traders and on the good name of the Town Estate'.

Is that an example of the requisite experience and background ?

I believe some of the Board of Feoffees did not want me as a member of the Board because they considered that they had the right to control Board membership, irrespective of the wishes of the membership of the charity i.e. the people of Melton Mowbray.

The second resolution which had been produced was factually incorrect and was withdrawn.

So the Townwardens’ duties had been transferred to a subcommittee, confusingly called the Feoffees’ Management Committee, a term usually reserved for the Board of Trustees of a charity and the sub committee was to meet every Tuesday as the Townwardens had met in the past.

I soon believed that other meetings were being held from which I was excluded and information was not being shared with me.

I asked to see a particularly important file which was (incorrectly) kept at the home of a member of the ‘Feoffees’ Management Committee’ who had previously been a Senior Townwarden but it was not produced nor was I allowed sight or details of the related Building Society Account which was also kept at the same Feoffee’s house. I was unable to establish who the signatories were.

(To date I have still not seen that file or those financial details despite many requests although I, and the other feoffees are all entitled to see all paperwork relating to the charity. Indeed we have a duty to ensure that everything is in order).

I began to feel very isolated at the Tuesday sub-committee meetings and I was grateful when a feoffee, another ex-Townwarden agreed to meet with me in the office on a regular basis to talk through Town Estate matters .

These were not formal meetings as no decisions could be made nor were they secret as anybody could have joined us. I found them useful and friendly.

The same Feoffee then agreed to join the Tuesday sub-committee meetings as an observer.

The Feoffees, as trustees, are all equally responsible for the management of the Town Estate, its assets and finance and all Feoffees are entitled to attend those meetings without a specific invitation

However, after the first Tuesday sub-committee meeting when we were joined by the observer Feoffee, I discovered my key would not unlock the office door and I then received a letter from the Chairman, printed below, which really upset and then angered me.

The letter contained errors and misleading statements.

No feoffee needed to be a member of the Tuesday sub-committee ( known as the 'Feoffees Management Committee') to attend as an observer.   No feoffee needed permission from the chairman to attend such a meeting.   The feoffee was not to be my representative.   One member of staff did offer help in the office – that was accepted and it was agreed I could look through an old insurance file.   No staff were upset.   There was no ‘gross violation of normal protocol’. I had never seen any Town Estate protocol and neither have I seen any Town Estate protocol since.   The Chairman of the Feoffees is the chairman and not some sort of supremo in a private company, who is a able to take such decisions unilaterally. I was and am the Senior Townwarden. Why should he treat me like that unless he was attempting to humiliate me and drive me away ?

 I replied to the above letter asking why someone who should be helpful and supportive was actually being unpleasantly obstructive. I also stated that I hoped the other Feoffees would not be misled by this unpleasant, bullying mischief-making.

I received no reply.

The following Tuesday the feoffee and I arrived at the office and I was told to ‘SHUD UP! SHUD UP! SHUD UP……. ! by a feoffee who then called me a silly old woman and I was frightened he was about to physically attack me when he started to approach me with clenched fists.

So each Tuesday for several weeks the other feoffee and I would both arrive at the meeting and would both leave when the chairman refused to allow the feoffee to remain although members of Town Estate staff were routinely included.

This was pointless and eventually we stopped going. I had been repeatedly told I could stay but I had told the chairman that I would not participate in secret meetings as my doing so might indicate that I condoned something which was wrong.

Since that time I have regularly reminded the chairman that I would attend the meetings if he ceased holding them in secret.

So what is my position now ? I feel defeated because I am not doing the job of Senior Townwarden to which I was elected but I was never allowed to do that job.

It has recently been said within a proposal to censure me that I was elected to the ‘titular office of Senior Townwarden’.

This was nonsense – I had been elected to the same position that every previous Senior Townwarden had been elected.

I have continued attending Board of Feoffees’ meetings although I dread them and after each meeting I say to myself ‘ It’s no good – I can not go through another meeting like that.’

The Town Estate is not a men’s secret society nor a men’s private club. The Board of Feoffees have done much good work but that does not excuse the way I have been treated. There are rules and proper ways of doing things which I believe should be adhered to.

So I’m still here, just. Reluctantly I have decided to tell the members (i.e. the residents of Melton Mowbray) what has happened to me – I had promised openness. Similar has happened to the only other female feoffee who will also be reporting on the difficult time she has had as a female feoffee of the Town Estate.

There is more which local people should know and I shall be telling them.  

August 2008