NCT update - Presidential election

We are writing to update you regarding our campaign. As you know, the Board had agreed to accept our resolution at the AGM. They have now backtracked on this, stating that they have no power to reinstate Bryan and Seána. This is technically inaccurate and reinforces what we have worried about throughout this process - that their priority has been to avoid doing anything that might give the impression that they were wrong to force Seána and Bryan out. The fact that the professional advice they followed came from the disgraced PR firm Bell Pottinger, is telling. Bell Pottinger have recently been struck off for unethical practice and poor advice. Their PR advice to NCT was flawed, illogical, and unethical, and has caused huge harm within our charity. We have written to the Board to ask for a full, independent review led by a lawyer. In addition, the Board have filled all three appointed trustee spaces, including Bryan’s space. They have also decided to hold a Presidential Election before addressing the unresolved issues. We are saddened that the board are therefore demonstrably acting in bad faith with regards to the upcoming mediation. This is clearly not a normal election situation. Seána was elected in 2015 to serve a five-year term. This was interrupted by her inappropriate forced removal, and it is counter-democratic that an election was called. The board should have agreed to hold an EGM well before the election cycle and these issues would have been resolved long ago. Seána herself has stayed away from all controversy, and is conducting a positive and forward focused campaign. We know she will work positively and constructively when she returns to the Board, and we admire her commitment to NCT. Under normal circumstances, we would expect Seána to win the election convincingly, as she is clearly an ideal candidate in terms of skills, knowledge, and experience. However, given the harm done to Seána’s reputation, nothing is certain. We are asking you to do all you can to support her campaign, including highlighting Seána’s strengths with any voters you may be in contact with. We firmly believe that Seána needs to return to her role as President. Her campaign page is www.facebook.com/SeanaTalbotNCTPresident - please share this with other voters, so they can see for themselves Seána’s strengths and experience. Please also encourage members to register their partners and encourage them to vote, if they have not already done so. In terms of the trustee election, we are pleased to see that there are three passionate and committed NCT members/volunteers standing - Elgan, Elaine, and Peter. We believe that one of the main weaknesses on the current Board is the lack of Trustees with strong roots in NCT who truly have walked alongside, if not carried, parents in our communities. We are also surprised that Lois Swift, one of the three trustees involved in the Bednest Incident Team (who followed the flawed advice) stood down from the Board ‘for personal reasons’ but then immediately stood again in the election. The Board has been asked for clarification but they have been unable to provide any explanation. You will have seen the draft agenda for the upcoming AGM. We have concerns about some of the proposals and will provide more detail on this nearer the time. We are also drafting resolutions to be considered by members at the AGM - please contact us if you have any suggested resolutions. If you are unable to attend the AGM in person we will be asking you to consider giving your proxy vote to one of the campaigners who will be present. As well as the forced removals of Bryan and Seána, there are other concerns about the charity at present and the AGM is the only opportunity we have to raise our concerns effectively. It is vital that we as members hold the Board to account and, so far, this has not happened. If you wish to contact us you may do so via email: nctgeneralmeeting@outlook.com or at www.facebook.com/groups/NCTgeneralmeeting Best wishes The Campaign Team