Issue 111 - August/September 1998

A new Council?

Constitutional change should never be undertaken lightly, and it is recognised that ill-thought through change will create as many problems as the change seeks to address.

However, with the growing role of the ARA's regional councils, the inevitable desire has grown that this should be reflected in the composition of our national Council.

Regionalisation, becoming an open sport, the relationship with funding bodies and Government agencies, and now the search for a way in which it can be demonstrated that Scotland and Wales can feel they are part of British rowing, has intensified this need for a review of our constitution.

For my part, the size of the Council is less important than that it represents all legitimate interests. Its procedures must allow proper consultation and debate before council approves or ratifies proposals from either the executive, its committees, or the regions, and in the wider context of its responsibilities for British rowing, with mechanisms in place to ensure fairness throughout the United Kingdom.

The day-to-day role of the executive is key, but its size must not be such that it undermines the ultimate numerical authority of council. In this context too, we have to acknowledge that at the present time we are fortunate to have an exceptionally hard-working unpaid chairman and chief executive. Given the substantial sums managed by the association, provision might well have to be made that would allow the post to be held by a paid professional. That in turn might require a look at the role of president, who at the present time is in effect the chairman of the national Council.

The desire for fairness will undoubtedly cause the greatest difficulty, for with 43 per cent of our membership in the Thames region, compared, for example, with 8 per cent in the East Midlands and the Northern regions, strict proportional representation on Council would return us to the old days when clubs outside the Metropolitan area felt they were outsiders and their interests ignored.

Likewise, as is highlighted in David Chick's contribution to this issue (Cox and Box, page 27), strict proportional representation on our council for Wales and Scotland, even if such a principle was accepted, would leave them with a sense of impotence and injustice that would negate the good relations we seek to maintain. What we cannot do is to have a structure that creates uncertainty and undermines the success story of British rowing over the last 20 years. The doors to our committees and council have been open for a long time, but for a variety of reasons those opportunities have remained unused. I hope our review can address this issue.

We want to make progress, and discussions have already begun. There will be a seminar/ conference in January with more detailed consultation papers later next year. Most of our current Divisional Representatives do a fine and demanding job, but we do not always get the full picture of how individual clubs feel about these issues, which, far from being irrelevant, affect us all. We therefore want to hear from members. A suggested timetable is shown left. Any club or individual is welcome to let us have their feedback. Comments and letters should be sent to Di Ellis, ARA, 6 Lower Mall, Hammersmith, London W6 9DJ.

© Copyright Regatta Magazine, 1998.