Bowls England EGM - Summary of key decisions

The second Extraordinary General Meeting of Bowls England was held at Goodwood BC, Leicester, on Saturday 21st November.

The meeting was attended by a total of 68 Delegates representing 35 counties. Apologies were received from Essex County Bowling Association.

A number of recommendations had been put forward to Counties for consideration, and key decisions are highlighted below.

Delegates voted in favour of the following motions:

- That Committees be reduced to five elected members by 2012

- That the Member Services Committee and Development Committee be combined and the number of Directors be reduced to five (in addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair) by 2012

- That the Saturday in week numbers 8 and 47 be made permanent dates for the AGM and EGM respectively

- That the title of the International Performance Committee be changed to International Events Committee (IEC)

- To include at Regulation 3 that all categories of Membership shall have in place an appropriate policy for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults while on their premises. A statement of the policy shall be prominently displayed at their premises.

- That an Individual Bowling Member, for inclusion in the Articles of Association, is anyone who joins a Club to play the game of bowls coming within the remit of Bowls England and under the current Laws of the Sport (World Bowls).

Delegates voted against the following motions:

- To reduce the Council to one delegate per County for the purpose of attending General Meetings of Bowls England from the AGM in 2013

- To introduce a Membership Scheme linked to Civil Liability Insurance

- To allow registered colour co-ordinated trousers/skirts etc to be worn in National Championships and National Competitions

- That each National Competition concludes before the start of another at the Ladies National Championships, in line with the Men's National Championships

- That the John's Trophy be played at a weekend in order to allow the inclusion of working women and/or students in full-time education

- That all John's Trophy and Walker Cup matches should be played on neutral greens, halfway between the designated centres of each county, irrespective of distance between the counties

A recommendation for the inter-county stages of the women's top club to be played on set dates in 2010 was withdrawn following discussion by Delegates present.