Being a Director
Would you like to help run The Midcounties Co-operative?
This page has been designed to let you know about being a director of the Society and whether it is right for you.
As you may know, nominations to join the Board of Directors are sought annually during July/August and elections are held in September/October.
Who can become a director?
Anyone who has been a member of the Society for at least 1 year can become a director.
There are some conditions to this which are listed below:
You must:
- have no material conflicts of interest with the Society (this includes immediate family). For example, you or your immediate family cannot be employed in a managerial capacity by any business which competes directly with the Society
- have spent at least £400 during the previous 12 months at any of the Society's various trading outlets
- be under the age of 70 when you are nominated
- not be an undischarged bankrupt
- not be disqualified under the Companies Act
These conditions are set out more formally in the Society Rules.
How do I become a director?
- We ask for nominations during July/August. You will see posters displayed in our stores and branches.
- To stand for election, you will need to complete a nomination form and be nominated by 2 other members of the Society. You will also need to write 250 words about why members should elect you as a director of the Society - this will be published in the candidates' address booklet and circulated to members with their voting papers
- As noted above, elections are held in September/October when we ask members to vote on those candidates nominated for election
What does being a director involve?
- In terms of practicalities you should be aware of the following:
- Meetings - 12 Board meetings are held each year. 8 meetings are held on a Monday evening from 5.00pm until approximately 8.30pm and 4 are held over the first part of the weekend, starting on Friday evening at 6.00pm and lasting until lunchtime on Saturday morning.
- Meeting venues - meetings are held at various locations in the Society's locales including Oxford, Walsall and Cheltenham. Transport can be provided if required, and the costs of childcare/elderly care are also reimbursed
- Preparation work - Board papers are circulated several days in advance of each meeting. You will need to commit time to read these and prepare fully to maximise your contribution to the Board
- Training - directors are given the opportunity to develop their skills through training courses if they wish
- Fees - directors are paid a fee which currently stands at £6,515 per year
As regards the overall role, you should note that the role of a director is an important one. Directors represent the Society's members and take all the Society's key strategic decisions, so are ultimately responsible for the success of the Society.
An important part of the director's role is to ensure that the Society conducts its activities in accordance with co-operative 'values and principles'. These centre around key beliefs - the democratic principle (hence our director elections), member control, openness, honesty and fairness, and a belief in equality, self-help and 'community'. The Board believes these values and principles set the Society apart from its competitors in a very positive way and say a lot about what it means to be involved in a co-operative.
Election Results
The results for previous elections since September 2005 are available. Please select from the list below:
Board Elections 2005
Board Elections 2006
Board Elections 2007
Board Elections 2008
Board Elections 2009
More information
If you have any queries regarding the above, please contact Edward Parker, Secretary & Head of Governance on 01865 256207 or email edward.parker@midcounties.coop. He will be pleased to give you more information.
