Update 14: Good riddance to bad rubbish Part III – Resigned, self-discredited former Directors attempt an unseemly swift comeback
Well, well, well. Yet another bizarre twist to the tale.
Having, only a few weeks ago, relinquished their positions as directors by resigning en masse it would appear that the Briars Crew [of self-discredited ex-directors] are regretting their rather reckless decision and are attempting to get their tainted, grubby little paws back on the levers of power.
On 19 December 2022 their fellow ‘Briars Crew’ member, puppet Secretary Richard O’Connor, issued a Notice to call an Extraordinary General Meeting for the business of, as set out below, re-electing himself and other resigned directors; further to overturn the membership’s recent positive vote to incorporate new rules relating to checks and balances in respect of decisions which might significantly affect the Company.
“For the transaction of the following business:
To vote on the election of the below-named proposed members to serve as officers and committee members on the board of directors.
Gawain Briars as Chair
Richard O’Connor as Honorary Treasurer
George Thunecke as Honorary Secretary
Alan Turner as Premises Director
Sue Pynegar as Director
Kevin Gibbin as Director
John Limb as Director
In addition, to remove from the club rules, the Resolutions C and D as passed at the AGM dated 8th December 2022”
Given the circumstances surrounding their cowardly, reckless, en masse resignation the day after the 8 December 2022 AGM (as detailed here Update 12: Good riddance to bad rubbish Part I – The Directors resign en masse) — rendering the Company on an illegal footing being in breach of its statutory obligation to have at least one director — the membership must be completely baffled, if not stunned, by this new action.
Having resigned because their arrogance and intolerance of any challenge to their wishes rendered them unwilling and unable to accept the will of the membership, these Gawain Briars-led ex-directors continue to display their authoritarian, anti-democratic credentials by, calculatedly, failing to invite nominations from other members and attempting to overturn the decision of the membership of only a few weeks ago — in addition to displaying their contempt for that same membership.
How deliciously ironic it is, then, that the puppet Secretary O’Connor has displayed his ineptness by issuing his Notice contrary to statutory requirements thereby rendering the Notice and his calling of an EGM invalid. In these circumstances of the Company having no committee due to his group’s en masse resignation those grounds, rendering his Notice invalid, being:
- The calling of an EGM by the Company Secretary alone is precluded.
- The calling of an EGM by one member alone, in this case Richard O’Connor, is precluded.
- The Notice, in any case, must state the time of the meeting (Companies Act Section 311). The puppet Secretary’s Notice didn’t.
The ordinary membership must surely be wondering why, having resigned their directorships, this Briars Crew are now attempting their reinstatement. The explanation is quite simple. Self-preservation.
As with all despotic, authoritarian administrations the individuals who wield the power act with impunity, believing themselves to be exempt from punishment for the consequences of their injurious and illegal activities. Once out of power they become vulnerable, at risk of any new administration — having access to historical company records and documentation — discovering the full extent of their wrongdoing and, potentially, holding them to account.
So why did they resign in the first place? A miscalculation on their leaders’ part and, as set out above, their arrogance, intolerance and wholly misplaced indignation at having been snubbed by the membership.
Regardless of the above matters have now moved on somewhat.
The Group [of concerned members] has now called their own, valid, EGM for 9 January 2023 for the transaction of the following business:
“To consider and, if thought fit, approve the following resolutions that will be proposed as ordinary resolution
To elect the following people as Committee Members on the Board of Directors in the role as specified:
Tim Garratt as Chairman
Shaun Walsh as Honorary Treasurer
James Dand as Honorary Secretary
Rob Bailey as Premises Director
Russell Foster as Committee Member
Mathew Dunn as Committee Member
Richard Burton as Committee Member”
However, in stark contrast to the Briars Crew’s invalid Notice of EGM, the Group has quite generously, and in the spirit of democracy, offered to allow the Briars Crew’s resolution to be incorporated into their valid EGM of 9 January 2022.
If this offer is accepted the membership will have the opportunity to decide which group of members they wish to have leading the Company as directors.
The two options being:
1) The Briars Crew (of self-discredited former directors):
Who, over the past 28 months under the leadership of Gawain Briars, have presided over, what the evidence strongly suggests to have been, the deliberate running down of the Company almost to the point of bankruptcy. We refer to such bizarre and irrational commercial decisions as:
For example relinquishing the cash cushion of the £30,000 bounce back loan at the same time as announcing that the club would have to close within a month due to lack of cash, as detailed in the final section of our Update 11 here, Update 11: Top secret land development plan… “Keep the faith with your new committee and you will [not] be kept well informed”
For example failing to reduce the biggest cost overhead within their control until only a few months ago; that of the cost of the two managers, haemorrhaging over £5,000 per month from the Company’s coffers.
For example expelling and excluding longstanding members — for their own, selfish, political ends — thereby depriving the club of a source of such sorely needed regular income.
Who, over the past 28 months under the leadership of Gawain Briars, have perpetrated such a catalogue of damaging, oftentimes illegal, activities against the Company and individuals as chronicled throughout this website.
2) The Group (of concerned members)
Who, albeit at the eleventh hour, have come together to intervene to halt the Briars Crew’s, toxic, damaging, deceitful, secretive and exclusive style of administration dragging the club to its demise.
Who have offered an alternative style of administration centred on honesty, openness and inclusivity.
Surely only the ignorant, the uninformed, the uninterested and the frankly stupid would wish to vote for more of the same from the Briars Crew.
As we’ve said before, whatever the outcome of the EGM the membership will get the leaders they deserve.
