How the Society works

The Leicester ‘Lit & Phil’ belongs to all its members. To ensure that it runs smoothly, a number of groups of members meet during the year to carry on its business. These groups and their meetings are described below. More detail is provided on the website:
https://www.leicesterlitandphil.org.uk/Constitution

The Council, chaired by the President, runs the Society. It meets four times during the year. It is assisted by sub-groups such as the Programme Group, which identifies speakers and topics for the next season, and the Promotion Group, which arranges the publicity for the Society. From time to time, it will set up task-and-finish subgroups for specific issues such as the introduction of our membership administration system. The membership of the Council and how they are elected is set out in the Constitution. As a registered charity, the Society must have trustees whose role is to ensure that it complies with all relevant laws, that its finances are properly managed, and that it adheres to the charitable purposes set out in its Constitution. Trustees are accountable to the Charity Commission.

The Trustee Board meets twice a year, in March and June, generally by video link. The timing of Trust Board meetings is aligned with the financial year-end and with the relevant Council meetings. The chair of Trustees in any given year is the previous year’s President, supported by the three other current vice-Presidents and the honorary officers of the Society. This gives continuity and change without any separate appointments process being necessary. The Trustee Board formally approves the annual accounts before they are submitted to the Charity Commission. The Trustees also identify the next President to nominate to the Council. The Trustee Board is able to make recommendations to the Council on any aspect of the Society’s business if it thinks fit, but the remit of the Trustees is governance rather than operational.

The Annual Members Meeting (formerly known as the Annual General Meeting) takes place just before the start of each season’s programme, usually at the beginning of October. It is chaired by the President leaving office. It gives all members the opportunity to hear from the Society’s officers on all aspects of activity during the year including the financial position; to comment on the past year's programme and the plans for the coming season; to give their views to the Council on the direction of travel, including the setting of membership fees in the light of the Society’s finances; and to raise topics for discussion and decision through prior notice to the Secretary. As described above, the formal approval of the accounts is the responsibility of the Trustees under current Charity law. Each year the Council nominates two independent examiners of the Accounts for appointment by the Annual Members’ Meeting.

It is important for the health of the Society that its workings are transparent, both through the website and the Annual Members’ Meeting, and that members feel free to contribute, including by putting themselves forward for membership of Council or in other ways. The current members of Council are listed on the website and are happy to be approached.