Hinckley & Rugby Building Society is to conduct its Annual General Meeting remotely and is inviting advance questions from members so as not to risk transmission of the coronavirus.
The 154th AGM will take place at 6pm on Tuesday March 31 with the quorate and limited number of participants – including the board of directors, independent auditors and scrutineer – in separate locations.
The Society’s members are being encouraged to submit their questions for the board of directors ahead of the event. Advance questions can be emailed to agm@hrbs.co.uk.
Hinckley & Rugby’s Chief Executive Colin Fyfe is planning to film himself providing an update and answering questions. The film will later be posted on the Society’s website.
Members will not be able to vote during the meeting. Most members already vote online and by post before the AGM. They can still do either by midnight this coming Saturday, March 28.
Colin said:
“Despite the coronavirus, we must by law still hold the AGM. We cannot risk anyone’s health by meeting in person yet we still want to be open, transparent and democratic.
“It’s incredibly important that members are still able to ask questions. It is vital our directors can hear what they think about the Society and its future.
We also really want people to continue voting, both for the democratic ethos at the heart of our mutual status and also so we can donate as much as possible to our chosen charities. Every vote cast triggers a small donation, which all add up to a very useful gift to good local causes.
“It is regrettable we cannot hold the planned event in Rugby, as we were looking forward to our biggest ever AGM attendance. But of course there are very important reasons why we could not go ahead with the event as envisaged. Our regulators have approved our new format.”
Details of how to vote were posted to members in early March with their copies of the Society’s annual results. The instructions can also be found here.
The AGM had been scheduled to take place on March 31 2020 at Rugby School, with a dozen charities, a speech by a local Paralympian and young entertainers performing. Almost 200 people had already confirmed their attendance. But, following the Government’s advice on minimising social contact, that event will no longer take place.