Members of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA) have voted to “restructure” the organisation following an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
The ICA held two EGMs at the weekend which gave its 6,000 plus members from across the country an opportunity to vote on the future direction of the organisation.
It confirmed to Agriland that members voted on motions which included “ensuring that the ICA has a single legal structure, with one constitution and one charitable registration that is in full compliance with charity law and company law”.
The national organisation, which is a registered charity, has previously operated for several decades with two legal structures – a company called the Countrywomen’s Trust and an association called the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.
Each legal structure has its own governing body and own set of rules.
Charities Regulator
However the Charities Regular had “confirmed” to the ICA that “it is a serious governance issue that two legal entities are being run as a one charity” and that the charitable registration for the ICA covers the association only.
The organisation brought forward a motion at the first EGM “to authorise, approve and implement the transfer of any residual asset or liability or undertaking contained within the association structure, (if any) into The Countrywomen’s Trust”.
According to the latest accounts filed by the organisation with the Charities Regulator for the 12 months ending December, 31, 2022, the organisation had a total income of more than €1.12 million and total expenditure of over €1.35 million.
The ICA, which was founded in 1910, had according to its annual report filed with the Charities Regulator total assets at December, 31, 2022 totaled €13,177,620.
At the first EGM the vote to restructure the organisation was carried.
In a statement the organisation said: “The ICA will now progress with the necessary legal steps and will notify its members as those actions are progressed”.
EGM 2
The second ICA EGM, had been requisitioned by a group of members which represented 65 out of 437 guilds across the country.
At this EGM a motion was put forward for “a vote of no confidence a: in the ICA national executive board, individually and collectively and b: the chief executive and request that they step down with immediate effect”.
According to the organisation the vote of no confidence in the board and the chief executive of the organisation “was not carried”.
“The board of the ICA wishes to reiterate that it has full confidence in our CEO,” it said in a statement.