What is the PCG Consultative Council?

The PCG is a not-for profit trade association, constituted as a company limited by guarantee. Like every limited company, the governing body of the PCG is the General Meeting of its members, and it is run on a day-to-day basis by a Board of Directors appointed by the members.

The PCG also has a Consultative Council (CC), which is not a standard feature of a limited company, but is central to the way the PCG functions as a representative body.

The CC consists of 30 members, half of whom are elected each year in an online poll. The CC has a number of roles, first of which is to serve as an electoral college, appointing the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the CC is ex-officio the chairman of the Board.

Having appointed the Directors, the CC does not retain the power to instruct or dismiss the Board. It does however retain a vital role in PCG's governance, serving as the main conduit for communicating members' concerns to the Board, and as a pool of volunteers, advisors and directors-in-training.

The CC holds several meetings each year (typically 4-6) at which the Board reports on its activities, answers questions and receives representations from the members. The CC is presented with financial statements at each meeting.

Between physical meetings, the CC discusses confidential matters with the Board on an internet forum.

The CC has the following constitutional powers:

• To appoint the Board of Directors annually
• To veto any additional appointments to the Board
• To call an Extraordinary General Meeting
• To be informed of the grounds of any expulsion from the PCG
• To run its own affairs

The CC is also involved in many other activities, such as forum moderation, disciplinary committees, and various working groups.

What does being a member of the CC entail?

Membership if the CC entails a moderate commitment of time. Within a month of the CC elections, a meeting is held at which the CC appoints a Board of Directors from its number. In recent years the Board has numbered around 6, with about 2 changing each year.

After the first meeting, the CC decides when subsequent meetings will be held. This is typically every 2-3 months.

CC meetings are held in London on a Saturday, usually from 10.30am to 4-5pm. Lunch is provided. Members are encouraged to stay for a drink and a meal afterwards.

The CC is not remunerated, but its expenses (including overnight accommodation if required) are reimbursed.

Prospective CC members should anticipate being able to attend nearly all the CC meetings, and to keep up with discussions on the CC forum once or twice a week. Membership of committees and other activities is optional. It is understood that some people have more free time than others.

The CC is (and is intended to be) large enough to encompass a wide range of experience and views. Discussions are often lively, and always thought-provoking. If you would like to get involved the running of your trade association and if you can dedicate 4-6 Saturdays a year to this, then please consider standing for election.

For full details of the role and powers of the CC, see the Articles Of Association, which are in the members area in PDF form at:
http://www.pcg.org.uk/resources/articles_of_association_vn4.pdf.