Notice of Committee by-elections
The affairs of ARC are managed by the ARC Committee consisting of 25 members: nine officers and sixteen ordinary members.
In March 2016 the following were duly elected, unopposed, to ARC Committee to hold office for the period 2016–2018.
- Amy Carr
- Andy Nixon
- Blair Gardner
- Fahad Akhtar
- Frances Hunter
- Jim Rogers
- Kenneth Mitchell
- Michelle Wyer
- Spencer Munn
- Tony Wallace
There are currently six vacancies.
As there are fewer Committee members than posts, a by-election for additional Committee members is being held, with successful members taking office immediately and serving for the remainder of the period 2016-18.
In line with 14.3.1 of ARC Rules, ARC Committee hereby calls for nominees wishing to stand for Committee membership. Any member of ARC is eligible to stand for this post. Nominations should be sent to the ARC Secretary, Zohra Francis, at 8 Leake Street, London , SE1 7NN, or by email to [email protected]), to arrive no later than noon on Thursday 30 June 2016.
Nominations must be signed by two ARC members. They must also be accompanied by a written agreement by the candidate to serve if elected. If there are more nominees than vacancies, the nominees will need to confirm their willingness to stand. At that stage, if there are still more candidates than seats available, in accordance with the Rules, there will be an election by way of a ballot of all ARC members. Candidates will be notified of the same and at the same time will be notified of the need to submit, to the ARC Secretary, a personal address of not more than 400 words. This will be circulated with the ballot papers in the event of an election. The election will be open to the entire membership of ARC.
Download the nomination form here.
All members are encouraged to consider standing for one of these post. All Committee members are entitled to facilities time to enable them to carry out their duties.
The period of office will commence immediately after selection and end at the close of business of the Annual General Meeting in 2018.
Nominations must be returned to Zohra Francis, ARC Secretary, 8 Leake Street London, SE1 7NN to arrive by midday on Thursday 30 June 2016.
ARC Committee – Detailed Provisions
5.1 Duties
The principal duties of the Committee shall be:
- to watch over and consider all legislation, proposed legislation, and departmental administration affecting the interests and duties of members of ARC;
- to draw to the attention of members any matter of importance to the Service;
- to take any action for the redress of grievances that may be lawfully decided upon in accordance with the law from time to time governing the taking of such action by Trades Unions
- to bring to the notice of the Department matters of importance affecting the Service;
- to attend by deputation for the purposes of offering suggestions or giving information to the Department;
- to communicate information to members in accordance with these rules;
- to take the necessary steps in connection with the appointment of the Trustees of the Benevolent Fund and to recommend to the Trustees cases for relief; and
- to promote in every other way possible social intercourse among members of the Department.
Judy Coates looks back over an extraordinary pioneering life, well lived.
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]aving recently written and given the eulogy at Violette’s funeral it struck me that perhaps the ‘tax bits’ might be of interest to current ARC members and I also think that Violette would like the idea that she was being spoken about in a union magazine some 78 years after she had joined the (then) Inland Revenue!
[pullquote-right]She had a couple of cases to her name, including one which examined whether or not a self employed subcontractor could claim the cost of his lunches against his profits. He couldn’t!
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Violette joined the Inland Revenue in 1941, straight from school, as a temporary clerk and stayed for 46 years! Her intellectual and management talents were recognised by the Department and she was selected for full technical training and rose through the grades over the years, serving in offices around her home town of Northampton and across London, with a couple of years in Wales. Her final posting before retirement was as District Inspector at Northampton 1. Her name is still regularly quoted in tax circles as she had a couple of tax cases to her name, including Caillebotte v Quinn which involved whether or not a self employed subcontractor could claim the cost of his lunches against his profits. He couldn’t! The decision has lasted many years and I am told it is still in use.
Violette was also very active in the two unions of which she was a member during her career, serving on the National Executive Committee of both. For many years she was a member of the Inland Revenue Staff Federation (IRSF), now part of PCS, and she was a member of ARC. She served for eighteen months on the IRSF National Executive Committee in the 1950s and then on the AIT Committee (now ARC) for eight years during the 1970s and was the AIT representative in the Department’s Organisation Advisory Committee. The photograph of the group of women (right) was taken at the 1954 IRSF Conference and includes Violette (front row, fifth from right) next to Winnie Kidd who was the IRSF’s first female President.
In the 1981 New Year Honours List Violette’s achievements were rewarded with an OBE for services to the Board of Inland Revenue, an honour of which she was rightly proud.
When, some years ago, Violette asked me to do the tribute at her funeral she said she didn’t want too much in it about work as she had much more interesting things in her life! But when the time came I felt I needed to say a fair bit about it as I’m very proud, on Violette’s behalf, of what she achieved during her career. She was ahead of her time as a woman rising through the ranks of the Department.
Violette used her intellectual and management skills throughout her retirement to achieve an honours degree from the Open University and in her last few years, to organise her life to enable her to remain living at home, something that she achieved until only a few hours before her death. I’ve received many letters and cards from her ex-colleagues and friends and all express a similar sentiment—she had a good life and lived it well.
