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Supporting Plunkett Foundation with Online Voting

 

Choice Voting is proud to work with the Plunkett Foundation as a recommended supplier of online voting systems for community businesses.

All Community Benefit Societies are obliged within their Model Rules to hold an Annual Members’ Meetings. Annual Members’ Meetings, sometimes called Annual General Meetings (AGMs) are used primarily to present accounts and reports to the membership, elect the management committee, consider resolutions and to make major strategic decisions. Holding AGMs electronically is becoming the norm and more and more community businesses have opted for online voting in recent months as part of their AGM as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using an online voting platform, such as Choice Voting, can make election of your management committee simple and easy for members – and holding your AGM in this way can also lead to a significant increase in participation.

 “I would most certainly recommend Choice Voting. We are currently using them for voting in the AGM because of the restrictions on gatherings (the actual meeting will take place using video conferencing with the relevant documents available online). In the first day of voting we had already received more votes than we usually do at the AGM (where attendance has always been low). We are really pleased because it shows a renewed interest.”

Dave Sheppard, Vice Chairman of the Ashton Keynes Village Shop

The local community run business, be it a shop, pub or café, is an essential part of rural life. Secluded villages nestled away in the British landscape can be picturesque, but with many villages situated five miles or more from local amenities and with a lack of public transport, their remoteness can be problematic for some residents. Without a central hub such as a community-run coffee shop, tearoom or pub it can also be difficult for residents to socialise and build a sense of community.

Having a business owned and run by the local community, can benefit an entire village and solve some of the issues of rural living. It is vital to have the right type of insurance in place to help protect your community business and ensure it continues to support the local community.