KLAA votes to dissolve club and become company

Last night's EGM voted to transform King's Lynn Angling Association into a limited company. When you look at the background and the case made for the change by chairman Kelvin Allen at the meeting, it's hard to argue with the outcome.

My one reservation is that the 130-year-old club is now on the road to sweeping change, on the say of just 22 of its 850 members.

Opening the meeting, Kelvin said incorporation into a limited company was "a well-trodden path", which many of the country's larger angling clubs had gone down. He said the club had first considered the move in 2003, but it was a step too far at the time.

Kelvin said since then, the position concerning insurance had become increasingly complex, with the club having to inspect platforms to show "due diligence". Yet the trustees of the club could be found liable in the event of anyone suffering an accident and taking the matter to court.

He added passions were running high after a number of incidents on club waters. Recent weeks have seen illegal netters, rowdy encampments and other night-time activities.

Consequently, two trustees have resigned. Without trustees, the club can't operate according to its constitution. That means the only way forward is to transfer the club's assets to a limited company, in which the maximum liability any member would be exposed to would be £1.

No-one disagreed with this. The reservation one or two of us expressed was could we really give the committee a mandate to make the change with just a hand-full of votes.

The meeting had been advertised on the club's website, in the Lynn News and EDP. Maybe that's anglers and apathy for you. When a vote was taken, it was unanimous.

Kelvin said it would be business as usual for KLAA, with the change coming into effect from next season; when people would be joining KLAA Ltd.

A statement posted on the club's website today says:

"The membership gave a firm endorsement of changing the Association founded in 1881 to a new Limited Company at last Wednesdays EGM, (10th Oct 2012).

"Members learnt that risks of from possible litigation procedures had finally become to great for the Trustees to bear and as such had little option but to form a new Company Limited by Guarantee.

"This makes the members the guarantors with a maximum liability of £1 and is the path trodden by many angling clubs in the UK. It was stressed that no change would be seen by members and all existing fishing rights would remain. 

"Work will now start on the transition to the new company which will be launched on the 1st April 2013 and the new fishing season."