Elections 2025/6

Download Pack

Download Pack

Election Pack Membership Council Appendix C 

Election Pack Membership Council Appendix D

Election Pack Trustees Appendix C 

Election Pack Trustees Appendix D 

Yes, you can apply for more than one role. For example, a person may apply to be a Trustee, but should they not succeed they might wish to be considered for the role of Membership Council Representative. In this case, all the appropriate paperwork should be completed for each relevant role. Such individuals must also ensure that they have a Branch nomination for each role they are applying for (this may be from the same Branch). At election, the roles will be considered in the order Trustee and then Membership Council Representative.

The nominations window opens from 9am Wednesday 1 October 2025 until the 5pm, Thursday 8 January 2026. Nominations can be submitted by Branches at any time during this period. Please note that nominations must be passed at a General Branch meeting (not a Branch Committee meeting) by a simple majority prior to submission.

DBS checks will be performed for all applicants. The DBS check will allow RBL to confirm that you are not disqualified from being a Trustee. Trustee roles require an Enhanced DBS in accordance with Charity Commission guidance. Membership Council Representatives require a basic DBS in accordance with Section 4a of the Membership Handbook.

No, the briefing session is not mandatory. The briefing day can be attended remotely via Microsoft Office Teams or watched via the recording on the webpage. Please contact the Governance team at [email protected] to register your attendance.

Nomination forms can be completed and returned via post to Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1AA or scanned and emailed to [email protected]. They must be received no later than 5pm, Thursday 8 January 2026.

For Trustees, nominees will meet the panel which will include one Trustee and two independent members. Panel members will assess whether nominees meet the minimum skills and standards required to be a Trustee of the RBL.

For Membership Council Representative roles, nominees will meet the panel which will include the Membership Council Chair and an elected Trustee. Panel members will assess whether nominees meet the minimum skills and standards required to be a Membership Council Representative of the RBL.

Nominees will be informed if they are being put forward for election by 5pm, 12 February 2026.

If four or fewer nominations are received for the Trustee positions by the closing date (5pm, Thursday 8 January 2026) and provided that these nominees are assessed as meeting the minimum skills and standards required to be a Trustee of the RBL, then they shall be considered automatically elected as Trustees without the requirement for a ballot.

If only a single nomination is received for a Membership Council Representative position by the closing date (5pm, Thursday 8 January 2026) and provided that this nominee has been assessed as meeting the minimum skills and standards required to be a Membership Council Representative of the RBL, then they shall be considered automatically appointed to the Membership Council without the requirement for an election.

Branches will be informed if this is the case.

The results of the election will be shared no later than 5pm, Thursday 10 April 2026.

Trustees, and Membership Council Representatives may not hold office or a voting position at County/District or Branch level at RBL.

Since the screening process for all candidates for Trustee/National roles was introduced, we have used independent panel members to provide support with the screening of applicants for the role of Trustee. In reviewing the elections process, the Governance and Nominations Committee felt that they wanted a process which involved both current Trustees to ensure a Legion context as well as some independent views from external experts in Board recruitment. To this end, we have introduced an assessment panel involving a current Trustee and two external experts with significant trustee experience, which we believe will provide more rigour and diversity in this process. A similar process has been applied for Membership Council roles.

Yes, all Branches are now eligible to participate in voting and nominating in these elections.

As part of the culture of RBL, constructive challenge, transparency and questioning are welcomed and encouraged. Both the Board of Trustees and Membership Council offer open opportunities to raise and discuss risks and concerns, and healthy debate is expected. Once a decision is made, this is deemed to be a collective decision  

The Royal Charter defines our beneficiaries as those serving, ex-serving, families, and the bereaved. Members are essential to delivering impact, many of whom are also beneficiaries. The new Strategy focuses on both membership and beneficiaries - not either/or. As such, the Trustee and MC Representative role pivots between member issues and beneficiary priorities.

Trustees undertake an annual appraisal with the National Chair to evaluate their performance. The MC Chair currently observes informal accountability for MC Representatives with a more formal appraisal system planned for the future. An external Corporate Governance Review is currently underway which will evaluate the organisation against the Charity Governance Code and recommendations may be provided concerning the review of performance.

The roles are encouraged to actively engage and make themselves known to local and wider membership, e.g. attending County/District/Branch meetings virtually and in person, sharing updates and comms, and offering communication and feedback up and down. The goal is to educate membership on the Strategy of the Legion and the role of Trustees and MC Representatives in supporting the Legion achieve its vision and goals.

This seat covers the Geographical Electoral Region of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There was an omission in the election pack which has been rectified.

This is generally not a conflict, unless the role directly opposes Legion strategy or policy.  There is no need to step down from other associations before applying, but if there is a direct/perceived conflict or personal benefit, this must be declared. Trustees and MC Representatives may not hold office or a voting position at County, District or Branch level. If elected as an MC Representative or Trustee, you must step down from the position within 6 months.

For Trustees, this is a panel which includes two external independent panel members. For MC Reps, the panel will consist of the MC Chair, a Trustee and the Executive Director: Membership. The panel will consider and ask questions based on the CV, personal statement and application question answers provided by the candidate. The focus will be on understanding responsibilities, governance, strategy and motivation. The assessment will last ~45 minutes and will be held in person at Hague House.

Assessment panels will be held in person at Hague House. Reasonable travel expenses will be covered in line with the Expenses Policy.

A summary is available in the RBL Annual Report.

There is an onboarding process, training and development support and a buddy system in place for both Trustees and MC Reps.