The Charity Commission has confirmed that it has “engaged” with the Royal British Legion and is seeking clarification over its dispute with its women’s section in light of recent media attention.
A Charity Commission spokeswoman today told Civil Society News that the regulator has been in contact recently with the Royal British Legion and requested “further information” on the fallout from its ongoing dispute with its women’s section over plans to merge the volunteer arm back into the wider organisation.
“The Commission has engaged with the charity for further information following reporting in the media on these issues. The charity has provided assurances that no changes have yet been made to the Women’s Section and will not be made until further consultation has taken place.”
She also said that the RBL had agreed that “approval will be sought in the appropriate manner for any changes that require amendment of the Royal Charter.”
At a trustee board meeting in December 2015, the decision was taken by the RBL that it would seek to merge the women’s section back into the wider organisation. The RBL women’s section is a semi-independent part of the RBL which has existed for over 90 years and currently has over 30,000 volunteers.
It has emerged that a number of branches of the women’s section have now dissolved in protest at the planned merger across the UK.
A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said that “a joint team” from both the RBL and the women’s section has now been formed to help ease the ongoing dispute, as the organisation continues to look to finalise a merger by October 2017.
“A joint team representing both the Legion and the Legion Women’s Section has been formed which is looking at potential issues arising from the proposed integration of the Women’s Section. With regards to the joint team, it includes members of the Women’s Section Central Committee who are democratically elected by, and represent the views of, Women’s Section members.”
The spokesman also confirmed that "no action has been, nor will be, taken against" Hazel Kingswood, a volunteer with the women's section in Norfolk, who was quoted in the Guardian as saying the RBL trustee board's decision was "dictatorial".
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