The latest revelation, in what has become an unusually public governance dispute at the Poetry Society, has seen its director reinstated and the further resignations of three vice presidents from their honorary posts.
Last month civilsociety.co.uk reported the resignation of the charity's entire board, who will be replaced in September at the charity's next AGM. This followed the resignation of its director Judith Palmer, and several other charity members.
The dispute arose after the charity was awarded an increase in funding by Arts Council England of over £300,000 over the next three years. On 20 May, shortly after the announcement, Palmer resigned. Her resignation was followed by that of the Society's President, Jo Shapcott on 3 June, the chair of trustees, Peter Carpenter on 29 June, trustee Robyn Bolam on 4 July and vice president Gwyneth Lewis on 12 July.
In a statement on the charity's website, the outgoing board has now announced Palmer's return, effective today. Amanda Smethurst, who was acting director, will now work in the role of assistant director until November.
Three vice presidents of the charity, Sean O'Brien, Don Paterson and Anne Stevenson have now also stepped down from their honorary positions as of 16 August.
Differing accounts
In the charity's EGM statement last month, the board had advised that it was in an ongoing process to explore Palmer's reinstatement. But it had also outlined its take on events in the run up to Palmer's resignation.
The board advised that trustees had "become concerned at Judith’s evident stress created by excessive work", and said the director seemed to have had a "dysfunctional management relationship" with the editor of the charity's Poetry Review publication, Fiona Sampson. Sampson has remained in post throughout the dispute. But following this statement, Palmer issued her own account of events, in which she said that the board had become "increasingly intimadatory" and had unilaterally taken over responsibility for areas of her job leaving her unable to run the organisation using her own judgement.
In their most recent statement, the outgoing trustees praised Palmer, saying she "demonstrated enormous strengths in this post and has been a committed and successful director".
The board also apologised for "any of its decisions, statements or actions that may have contributed to the current difficulties".
The Arts Council warned last month that the Poetry Society must "get its house in order" or risk losing its funding entirely. The grantmaker had increased the charity's funding from an average of £274,000 over the last three years, to an average of £363,000 over the next three years.
