History
On 2 August 1907, Lord Haldane, a distinguished Scottish lawyer, the Liberal MP for Haddingtonshire and Minister for War, was responsible for the passage of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 through the UK Parliament.
In 1908 this Act brought into existence the Territorial Force, now known as the Territorial Army but put responsibility for training the reserves with the Regular Army. Haldane recognised that a Force raised by voluntary enlistment and comprising individuals constrained by the conditions of their civil employment needed different administrative support to that found in Regular Forces. He also believed that, to ensure sustainability its funding should be independent of the Regular Force, so he established at the same time 104 Territorial Force Associations, one for each County.
These Territorial Force Associations maintained the Territorial Force property, with drill halls and rifle ranges, and supplied units with much of their equipment. These not only went some way to towards protecting the Territorial Force's sustainable funding, but, with the active cooperation of King Edward, swung county hierarchies solidly behind the new force. Lord Lieutenants were ex-officio presidents of their Associations and The Territorial Year Book for 1909 shows just how successful Haldane had been in linking landed wealth, local military experience and big employers in his associations.
The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 has evolved through a number of iterations into the Reserve Forces Act 1996 which provides the legislative base for all the Volunteer Reserve Forces and the 13 Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations (RFCAs) of today.
Our RFCA covers the counties of North, South and West Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and North and North East Lincolnshire.
Main Functions
The main functions of the RFCA can be summarised as follows:
How we work
Constitution
Associations are individual autonomous bodies established by Act of Parliament.
Each has it own Scheme of Constitution, drawn up by the Defence Council under the Reserve Forces Act 1996. These schemes last for five years, after which re-constitution must take place.
Composition of the Association
The Lord-Lieutenant of one of the four counties (North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire or the East Riding of Yorkshire) is the President of the Association and the other three are Vice Presidents. Currently, these are:
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President: |
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D Moody Esq. MA (Lord-Lieutenant for South Yorkshire) |
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Vice Presidents: |
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The Lord Crathorne MA JP (Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire)
The Honourable Mrs E S Cunliffe-Lister (Lord-Lieutenant for East Riding of Yorkshire)
Doctor I Roscoe FSA (Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire)
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The Association elects a Chairman and Vice-Chairmen annually. Currently, these are:
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Chairman: |
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Captain I M Robinson RD ADC RNR |
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Vice Chairmen: |
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Commander W J Canham BEd RD RNR (Navy)
Colonel P R Mixer
OStJ TD DL QHP
(Army)
Group Captain J Middleton OBE BA RAF (Air)
Colonel A Wilson OBE TD (Youth and Cadets) |
The Scheme requires a membership of up to 150 qualified local individuals who have an interest in the Reserve Forces and/or Cadets. Serving and retired officers from all three Armed Services and the Cadet Forces, together with representative members from local Councils, Education Authorities, local Employers and Employees, make up the membership of the Association.
There are two General Association Meetings each year, with all members of the Association invited to attend.
Management of the Association
Day-to-day management of the Association's functions is carried out by a full-time staff, in our case based in York, consisting of a Chief Executive and his Deputy and functional Finance, Estates, Supply, Communications and Administration Departments. Currently, these are:
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Chief Executive |
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Colonel (Retd) C E M Snagge |
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Deputy Chief Executive |
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Jeremy Bleasdale |
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Head of Estates |
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Keith Edwards |
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Regional SaBRE Director |
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Richard Lenton |
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Head of Communications |
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Zena Wynn-Jones |
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Finance Manager |
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John Butler |
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Facilities/Supply Manager |
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Paul Lyall |
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Office & Systems Manager |
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Bryan McMahon |
Committee Structure
The Association carries out its responsibilities through Committees, of which there are:
Association Board (formerly the General Purposes and Finance Committee)
Responsible for General Policy and Financial control, with power to delegate expenditure to its sub-committees detailed below and to Unit Commanders; for special grants to Units for purposes outside the responsibilities of the other Committees, for policy matters affecting the TA Order of Battle and deployment of Units to TA Centres; and for the Association HQ Staff.
Property Advisory Board (formerly the Estate Management Committee)
Responsible for the long term review and development of the Estate.
Joint Services Cadet Committee
Responsible for all administrative services, other than Maintenance Works Services, for the Army Cadet Force, and for accommodation services for the Combined Cadet Force and Air Training Corps.
Regional Employer Support Group
Responsible for the promotion of Reserve Forces interests with employers.
Publicity, Representation and Support to Recruiting Committee
Responsible for publicity, representation and support to recruiting for the Reserve Forces.
Our Vision
To be an enduring and essential pillar in the delivery of support for the well-being of the Reserves & Cadets and, through our effectiveness and our position in the regions, to be the independent body that represents their interests and promotes understanding between the Armed Forces and civil society.
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RFCA Characteristics
(What defines us)
We are a Central Government Body with Crown Status, set up by statute.
We are a manifestation of the volunteer ethos.
Our voluntary membership brings with it an unparalleled breadth of expertise and experience.
We are tri-service.
We are of the regions, operating throughout the United Kingdom.
We are a not-for-profit organisation.
We are value for money. |
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RFCA Values
(How we behave)
We promote the interest of the Armed Forces.
We champion the volunteer ethos both within and outside the Services.
We are apolitical.
We are independent (from the MOD and the Chains of Command) and autonomous (from each other); but, through our collegiate behaviour, we have national responsibility, influence and recognition.
We support the work of third sector organisations which also contribute to the well-being of Service personnel and Veterans.
We supplement government funding through our income generation for our dependencies. |
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