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Wikimedia UK v1.0 is being dissolved due to difficulties in getting it all set up, so it's time to start work on a new UK chapter. In order to avoid some of the problems that plagued our last incarnation we are committing now to being open, transparent and democratic from the get go.
The first task is to select a group of 3-5 people to be the first board of directors and handle all the paperwork of getting the company started (we'll be a ""). The first step in doing that is to get a list of people interested. Please add yourself to the appropriate lists below (if you're in one list, you will want to be in the all the ones below it as well, most likely).
Once we have a list of potential board candidates we will ask all those who have signed up as potential guarantor or supporting members to vote for our first board. This election will be held using the approval voting system, with the top 5 candidates being elected, providing they each get above 50% approval amongst those who vote. If fewer than 3 candidates obtain the required approval level we will restart the process, looking for new candidates and rerunning the election.
After 3-5 candidates have been elected they will then begin our first priority of setting up the company then becoming a charity. If after 6 months from the end of elections we are still not a company, elections will be re-held (and so on). If after 6 months of being a company we have still not held an AGM at which all of the board stood down, or if we have not processed more than 95% of the membership applications received more than one month before the AGM, by the time it happens, then we will ask the WMF to withdraw any trademark license and official UK chapter status they have given us. We hope to arrange for WMF to commit to doing this.
Discussions
To discuss the details of this further it might be a good idea to join the Wikimedia UK mailing list or at least view the updated archives. Additionally, you may wish to join the two IRC channels in which real time discussions are being held, here and here.
Candidates for the first board
If you want to be on the first board, add your name below. Be advised, being on a board of directors can have significant legal repercussions and should not be entered into lightly (see [1] for details). Board members must be UK residents over the age of 18 and will be required to make public their real names. They must not be bankrupt. Board members must also be willing and able to attend board meetings in reasonably central locations (hopefully these will be infrequent - most meetings will be online, and once we've done some fund-raising, we'll be able to reimburse reasonable expenses). This board will just be concerned with doing the paperwork and signing up the first members, there will then be an AGM to elect a board to get things going properly. Requests for candidate statements, etc., will come later and then we'll have an informal vote. In addition, it would be useful if the initial board were all in the same area of the country to facilitate certain activities that require people to be in one place, however this is just something to be born in mind by those who are voting and will not be rigorously enforced.
Please only add your name to this list if you fulfil the above requirements.
Guarantor members
If you are interested in being a guarantor member (a legal member of the company), add your name below. This will give you a vote at AGMs. It can have some legal repercussions, so again, should not the entered into lightly (as I understand it, you'll only be liable for a token amount [probably £1] of the companies debts in the event it gets wound up, but nevertheless, I have to warn you!).
Please only add your name to this list if are a UK resident over the age of 18.
Supporting members of the chapter
If you are interested in supporting the chapter, add your name below. This has no legal standing and just shows you support our goals. There will, most likely, be an annual membership fee (concessions available) - the other two lists don't require paying anything. You can be a guarantor member without being a supporting member, but if you can afford the fee, we could use the money!
Interested in being kept informed
If you do not wish to be a member at this time but wish to be kept informed or can help in other ways please add your name below.