Category: Housekeeping

We elected the following people unopposed at our AGM to our management committee for 2026/2027:

• Co-ordinator: Jonathan Rothwell
• Deputy co-ordinator: Karen Flanagan
• Treasurer: Bill Bremner
• Secretary: Position vacant, roles filled by the Co-ordinators
• Chris Kershaw: Infrastructure Representative

We also approved the Annual Report 2025/26 which includes objectives for the years 2026-2027, and also our Statement of Accounts 2025/26 and our Budget 2026/2027.

Some other key outcomes:

• Steve Smith has stepped back as Emeritus Rides co-ordinator and we did not elect a replacement. The responsibility for the paperwork and managing the risk around rides is being taken on by the Co-ordinators.
• We are seeking to recruit group members who would be willing to act as ‘area reps,’ being a point of contact to understand what’s going on in the local community, building relationships with local politicians, and providing local expertise to consultation responses and stakeholder engagements. Whether this becomes a formal committee role remains to be seen—stay tuned for more details.

Further to our previous committee update in April: As Karen Flanagan was not elected to the Council in last week’s election, she is able to serve again on our committee. We are delighted to say that she is hereby reinstated as our Deputy Co-ordinator for the rest of this committee term!

All committee roles will be up for election at our AGM, which will be on Monday 29th June at Canning Town Library. More details to follow.

Our Deputy Co-ordinator, Karen Flanagan, has stepped down from this role because she is standing as a candidate in the upcoming elections. If she is elected, she will not return to our committee as long as she is a councillor.

Newham Cyclists, as part of a registered charity, is politically neutral in all elections. Elected officials and candidates in forthcoming elections cannot serve on our Committee, since this could create a conflict of interest. They are, of course, welcome to be members of our group and the LCC, to attend meetings and vote as an ordinary member, and to campaign on topics of interest to the group—as long as this is in a personal capacity and not combined with campaigning for votes in the election.

As such, Karen has stepped down from our committee with immediate effect and has recused herself from committee decisions. She will continue to volunteer with Newham Cyclists and campaign on cycling topics, although this will be in a personal capacity and not as a political candidate.