Topic: age discrimination against committee member

[gillianbeth]

I have been asked to resign from the committee as at 74 years old I am apparently putting off people joining the committee.  Most of the committee are over 60.

The youngest member of the committee is in her 30s and was recruited by me.  The last person the committee appointed is in her 60s.

Is this legal and fair?

[RenishawPhil]

I will be quite frank and stick my neck out here

Yes I think older people on committees put younger people of.  It gives the old fashioned view of stuff.

Not saying you are not doing a good job but allotment committees need younger people on these days to move things forward and get more people gardening.

[daveylamp993]

Basfordlad, I totally disagree with you, a lot of the older allotment gardeners on our site are above 65 years of age,all new gardeners coming to our site for plots are made to feel welcome by them all,and are the best source of advice you can get,as one of them told me years ago,they know the quality of the soil like the back of there hand,and know from experience what grows well on the type of soil we have,which variety of potato,which type of cabbage etc,i have always listened to them the information is invaluable.Everybody on our site helps each other it is a great community spirit that these men and women have built up over many years.

[gillianbeth]

Basfordlad If what you say is true all the 60 year old committee members should resign because to young people they are old

[Digeroo]

I thought that a committee was elected.  Once you are proposed, seconded and elected at the AGM you are in for the year. 

I did not think it was the age of committee member which were putting of the young, it is lack of time.

[shirlton]

To be honest. If you have members like that on your committee who don't value your experience then why do you want to work with them. They should be grateful that you still want to be involved. If the old people left our committee there would only be a few members.

[CDave]

I thought that the association members would elect the committee so who's decided that age is a barrier? Suppose that the members will decide based on all kinds of factors. Personally, age isn't an issue for me.

[BarriedaleNick]

Well it is legal to ask but I don't think it is fair..

As someone on a committee I know it is hard to get people to join up but I have never considered age to be a problem or barrier.  Why would a younger committee be any better anyway - it makes absolutely no sense to say that younger committee members are "better".  What is needed is time, commitment and application - things that many older people have.  I know I have considered resigning as I feel I don't have enough time but no one, young or old, wanted the job.

[Fork]

Our members are elected and then re-elected every year at the annual allotment meeting.

[Unwashed]

I will be quite frank and stick my neck out here

Yes I think older people on committees put younger people of.  It gives the old fashioned view of stuff.

Not saying you are not doing a good job but allotment committees need younger people on these days to move things forward and get more people gardening.

I disagree most strongly.  Age should simply not be an issue.  There are a number of factors that can put potential new committee members off, and a good committee will see to it that it is welcoming of new faces and new ideas, but my experience is that age has nothing to do with what makes a committee welcoming or otherwise, and I find the idea of age discrimination appalling.

I believe that direct age discrimination - and this is what this is - is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 (which took effect last year) and if your committee doesn't back off sharpish you might like to contact your local Citizens Advice service.  If the committee is managing a council site you might also like to take it up with the council.

At the end of the day if your constitution doesn't require you to resign (and I doubt that it does) then you can't be forced to - though to be honest you have very limited redress if your committee just bullies you off anyways.

I think annual elections for all officers is an excellent idea.

That said, if you've fallen out of favour with the majority of your committee then resigning gracefully might be the best thing all round.  Committees can be funny things and power struggles do happen, and if you don't have the support then I think it's better to retreat gracefully.  If you haven't already I think you should propose that the committee vote on a motion of no confidence and resign if you don't get a strong vote of support.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Surely you need a mix of ages on a committee?

[RenishawPhil]

I am not saying the shouldn't be older people on allotment committees, a mix is indeed a good thing

However where the committees are over a certain age bracket things can stagnate and this is not good for an allotment association

Perception is also an important thing when trying to attract new gardeners

[Unwashed]

Surely you need a mix of ages on a committee?

I don't see that age should be an issue.  The committee simply manages the site according to the wishes of the membership, and whatever the membership votes to do at the AGM, that's what the committee does.  The committee doesn't need to be representative of any particular demographic profile, it simply has to serve the wishes of the membership - and let's be honest here, the work of most committees is done by one or two long-suffering individuals who enjoy the task and get precious little thanks for it.  I find the thought of excluding someone from the committee on the basis of their age as objectionable as discriminating against them because they're black, or Islamic, or pregnant, or Irish, or transgender, or gay, or UKIP, or pretty much anything else for that matter.  In my view the only thing that should disqualify you from serving on the committee is if you're a complete arse, and that's really a matter for the membership to decide when they vote for their officers.

[gillianbeth]

thank you for your views.  They have been very helpful.  I have resigned gracefully and will now concentrate on my plot

[CDave]

thank you for your views.  They have been very helpful.  I have resigned gracefully and will now concentrate on my plot

Well I think that's a real shame. I've never voted for anyone on our committee on the basis of age. It should be about what you can personally bring to the association and the committee. Good luck with your new plot though.

[shirlton]

Enjoy your plot gillianbeth without the hassle. The loss will be theirs I'm sure

[Mikeakabigman]

thank you for your views.  They have been very helpful.  I have resigned gracefully and will now concentrate on my plot

A dignified end to a disgraceful situation, good luck with your plot.

[Digeroo]

It would interesting to hear whether the younger people now leap at the chance to take you place.  I doubt there will be a rush.

[Unwashed]

Enjoy your plot gillianbeth without the hassle. The loss will be theirs I'm sure

I echo shirlton's comments gillianbeth, and I respect your decision.  Happy allotmenteering.