By Allen Togwell

When asked by the Editor if I wished to reply to Paul Thomas's letter, I did originally say no, however in Paul's letter he twice touched on the subject of my remuneration as a Board member - or as he puts it; 'my lucrative job' Being a subject he and others frequently want details of prior to AGM's, could it be the reason for much of the animosity shown towards certain Board members, myself in particular?

SIXTY TO SIXTY FIVE HOURS A WEEK...

I work in the office on average 10 hours a day, 5 days a week - plus weekends if there is a project going on at Brunswick House - which last year resulted in my working on average 60/65 hours a week.
   My earnings for the past year, which I'm sure Paul will be demanding details of for the next AGM, was £50,151.00. The tax paid on those earnings was £13,112.40.
   In addition, last year I was forced to replace my old A reg with a wheelchair assessable cab. Apart from the £3,700 repayment, tax and insurance costs, plus £2,000 for overhaul, there is also £1,300 annual subscription for equipment that the Society could make far better use off. NONE of this am I able to claim against tax. That means in real terms that the deductions from my earnings this year were approx. £20,000, giving me a net income of £30.000 - which for the hours worked is just under £10 per hour.

THE QUESTION OF ABILITY

Paul's opinion is that I have no ability. I disagree, as the multitude of marketing material that I have designed and produced in-house for the Society has proved. In fact, my earnings is a pittance against the money I've saved the Society by producing items in-house myself. My sales ability and work rate is also proven.
  But above all, the responsibility, aggravation, liability and pressure attached to the role of being in a team that is running a £30 million business, is in itself worth a damn sight more than the money I receive per hour. And when I talk of pressure, I mean sleepless nights worrying at the thought of losing an account that could be in  jeopardy, or as was the case during the recession when our

financial situation was such that our Society could have been on the verge of folding.
   At one point, the Board had to make a decision as to whether to cease trading or carry on, knowing that if we were insolvent and continued trading, the Board members themselves would be personally liable if we went belly-up!
   We were being monitored by our bank daily and they could have pulled the plug at any time. Adding to our problems, a competitor was sending details of our financial state to our senior clients in an attempt to push us over the edge. Paul is well aware of that pressure because he was on the Board at the time. Thankfully, we scraped through it assisted by the capture of a couple of very large accounts and some tough decisions by the Board that fortunately for the Society, our members bravely supported.

FROM HEARTACHE TO SUCCESS

I won't bore you with details of what I do all day, except to say that when I am not with a client, I am usually busy in my office from the moment I get in to when I leave, with the exception of perhaps twenty minutes for lunch.
   In the past, I would not bother justifying my working day or earnings because I know my worth and my capabilities, and the moment I believe that I have nothing left to offer this Society, I will walk away. However, it is irritating when a member of our Society, particularly an ex-board member, denigrates members of this Board who have led the Society through some of the toughest, as well as the most successful years in it's history.
   I personally don't expect gratitude or even a small acknowledgement of appreciation, but neither do I expect to be accused of having zero ability. And for Paul's  information (and I know that he and our competitors won't like this), the next time he feels the need to question our ability or professionalism, particularly compared to our two main rivals, he should try talking to the purchasing directors of  some of 

our leading clients, both existing and those recently captured.
   I have been in sales a long time and know the difference between praise and lip service. And the praise we receive for our presentations, the services we offer and our ideas is not only genuine and encouraging, but they come frequently.
   For far too long we considered ourselves to be in the shadow of our rivals. This is no longer the case. Not only are clients extremely impressed when they visit our refurbished building, but they are quick to impress upon us how much more professional we are compared to our two main competitors. This is praise that we are proud of and as a shareholder of DaC, so should Paul be.
   In fact, it is praise such as this and our achievements that makes the job of being a Board member worthwhile, because it most definitely isn't the money.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW EX-BOM?

There is one thing that has always puzzled me. In all the years that I have been on the Board serving with numerous different Board members, many of who have gained valuable experience and a multitude of skills in the running of a radio taxi circuit, including Paul himself who during his time at Brunswick House, took various courses in computer technology and radio communication technology etc, not one has offered their services or been utilised by the Society or even popped into the office occasionally to see how things are going after returning to drive a cab. For some peculiar reason, history has shown that the moment most Board members - including Chairmen - leave the Board, in the majority of cases they become critics rather than championing the Board's cause.
   The few exceptions I personally know of was the late Colin O'Brien, who when standing down as a Board member proposed the Board should get an increase in pay. Johnny Saunders pops in occasionally as does Gordon Pollock to give suggestions on how to improve a particular rank. I'm not criticising, I'm simply stating an odd and unexplainable fact.
   I hope that this article will help clear up some misapprehensions about the BoM and I also hope that Paul will not take it as an attack on himself but that perhaps it will lead to a closer relationship between him and the Board...