Charity & Deputies | Leicester Freemen's

Charity & Trustees

How to Become a Deputy

Any hereditary Freeman of the City of Leicester who is resident within the County of Leicestershire can apply to be appointed as a Deputy (Trustee).

The only exceptions to this are:-

Anyone who has been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty unless the conviction is spent.
Anyone who is an un-discharged bankrupt.
Anyone who has previously been removed from trusteeship of a charity by the court or the Charity Commissioners.
Anyone who is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
Anyone who is either a beneficiary or an employee of the Charity.
Anyone who is a relative of an employee of the Charity.
A deputy nomination form needs to be completed by the applicant (contact the Clerk for more details). This needs to be proposed and seconded by two Freemen of the City of Leicester who also reside in Leicestershire. Applications are then considered by the Board of Deputies.
There will be an election if more than 21 Deputies are nominated at the time of the AGM. An election of the Deputies shall take place on the second Tuesday in the month of March as necessary. If the number of valid nominations is less than that of the vacancies then no election is necessary.

Leicester Freemen's Estate & Charity Trustees

The Leicester Freemen’s Estate is a registered charity and the board members, referred to as Deputies, are trustees to the charity.

The Board of Deputies is the governing body of the Charity, responsible for establishing and implementing the aims and objectives contained in its mission statement, and for its on-going management.

Mission statement

“To administer and manage the Leicester Freemen's Estate Charity for the benefit of Freemen of the City of Leicester, their widows, widowers and future generations of Freemen.”

Up to 21 Deputies may serve on the Board. Deputies meet quarterly to review the workings of four sub-committees. Responsibility is delegated to the sub-committees. The four sub-committees meet every month to focus on various aspects of the Charity: General Purpose, Welfare, Property & Estates. The Finance sub-committee also meet monthly throughout the year. All Deputies serve on the Board and are also appointed to other sub-committees at each AGM.

As of 1st January 2021 there were 12 Deputies who sat on the Board.

If you are a Freemen of the City of Leicester and are interested in becoming a Deputy, please get in touch to find out more.

Meeting Dates

Board meetings of the Deputies are held in the community centre at Freemen’s Holt on a quarterly basis on the second Wednesday of March, June, September and December starting at 7.30 pm prompt.

Board meetings used to be held on the first Wednesday of March, June, September and December. The Board decided to change this from June 2024.

Board meetings are open meetings that Freemen, their widows or widowers are welcome to attend.

The dates of these meetings for the current year are:

Board Meetings

Wednesday 6th March 2024

Wednesday 12th June 2024

Wednesday 11th September 2024

Wednesday 11th December 2024

Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 19th March 2024

Meeting Minutes

If you are a Freeman and would like a copy of the minutes of any Board Meeting or AGM, please get in touch and we will send you a copy via email.