Women’s Rights Network imploding

[NameChangedWren]

WTF is going on? There are letters circulating with members alleging bullying, and anyone who asks a question is suspended and comments deleted. The leader calling everyone to urgent meetings with bizarre messaging: ‘there is no letter, and if there is it’s full of lies, and you can’t see the letter just trust us, and ooh look, something shiny!’ Should I cut my losses, cancel my standing order and just follow Let Women Speak?

😂😂😂😂🍻

KIS who apologises for Labour even though they chucked her out.

I’ve not posted for a while as there was a lot of finger pointing and hunting for culprits within WRN, women saying they knew others were on this thread. I don’t know who anyone else is on here and I very much hope no one knows who I am, as it’s clear I’d be drummed out of WRN straightaway for not holding the party line of ‘nothing to see here’.

From what I’ve heard Bucks WRN are still trying to create peace talks and being super reasonable, meanwhile many coordinators are saying saying amongst ourselves that we have grave misgivings. I really think the leadership are making a massive error in not grasping the nettle and having open discussion about the limited company, consultancy payments, charging for membership as well as all the problems that have led to huge swathes of women leaving. If they want trust they need to show it’s well founded.

Exactly so.

As a fellow coordinator, I share your frustration over this divisive witch hunt. The baseless attack on the ex-director accusing her of sharing an image with zero evidence. Leadership must own their failures- it’s all unraveling for all to see it for what it is…a shady limited company slush fund.

it is time to break rank and form our own transparent network, free from WRN’s hypocritical rot harming our cause. Trust demands openness—address this to salvage, or we’ll rebuild without them.

They charge membership? I didn’t know that.

I've never handed over money.

Apparently the leadership have discussed it, but not bothered to consult.

Like many of you, I naively assumed that the donations and funds we raise would directly support on-the-ground campaigns—things like printing leaflets, sending letters, and organizing events that make a real difference.
It never crossed my mind that these resources might be allocated to consultancy fees! I thought we were all in this together as volunteers, but now it’s clear that we coordinators are really just unpaid employees—dedicating our efforts without pay, yet excluded from key decisions.
This lack of consultation with coordinators and members on how funds are spent is deeply concerning. Transparency isn’t just a buzzword—it’s essential for trust and effectiveness. We deserve a say in these decisions to ensure every penny goes toward empowering women, not lining pockets.

Does anybody have any PROOF
that people are taking "consultancy fees" out of WRN
as against expenses for things like web hosting and zoom and the ICO ?

The fees that Lisa Marie extracts from Filia are stated in the published charity accounts.

WRN shows four director employees in its accounts but zero director remuneration.
If the accountancy firm are hiding directors being paid consultancy (a required disclosure) that is on them
but what amounts and purposes are being implied ?

Anybody donating to Sex Matters ..... how much are Helen and Maya and Fiona paid ? Is it donors business, or that of the trustees ?

It is so ridiculously obvious that @Talkinpeace is either a director, or one of the central team, of WRN. It would be more honest if you said this upfront.

No, I am not.

Please answer the question.

There actually is some stuff that’s come out from a former director who was pretty vocal about the lack of transparency around it.
Basically, from what was shared with all the coordinators, here’s the gist:
• Some of the directors are charging these consultancy fees for stuff they do for the network, but it’s not been properly told to the members.
• When this got brought up, Heather (another director) basically said, “Nah, we don’t need to tell everyone – we’re transparent enough”
• The one who raised it said they never took a penny themselves – no fees, not even expenses for travel or hotels when working for WRN. But yeah, others are getting financial perks.
• They made the point that this shouldn’t be some secret, especially since WRN is supposed to be member-led, and they wanted more clarity on why they got booted over it or whatever.

TBH there's nothing wrong with people getting paid, people need to eat. But it should be transparent and fair. The board of sex matters don't hide that they have paid staff

Does anybody have any PROOF
that people are taking "consultancy fees" out of WRN
as against expenses for things like web hosting and zoom and the ICO ?

No, because WRN does not publish full financial records, which would be the transparent thing to do and would avoid speculation. Not groundless speculation though, according to what EqualiteaSpiller has reported.

WRN shows four director employees in its accounts but zero director remuneration.

WRN accounts to date have shown four employees. However, the number of Directors has varied, according to filings on Companies House.

In the financial year 2024-2025 there were six Directors:

1. 12 Apr 2022 - Heather Binning Director
2. 20 Jul 2022 - Appointment of Mrs Corinne Michelle Kielty as a director
3. 20 Jul 2022 - Appointment of Ms Elizabeth Mair Westlund as a director
4. 20 Jul 2022 - Appointment of Ms Claire Loneragan as a director
5. 31 Aug 2024 - Appointment of Mary Howden as a director
6. 18 Sep 2024 - Appointment of Ms Catherine Larkman as a director

17 Nov 2025 - Termination of appointment of Corinne Michelle Kielty as a director
05 Feb 2026 - Termination of appointment of Elizabeth Mair Foster

The accounts for 2024-2025 have not yet been filed so we do not know how many employees there were in 2024-2025. Maybe there were six and maybe they were Directors?

However, as far as I am aware there is nothing in the accounts stating that the four employees are the four Directors. I might have missed something so please do correct me if you have found a statement to that effect in the accounts.

Directors are normally unpaid "Office Holders" rather than employees.

If they are employees as well then they would not be "unremunerated" but should be paid at least the minimum wage and would qualify for benefits like sick pay and redundancy payments. They should have a Contract of Employment, be paid a salary and would pay National Insurance and Income Tax through PAYE.

Another option is for Directors to paid by the Company as contractors rather than as employees, eg. they might charge and receive payment for Consultancy work.

However, if the Directors are either unpaid or work as contractors for the Company then that leaves four employees to be accounted for.

The accounts are bare bones balance sheets showing no details of expenditure on anything specific at all, eg. employee wages, consultancy fees, Director's expenses, printing costs, venue hire, legal fees, accountancy fees, etc. etc.

They do show that Heather Binning loaned the Company over £950 on Incorporation. She has not been repaid, so will have lost interest due on that amount every year if the Company is not reimbursing her for lost interest.

I do not begrudge anyone being paid for work done. The issues that have been raised repeatedly in this thread are to do with transparency.

• Transparency about the disbursement of donations.
• Transparency about any payments to Directors, whether fees or expenses.
• Transparency about donations paid into the Scottish Director's personal bank account.
• Transparency about the cost to the Company of employing four members of staff (who might or might not be full-time employees).

Perhaps you’re just the person they call “the Enforcer” in WRN Scotland?

This sort of behavior is what led to the collapse of 2nd wave feminism, isn’t it?

Funny how the WRN mouthpieces on here have gone very quiet on the whole 'donations going into the head of WRN Scotland’s personal account' story, isn’t it? Especially when there’s a perfectly good official WRN business account. Guess it’s true then… and best left swept under the carpet?

I think “The Toe Rag” might be more appropriate…

Not in the least! Where did you get that idea?

But maybe dont bother as it is a shame to see this thread that had seemed to be a welcome place for members of WRN to share information could come and discuss the actual situation they are experiencing, not seeming to encourage that anymore.

You assume I’m not a member!

How was anyone a "member" of 2nd wave feminism?

I assume you mean Women's Liberation Movement to which there was no sign up option, memberships fees or central control.

It was a loose network of autonomous women's groups who on occassion worked with each other such as campaigns on conferences.

The total opposite to WRN.

Maybe I should have responded to something so absurd as their seems to be some intent on derailing this thread.

Sorry to all those part of or previously part of WRN.

Oh don't be silly.

Every time I try to comment on this thread the content vanishes.

So I am doing short comments which can’t get lost.
The women who wanted to discuss the Muslim rape gangs in WRNS said this was only “down south”. This is not correct as Glasgow has had a doubling of rapes in the last few years which corresponds to the number of immigrants arriving.