Living Streets (The Pedestrians Association)

Living Streets (The Pedestrians Association)

LOCAL GROUPS CONSTITUTION

Last Updated: August 2017 (Version 2.0)

Name and Objectives

1. The name of the Local Group shall be ______(insert geographical location here) Living Streets Group (the “Local Group”).

2. The Local Group shall work within the geographical area(s) of:______

and represent Living Streets in the following unitary/district/local government/national government area(s) – please list all that apply:

3. The Local Group shall operate within the terms of the Local Groups Charter and Brand Agreement agreed by the Local Group and Living Streets Head Office (who are accountable to the Board of Trustees via the Chief Executive).

4. The aims and limits of authority of the Local Group are defined in the Local Groups Charter; the Local Group must not do anything likely to endanger Living Streets’ charitable status or bring it into disrepute nor anything which Head Office considers conflicts with its policies.

Admission to the group

5. Admission to the Local Group is open to any person supporting the aims of the Local Group.

6. Admission to the Local Group is open to all persons over the age of 18 without discrimination.

7. Only Local Group Campaigners, defined as those whose names and email addresses (or telephone number where the person does not have access to the internet)are on the Contacts Distribution List held by the Local Group’s Chair and/or Secondary Contact and who are signed up to E-news (where a person has access to the internet) can exercise rights in the election of postholders to the Local Group and vote at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Local Group.

Meetings and Officers

8. The Local Group should meet at least twice a year and meetings should be well publicised and open to all Local Group Campaigners. A meeting shall be the forum at which the major activities of the Local Group shall be agreed. A record of all decisions taken at meetings shall be kept.

9. A meeting shall have a quorum between 2 and 8, depending on sizeof the Local Group. If that quorum is not met, major group policy cannot be altered or formulated, nor can any expenditure above a sum to be determined by the AGM of the Local Group be sanctioned.

10. The Group shall have at least two elected postholders (a Chair and a Secondary Contact). The duties of these postholders will include; managing the finances of the group and keeping accounts; distributing information to the appropriate postholders within the Local Group; supplying Head Office with the two named contacts for receiving information from Head Office staff; and to supply Head Office with a name, telephone number, postal address and email address for reference. Only the name and the email address of the two named contacts will be made available to members of the public unless you request more details to be made available.

11. The Local Group is encouraged to open a bank or building society account in the name specified above. At least two of the elected postholders shall be signatories to the account, and two signatures shall be required on any cheque or payment drawn on this account. This makes them eligible to receive a start-up grant and annual grant.

12. Activities may be delegated at a meeting to a sub-group of the Local Group. The sub-group shall be required to keep records of its business and to report regularly at future meetings.

13. The Chair shall be responsible for ensuring the accounts of the Local Group are presented to Head Office by 15 October each year, made up to 30 September each year. The accounts may not yet have been approved at an AGM of the Local Group.

14. The Local Group must hold an AGM every year toelect postholders at each AGM and approve the Local Group’s accounts.

15. An AGM must be held no later than 15 months after the preceding AGM.
16. All Local Group campaigners should be given at least 21 days’ notice of the AGM, and be able to both stand for election and to nominate candidates for election.
Resignations and Terminations of Members of a Local Group

17. If any postholder wishes to resign they shall inform the Meeting in writing and/or verbally. When necessary, a Local Group campaigner can be co-opted to carry out that postholder’s duties until the next Meeting. Election of a new postholder may take place at the following Meeting. The Local Group will inform Head Office of new postholders and/or co-optees as soon as possible.

18. The Local Group has the right and responsibility to terminate the membership of a Local Group campaigner who has:

- contravened the Local Groups Charter or Brand Agreement with Head Office

- brought the name of the Local Group into disrepute,

- acted in such a way as to be against the best interests of the Local Group.

Such a decision can only be made at a quorate meeting of the Local Group, after at least 28 days’ notice has been given to all Local Group campaigners.

19. Each Local Group campaigner has the right and responsibility to call the attention of Head Office to any of the Group’s activities which in their view contravene the Groups Charter or Brand Agreement, provided they have the written support of at least two other Local Group campaigners.

20. Living Streets has the right and responsibility to terminate the membership of a Local Group campaigner who has contravened the Groups Charter or Brand Agreement with Head Office or brought the name of the Local Group into disrepute, or been deemed to work against the aims of the Local Group. Living Streets will inform the Local Group campaigner verbally (face to face or on the telephone) of this decision, followed up with a written intention (email or letter) to expel the individual. The correspondence will outline the reasons for this decision. Living Streets will also inform the Local Group Chair of this decision.

Termination of a Local Group

21. The Local Group shall be wound up by a vote at an AGM or by an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose. Notice of intention to wind up the Local Group must be sent to all Local Group campaigners and Head Office at least 28 days before any such meeting. At the meeting where it is decided to wind up the Local Group, any remaining funds will revert to Head Office.

A/All Local Group(s) may be wound up if deemed in the best interests of the organisation by

Head Office. Notice of intention to do this will be first given verbally to the Local Group chair (by telephone or face-to-face), followed by a written intention (email or letter). The Local Group will then have 28 days to wind up the Local Group. If the Local Group has been inactive for a period ofone year or not responding to email within 3 months Living Streets may terminate the Local Group by writing to the named Local Chair and secondary contact (by email or letter).

Signed……………………… (Chair)

……………………………….(Secondary Contact)

Page 1 of 3