Proposed Constitution of Burntwood Action Group
Burntwood Action Group Constitution
1.NAME
The name of the organisation shall be Burntwood Action Group(hereafter referred to as the Group).
2.AIMS
2.1.To preserve as much as possible of the Green Belt land within and around Burntwood.
2.2.To foster respect for such land and its associated wildlife.
2.3.To be non party-political.
3.OBJECTIVES
3.1.To analyse Lichfield District Council’s Local Plan at all stages of its development and submission to Government.
3.2.To challenge any proposals which are at odds with the aims of the Group.
3.3.To lobby Town, District and County Councillors on matters relating to the Local Plan.
3.4.To prepare and submit input at the various stages of the development and approval process.
3.5.To present evidence to the Inspector appointed to review the Local Plan and to appear before him/her if called.
3.6.To engage residents in the above and to seek their continued support throughout the campaign.
3.7.To contribute to the production of the Burntwood Neighbourhood Plan and oppose any item which is at odds with the aims of the Group
3.8.To promote the use of suitable brownfield sites for development.
3.9.To seek a high profile for the Group and matters of concern to it.
4.MEMBERSHIP
4.1.Membership shall be open to all residents of the Burntwood area who share the aims of the Group.
4.2.The Secretary will keep records of all members of the Group.
4.3.A membership subscription will not be charged but members will be encouraged to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of mounting campaigns.
4.4.Membership of the Group will end when a member:
4.4.1.ceases to reside in the Burntwood area.
4.4.2.resigns formally from the Group.
4.4.3.is expelled for behaviour which could discredit the Group.See item 7.5.
5.Affiliation
The Group may affiliate to any non-party political organisation whose aims and objectives are commensurate with those of the Group and which can help the Group in achieving its aims and objectives.
6.THE COMMITTEE
6.1.A committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of theGroup.
6.2.The committee shall consist of Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and at least three other members.
6.3.The committee shall have powers to appoint other officers such as press officer and spokesperson as it sees fit and may co-opt other members onto the committee, during the course of the year.
6.4.All members will have equal voting rights.
6.5.No committee member shall fill morethan one position.
6.6.The committee and office bearers shall make and carry out decisions inaccordance with the aims and objectives of the Group.
6.7.Meetings of the committee shall be open to any member of the Group whowishes to attend.
6.8.There must be at least three of the committee members present for anydecisions to be made at a committee meeting.
6.9.Committee members can be voted off if they have not attended threeconsecutive meetings without good reason and have not submitted theirapologies.
6.10.Committee members must declare any interest they may have in the topicunder discussion and the committee will decide if they need to forfeit theirright to vote on this occasion.
7.CONDUCT OF BUSINESS OR STANDING ORDERS
7.1.The secretary will be responsible for organising suitable venues for meetings.
7.2.Members may speak only through the Chair.
7.3.Decisions will be agreed by a simple majority, voted in through a show ofhands, or a secret ballot.
7.4.Meetings will end at the time agreed by the committee unless all thosepresent agree to extend the meeting.
7.5.Unsatisfactory behaviour:
7.5.1.Any offensive behaviour, including racist, ageism, sexist or inflammatoryremarks will not be permitted.
7.5.2.Any member who brings the group into disrepute or refuses to comply withthe constitution shall be expelled on a majority vote of the full committee.
7.5.3.Any such member will have the right to appeal within 28 days of theexpulsion. The appeal shall be heard by the membership at a Special GeneralMeeting called for that purpose.
7.6.The Secretary shall be copied into and keep a record of all correspondence of the Group.
7.7.Agendas will be distributed to the membership at least four days before ameeting. Items for the agenda should be forwarded to theSecretary and Chair seven days before the meeting.
7.8.Minutes will be distributed to the membership within two weeks following a meeting.
8.FINANCE
8.1.The Group may raise funds by obtaining grants from other bodies or byfundraising schemes. All money raised by or on behalf of the Group shall beapplied to further its objectives.
8.2.All funds shall be kept in a bank account that shall be opened in the name of the Group.
8.3.The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Treasurer shall be signatories on theaccount and all cheques shall require two of these signatures.
8.4.Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, and brought to every committeemeeting where they may be inspected. Failure to bring the books to ameeting on three consecutive occasions will mean the Treasurer will be askedto resign.
8.5.All expenditure shall be agreed and controlled by the committee.
8.6.Receiptsshould be acquired for all expenditure over one pound.
8.7.All payments over ten pounds shall be made by cheque, not cash. Anyexception to this rule shall be discussed and agreed by the committee.
8.8.No officer shall sign a blank cheque – all cheques to be filled in before signatures are added.
8.9.Committee members cannot receive any payment from the Group otherthan for bona fide expenses, which have been submitted to the Treasurer.
8.10.Once a year, the accounts will be audited and presented to the AnnualGeneral Meeting of the Group. The Auditor will be an independent financial professional appointed by the committee annually.
9.GENERAL MEETINGS
9.1.General Meetings of the members shall be held as deemed necessary by the committee to discuss matters ofimportance and to keep the members fully informed of the Group’s activities.
9.2.Members shall be given 14 days notice of a General Meeting.
9.3.All votes shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present. Thisapplies to all meetings of the Group.
9.4.Any member, having the written support of 20 other members, may requestthe committee to call a Special General Meeting of the Group. The committeeshall call the meeting within 21 days of this written request.
10.ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
10.1.An AGM shall be held every year to discuss the activities of the group, toreceive the audited accounts and to elect the committee.
10.2.The AGM shall be held at a suitable venue to accommodate as manymembers as possible.
10.3.The quorum shall be the lesser of 50% of the membership or ten members.
10.4.At least 14 days notice of the AGM will be given to members. With the invitation to the meeting will be a nomination form for officers and committee members. This should be returned to the secretary 7 days before the AGM.
10.5.Unless indicated to the contrary, prior to the meeting, it will be assumed that officers and committee members will stand for re-election. There will be no time limit on the length of service of officers or committee members.
10.6.In the event of more than one nomination for a particular post a vote by show of hands will decide the outcome.
11.CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION
11.1.This constitution shall only be changed at a Special General Meeting of theGroup, or at the AGM.
11.2.For decisions to be taken there must be a quorum of at least 10 members.
11.3.The voting shall be by simplemajority of those present.
11.4.All members shall be given 14 days notice of the meeting and proposedchanges.
11.5.Proposed changes must be submitted to the secretary in writing not less than 28 days before the meeting.
11.6.The secretary must notify members of anyproposed changes within 21days of the meeting.
12.CHILD PROTECTION
12.1.Activities to promote respect for greenfield land and its wildlife may involve children.
12.2.The group will ensure that any such activities will be a safeenvironment for children.
12.3.Prior to organising such an activity a Child Protection Policy will beadopted and a committee member will be appointed to take responsibility forits implementation.
13.DATA PROTECTION
13.1.Only those Officers with a need to contact members shall have access to membership records.
13.2.Membership records shall be kept as secure as possible and not shared with any third party without the consent of the member.
14.Dissolution
14.1.A Special General Meeting of the Groupcalled specifically to consider amotion to dissolve the Group can only dissolve the Group.
14.2.All members shall be given 14 days written notice of such ameeting.
14.3.The Group can only dissolve if a majority of themembers present and voting at the Special General Meetingvote for a motion to dissolve the Group.
14.4.The meeting shall decide on the disposal of any assetsremaining after the satisfaction of debts and any otherliabilities. These assets must be applied to charitablepurposes agreed by the members of the Group.
This Constitution has been adopted at the Committee Meeting of the Group:
Held at:St Matthews Social Club, St Matthews Road, Burntwood
On:6th June 2017
Signed______Vic Chamberlain(Chair)
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