Constitution

Contents

1) Name

2) Aims and Objectives

3) Powers

4) Membership

5) Committee

6) Annual General Meeting

7) General Meetings

8) Special General Meetings

9) Finance

10) Responsibilities of the Treasurer

11) Responsibilities of Chair

12) Responsibilities of the Secretary

13) Fundraising

14) Child protection

15) Alterations to Constitution

16) Dissolution

 

1) Name

The Association (established November 1998) shall be known as OMTRA and will represent the residents living in Glapton Road, the Terraces off Glapton Road, Woolmer Road, Beauvale Road, Wilford Grove, Bathley Street from Wilford Crescent West to Wilford Grove, Holgate Road from Glapton Road to Wilford Grove and Wilford Crescent West from Glapton Road to Wilford Grove.

 

2) Aims and Objectives

The Association aims and objectives are to:

• Promote tenants and residents’ interests and campaign for improvements to their housing conditions, services, and environment.

• Promote housing issues.

• Encourage local tenants' and residents' involvement.

• Work in a non-discriminatory way and work towards combating discrimination.

• Represent the interests of tenants when dealing with Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham City Council, and other bodies.

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3) Powers

To further the above aims and objectives, the Association may affiliate to any body, receive funds, or undertake any activities that may be of benefit to its membership.

 

4) Membership

 

a) Full membership of the Association shall be open to all tenants and residents living in the designated area, irrespective of nationality, race, sexuality, gender, age, disability, income, political or religious belief, length of residence or social class.

b) All members are expected to behave in a reasonable manner at all times at meetings or in premises used by the Association whilst involved in the activities of the Association.

c) Failure to support the objectives of the Association or to behave reasonably whilst involved in the activities of the Association may lead to membership of the Association being terminated.

d) All members shall agree to sign a copy of the Code of Conduct and agree to abide by the rules of the Code of Conduct. Failure to do so will result in the member being asked to resign.

e) If the Association is to consider terminating an individual's membership, the individual will be advised in writing of the reasons for the proposal and the time and place of the meeting where this matter is to be discussed.

f) The individual concerned will be invited to speak to the meeting where the proposal is discussed but will leave the meeting when the vote is to be taken.

g) The decision to determine the membership will be taken by a majority of those present and voting at any committee or general meeting. Following the meeting the secretary will write to the person concerned and advise them of the committee's decision.

Any member so excluded shall have the right of appeal to the following General Meeting.

 

5) Committee

a) The business of the Association shall be conducted by a committee elected from the membership of the Association at each Annual General Meeting, which shall consist of a Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, plus two other members to make up a minimum of five members.

b) If any committee member has a conflict of interest in connection with any business being discussed at a meeting, they must declare it. They may remain in the meeting but may not speak or vote unless the conflict or interest is considered sufficiently important and in which case, they may be asked to leave the meeting by the other members.

c) All decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of those present and each full committee member shall have one vote by a show of hands.

d) The composition of the Committee shall, as far as possible, represent the community living in the Old Meadows. In addition, the Committee shall have the power to co-opt people whose skills and experience may be of benefit to the group, whether living inside or outside the Old Meadows, onto the committee, who shall be known as Co-opted members. Co-opted members shall have no voting rights and should never be the majority of the Committee. Co-opted members must not form more than one-third of the committee and are in addition to the minimum five committee members.

e) The majority of Committee members will be over the age of 18.

f) Elected councillors of the local authority shall not be eligible for election as officers of the Association.

g) The formal election of Officers or Committee members may be carried out by an Annual General Meeting of the Association. The Committee may temporarily fill any vacancy arising (through, for example, death, resignation, moving away from the area among the officers of the Association from its other members until the next General Meeting of members.

h) If a Committee member does not attend three consecutive committee meetings without good reason, it may be considered by the committee that they no longer wish to be involved with the group and their role may be filled on a temporary basis until the next General Meeting.

i) The Committee shall meet as often as necessary and not less than six (6) times in each year.

j) Reasonable notice of all meetings will be given to Committee members and details sent to their home, which shall include the date, time and place of the meeting and an agenda of the matters to be discussed.

The quorum (the minimum number of Committee members required to make decisions on behalf of the committee) for k) Committee meetings of the Association shall be one-third of the membership, or at least three (3) members (one of these to be an officer of the committee). No binding decision can be made if a committee meeting is not quorate.

Committee Meetings shall be open to any member of the Association wishing to attend who may speak but cannot vote. Councillors, Nottingham City Homes, Council Officers, and any other interested parties may be invited to Committee meetings but may not vote.

l) Any member(s) or officer(s) delegated to represent the Association in dealing with any other organisation or group shall act on the instructions of the Association and shall report back to the following Committee or General meeting.

 

6) Annual General Meeting

a) The Committee shall call an Annual General Meeting of the Association every year within 6 months of the year-end, which is open to all members.

b) Not less than fourteen (14) days’ notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members. (14 days’ notice is minimum and if the group chooses this can be extended).

c) The Annual General Meeting will be widely advertised throughout the designated area, all business to be conducted will be notified by way of public notices.

d) The business at each AGM will include:

• Committee's report of activity during the year.

• The Treasurer shall present a report of the Association of the previous year.

• Election of officers and committee members.

• Any other business previously notified in the notice of the meeting.

 

e) No business may be discussed unless it has been notified in advance of the meeting.

f) Votes will be taken by a show of hands. If requested a paper ballot will be carried out.

g) The quorum for an Annual General Meeting shall be one-third of the membership (one of these to be an officer of the committee). No Annual General Meeting shall take place if it is not quorate.

 

7) General Meetings

a) Apart from the Annual General Meeting at least one (1) other of the Committee's meetings shall be a General Meeting of the Association i.e. widely publicised and open to all members to speak and vote.

b) The decisions of General Meetings of the Association shall be binding on the Committee who will carry out these decisions. All decisions shall be taken by a simple majority vote of members present.

c) The quorum for all General Meetings shall be one-third of the membership or twelve (12) members (one of these to be an officer of the committee) whichever is the least. No General Meeting will take place if it is not quorate.

 

8) Special General Meetings

a) The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting at the request of a majority of the committee; or if at least five (5) members of the Association request one.

b) The Secretary shall give at least fourteen (14) days’ notice of the date of a Special General Meeting, which shall take place within twenty-one (21) days of receiving the request or petition. The notice shall give details of the business to be discussed at the meeting.

c) No business may be discussed unless it has been notified in advance of the meeting.

d) The quorum for all Special General Meetings shall be one-third of the membership (one of these to be an officer of the committee) or a minimum of four (4). No Special General Meeting shall take place if it is not quorate.

 

9) Finance

a) The Financial Year adopted by the Association is to 30th September.

b) The Committee is to approve any payments made on behalf of the Association.

c) The bank account will be opened in the name of the Association. The committee shall nominate a minimum of three committee members to be authorised signatories on all cheques. Each cheque will be signed by two of the authorised signatories. No two members of the same household or family can be signatories. Under no circumstances will blank cheques be signed.

 

10) Responsibilities of the Treasurer

a) The Treasurer shall open and maintain a banking account in the name of the Association.

b) The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of income and expenditure and report the financial situation to the committee every two (2) months or as required by the Committee or General Meeting

c) At the end of each financial year annual accounts will be produced. This can be in the form of a simple income and expenditure account and balances at the start and the end of the year.

 

11) Responsibilities of Chair

The Chair shall set the agenda for meetings in consultation with the secretary, keep order at meetings, ensure meetings are quorate, ensure that actions from previous meetings are carried out, ensure that all members have an opportunity to speak at meetings and to ensure that the minutes of the previous meeting are agreed by the committee (The group must decide whether they want to give the casting vote to the Chair in the event of there being a tied vote).

 

12) Responsibilities of the Secretary

The Secretary will be responsible for calling all meetings, notifying members, ensuring that a proper record is kept of meetings of the Association, Its Committee and any Sub-Committee in the form of minutes, distributing the minutes as required by the Committee or General Meeting and holding full records of the Association on file (including leaflets, posters and newsletters) which may be examined when given at least seven (7) days’ notice by any two (2) members of the Association or representative of any funding body.

 

13) Fundraising

All money raised by or on behalf of the Association is to be used only to further the aims of the Association.

 

14) Child protection

Any committee member or volunteer undertaking work on behalf of the Association with children or young people will be subject to checks on their suitability through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

 

15) Alterations to Constitution

Any proposal to alter this Constitution must be discussed at a General Meeting or an AGM and the proposed alteration(s) submitted to the secretary of the Association at least twenty-one (21) days before the General Meeting at which it is to be discussed. At least fourteen (14) days’ notice shall be given of such a meeting, together with the wording of the proposed alteration(s).

Any alteration shall require the approval of two thirds of those present and voting at the meeting.

 

16) Dissolution

a) If the Committee (or, if a Committee no longer exists, any ten (10) members of the Association) decided that the Association be dissolved, they shall give at least twenty-one (21) days’ notice to all those eligible for membership of a General Meeting at which the matter shall be discussed. For the sole purpose of dissolution, a quorum need not apply, and the Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of those present.

b) A final statement of accounts must be produced and independently examined and made available on request to any interested parties. Any unspent grant funding will be returned. Any assets, financial and otherwise remaining when the Association has satisfied its liabilities shall be applied for such purposed of benefit to the community as the meeting shall decide or passed to another organisation with similar aims and objectives.