Hindley Green
Residents Association

The Hindley Green Residents Association Constitution
 

 

 

1. NAME
The name of the organization shall be Hindley Green Residents Association (hereafter referred to as the group).

2. OBJECTIVES
Hindley Green Residents Association is a non political group. To safeguard and promote the interest of residents, in the area on matters concerning the environment. To help to improve living conditions, community facilities and services for residents living in the groups area. In order to do this we are committed to representing the views of residents in our area of operation.

The group will uphold equal opportunities and work towards good relations amongst all members of the community, specifically prohibiting any conduct which or person(s) who discriminates or harasses on grounds of race, religion, disability, political belief, sex or sex orientation.

3. POWER CLAUSE
The committee must manage the business of the group and have the following powers in order to further the objectives (but not for any other purpose):

" Raise money
" Open bank accounts
" Acquire and run buildings, sell, lease or dispose of any property belonging to the group (see clause 13)
" Take out insurance
" Employ staff

4. MEMBERSHIP OF THE GROUP
a) Application for membership shall be open to all residents of Hindley Green Ward and all residents with a Hindley Green address and/or post code.
b) Membership applications will be declined
" If they do not have a Hindley Green address and/or postcode.
" If they are an elected member of Council.
" If they have previously been refused membership or had their membership revoked.
This list is not exhaustive and will be amended when necessary.
c) All members of the group are entitled to one vote each at General or Special Meetings.
d) All voting members must be at least 16 years of age.
e) Membership shall cease immediately upon a person leaving the area defined in paragraph 4a above, or is currently an elected Councillor, or on becoming an elected Councillor. 
f) Membership shall be free of subscription on completion of an application form. Membership will be effective from the first meeting after the application form is acknowledged by the secretary.
g) Voluntary contributions can be accepted.
5. MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE
a) A committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the group and shall serve for 12 months.
b) The committee shall consist of at least five members and not more than twelve. All members will have voting rights. Elected Councillors will not be eligible to serve on the committee
c) The Association shall elect from within their number, a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. The position of Vice Chair shall be offered as a development role, only offered to any young member who wishes to become competent in Chairing. "Young Member" shall be defined as anyone under the age of 27. No committee member shall fill more than one position.
d) The committee and officer bearers shall make and carry out decisions in accordance with the objectives of the group.
e) There must be at least four of the committee members present for any decision to be made at a committee meeting.
f) Voting members may be co-opted from residents to fill casual vacancies throughout the year.
g) Committee members can be voted off if they have not attended three consecutive meetings without good reason and have not submitted their apologies, by agreement of the committee.
h) Committee members must declare any interest they have in the topic under discussion and the committee will decide if they need to forfeit their right to vote on this occasion.
i) Committee to meet as and when required.

6. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS OR STANDING ORDERS
a) Members must speak only through the chair.
b) Decisions will be agreed by simple majority, voted in through a show of hands or a secret ballot.
c) Meetings will end at the time agreed by the committee.
d) Any offensive or disruptive behaviour before, during and after the meeting, including racist, ageist, sexist or inflammatory remarks will not be permitted. Any member engaging in such behavior will be requested to leave the meeting.
e) Any member who brings the group into disrepute or refuses to comply with the constitution shall be expelled on a majority vote of the full committee.
f) Any such member will have the right to appeal within 28 days of the expulsion. The appeal shall be heard by the membership at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. 
g) The Secretary shall deal with all correspondence unless another Committee member is delegated by the committee to take ownership of an action, copies of all correspondence must be given to the Secretary.
h) Agendas will be distributed to members prior to a meeting, where possible. Items for the agenda should be forwarded to the Secretary and Chair seven days before the meeting where possible.
i) Minutes will be made available at general meetings to all attendees.
j) The group will meet on the first Wednesday of every month, the only exception being when that falls on a bank holiday in which case the meeting will be the following week.

7. FINANCES 
a) The group may raise funds by obtaining grants from other bodies or by fundraising schemes. All money raised by or on behalf of the group shall be applied to further its objectives.
b) All funds shall be kept in a bank account that shall be opened in the name of the group.
c) The Secretary, Treasurer and the Chair shall be signatories on the account and cheques shall require two of these three signatures.
d) Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer and brought to every committee meeting where they may be inspected. Failure to bring the books to a meeting on three consecutive occasions will mean the Treasurer will be asked to resign.
e) All expenditure shall be agreed and controlled by the committee. Receipts should be acquired for all expenditure.
g) No officer shall sign a blank cheque - all cheques to be filled in before signatures are added. No Post dated cheques to be issued.
h) Once a year, the accounts will be audited and presented to the Annual General Meeting of the group. The Auditors will be either a Council Officer or Bank Employee.
i) All correspondence of the group including the bank statement shall be addressed to the Treasurer, copied to the Secretary.

8. PUBLIC MEETINGS
a) Public meetings of the members shall be regularly held to discuss matters of importance and to keep the members fully informed of the group's activities. Admission to General Meetings will be for members only. In line with the non political status of the association and 4d, councilors will not be permitted to attend General Meetings.
b) The chair shall direct business at each public meeting
c) Members shall be given fourteen days notice of a public meeting.
d) Written Action Reports may be submitted by Hindley Green elected Councillors to the Secretary, a minimum of seven days before the date of the public meeting. These will update only, on actions, members or HGRA as a body have requested the Councillor to pursue on behalf of the Association.
e) All votes shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present. This applies to all meetings of the group.
f) Any member, having the written support of twenty other members, may request the committee to call a Special Public Meeting of the group. The committee shall call the meeting within 21 days of this written request.

9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held every year to discuss the activities of the group, to receive the audited accounts and to elect the committee.
b) The AGM shall be held at a suitable venue to accommodate as many members as possible.
c) The quorum shall be a minimum of ten attendees.
d) At least 14 days notice to be given to members of an AGM.
e) At the AGM the resignations of all committee members will be accepted and a new committee elected.

10. CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION
a) This constitution shall only be changed at a Special Public Meeting of the group, or at the AGM.
b) For decisions to be taken there must be a minimum of 10 attendees. The voting shall be by simple majority of those present.
c) Proposed changes must be submitted to the Secretary in writing not less than 28 days before the AGM. If a Special Public Meeting is called the Secretary must notify members of any proposed changes within 21 days of the meeting.

11. CHILD PROTECTION
a) The group will ensure that any activities they are involved with will be a safe environment for children.
b) If group activities are to involve children, a Child Protection Policy will be adopted and committee members will be appointed to take responsibility for its implementation.

12. LEASES AND AGGREEMENTS
As trustees for and on behalf of the group, the current Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, may enter into leases and access agreements that are transferable to ongoing elected office bearers to further the objectives of the group as set out in clause 2.

13. DISSOLUTION OF THE GROUP
a) The group may only be dissolved by a Special meeting called for that purpose. Such a meeting shall come about following a proposal in writing signed by a simple majority of those remaining on the committee being submitted to the Secretary.
b) All members shall be informed of such a meeting at least 21 days before the meeting.
c) Dissolution of the group shall only take effect if agreed by 2/3 of the members present and voting at that meeting.
d) Any assets remaining after meeting liabilities must be distributed among local charities or other community groups with similar aims of the group nominated by that meeting.
e) Any money received via funding bodies should be returned to the funders in relation to the funder's criteria.
f) On dissolution, any documents belonging to the group shall be disposed of in a manner agreed by that meeting.

1) This Constitution was adopted at a meeting of the Hindley Green Residents Association on 6th August 2008. 

2) This Constitution was amended at a meeting of the Hindley Green Residents Association on 7th September 2010. 

3) This constitution was amended at the AGM of the Hindley Green Residents Association on 1st May 2013

4) This constitution was amended at a special meeting of the Hindley Green Residents Association on 11th September 2019