MONTON VILLAGE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
THE CONSTITUTION
1. The Association shall be known as the Monton Village Community Association, ('The Association').
2. The objects of the Association shall be:
(i) to promote Monton as a 'village community', defined as all who live or work in the Monton area. The geographical boundaries that shall define "Monton" and the "Monton area" are those set out by the local authority.
(ii) to promote Monton as a safe area, by seeking ways of reducing the impact and cost of vandalism, general crime and fear of crime.
(iii) to improve local amenities in Monton for the benefit of all the community and all who visit it.
(iv) to develop Monton's reputation as an attractive community, including the holding of festivals and other social events.
(v) to seek ways of developing the economic viability of businesses in the Monton area, for the benefit and well being of the whole community.
(vi) for the furtherance of these objects, to represent the interests of the community in consultations with the local authority, police, other agencies and other resident, church, or community groups in the area.
3. Membership shall be open, irrespective of nationality, race, ethnic group, political or religious belief, to any individual who resides in the Monton area, or to any single representative of any other community group in the Monton area, or to any single individual who owns or is in partnership, or acts as a representative of any business in the Monton area.
4. The Association shall have the power to affiliate to any other body whose objects may be of benefit to its membership.
5. On any committee or sub-committee of the Association, no group or business may be represented by more than two persons, the second such person shall be deemed a co-opted member of the Association.
6. Each person eligible for membership, shall on request, be supplied with an application form by the Secretary. Once a person has been accepted as a member and has paid their subscription, then the Secretary will issue a Membership Card and a copy of the Constitution of the Association.
7. It shall be a condition of membership that members must conduct themselves in a reasonable manner at meetings of the Association or functions organised by the Association. Any member may be excluded for breach of this condition, or for any other conduct contravening the objects of the Association, by a majority of those members present and voting at any Committee or General Meeting. Any member so excluded, may seek to have his exclusion revoked at any subsequent General Meeting, by a vote of those members present. A simple majority shall determine the issue.
8. All members, except co-opted members, shall pay subscriptions as shall be determined by the Inaugural Meeting and subsequent Annual General Meetings. (The payment of any such subscriptions shall be entered on a membership card to be provided by the Association).
9. Any subscriptions or other moneys raised by or on behalf of the Association shall only be applied in furtherance of the aims of the Association.
10. The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Committee elected at the Inaugural Meeting and at each subsequent Annual General Meeting, which shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and not less than six other persons. The composition of the Committee shall as far as possible represent the residential and multi-business character of the area. The Vice-Chairperson will succeed the Chairperson should the latter resign, or no longer hold office for whatever reason, during any given year, until the subsequent Annual General Meeting.
11. The election or removal of officers or Committee members may only be carried out by a General Meeting of the Association. The Committee may temporarily fill any vacancy arising among the officers of the Association from its other members until the next General Meeting.
12. The Committee shall meet not less than once a month. Committee Meetings shall be open to any members of the Association wishing to attend who may speak but not vote.
13. General Meetings will be held not less than every three months and shall be open to all members to speak and vote. The decisions of General Meetings shall be binding on the Committee. All decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of members present and voting. All members shall be given no less than 14 days notice of any General Meeting.
14. The Committee shall call an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association each year (or as near exactly so, as is practicable). Members shall be given no less than 28 days notice.
At this meeting:
the Committee shall present an annual report of the Association and certified accounts for the previous year.
any sub-committees shall present an annual report and accounts for their activities.
the Officers and Committee shall be elected for the next year.
any proposal for discussion at the AGM, must be submitted to the Secretary, in writing, not less than seven days prior to the meeting.
15. A 'Special General Meeting' may be called at the request of a majority of the Committee, or on receipt of a written request by no less than 10 members of the Association, giving reasons for their request. The Secretary shall give not less than seven days notice of such a meeting.
16. A quorum for Committee Meetings shall be one third of its elected membership or four members, whichever is the greater. The quorum for all General Meetings shall be one third of membership or 10 members, whichever is the less.
17. Notice of all meetings when required shall be sent to each member and shall include date, time and place of the meetings and an Agenda of matters to be discussed.
18. The Committee may appoint such sub-committees as may be required to carry out the activities of the Association. Such sub-committees shall be directly accountable to the Committee. The Committee shall agree in advance the terms of reference of any sub-committee which may then act and apply any finance raised by itself or on its behalf only within those terms. The Chairman and Treasurer of the Association shall be ex-officio members of any sub-committee.
19. All sub-committees shall keep proper accounts of income and expenditure, record all meetings and report on them as required by the Committee and General Meeting.
20. The Committee or General Meeting may dissolve any sub-committee whereupon the accounts, records and assets of the sub-committee shall be passed over to the Committee.
21. Duties of Officers:
The CHAIRPERSON (or in his/her absence the Vice-Chairperson or other Committee member) shall conduct the meetings of the Association.
The TREASURER shall open and maintain a banking account in the name of the Association. All cheques shall be signed by two or any rour Committee members who have been nominated as signatories. The Treasurer shaH keep proper accounts of income and expenditure and report on them or deliver them up as required by the Committee or General Meeting. Such accounts shall be certified by a qualified accountant or a non-member of the Association appointed by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
- shall be responsible for the collection of subscriptions.
The SECRETARY shall be responsible for:
- convening all meetings;
- giving notice to members;
- establishing and maintaining a register of members and distributing Membership cards.
The MINUTE SECRETARY shall be responsible for:
- ensuring that a proper record be kept of all meetings of the Association, its Committee and subcommittees;
- for delivering up such records as required by the Committee or General Meeting;
- facilitating examination of the minutes on receipt of not less than seven days' notice by any two members of the association.
22. Any member(s) or officer(s) delegated to represent the Association in consultation with any other body shall act on the instructions of the Association and shall report back to the ne}(t Committee or General Meeting.
23. Any proposal to alter the Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary of the Association and thence to a Special General Meeting. Notice of such Meeting must be given to members not less than 14 days prior to the Meeting, together with the wording of the proposed alteration to the Constitution. _Such proposal must be submitted 28 days before the Meeting and shall require two-thirds majority approval of those members present and voting at the Meeting.
24. If the Committee should decide that the Association be dissolved, they shall give at least 14 days notice, to all those eligible for membership, of a meeting at which the matter shall be discussed. If the Committee no longer exists, then any ten members of the Association can fulfil the same function. 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. The assets, financial and otherwise, remaining when the Association has satisfied its liabilities shall be applied for such purposes of benefit to the community as the meeting shall decide, by a simple majority of those members present.
June 1995