Kingsway allotment constitution

DRAFT

Constitution of the Stourport on Severn, Kingsway,
Allotment Association.

Name

The name of the group shall be Kingsway Allotment Association recognised as KWAA and referred to in this Constitution as “The Association”

Aims

The Aims of the Association shall be

To establish a Management Committee for the Allotments site on the Kingsway, Stourport on Severn, to operate in agreement with the Clerk of the Town Council of Stourport on Severn, or her/his staff as advised.

To encourage a sociable, cooperative, friendly and tolerant environment on the site.

To promote and administer environmentally acceptable working practices on the site.

To establish a set of rules formulated by the committee and agreed with the Town Clerk to support and encourage these aims.

To promote and raise funds for improvements on the site with projects which fall outside the budget of the Town Council.

Membership

Membership will be mandatory to all Allotment Holders who have a current Tenancy with the Stourport Town Council.

There will be an annual membership fee, which will be in addition to the annual Tenancy Fee, agreed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and payable by all members.

(There is an issue here as to who/how we collect the membership fee. The tenancy fee will be stated by the council which may prompt questions as to why the additional fee, unless the council is prepared to issue an inclusive tenancy fee for the year. This will mean we may have to agree a membership fee before the council issues it’s notice)

Membership will terminate as soon as the relevant tenancy is terminated.

There will be no reimbursement of fee if the membership is terminated part way through the year and memberships are not transferable on termination of a plot tenancy.

 Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy, as follows, may be referred to the Town Clerk with a request to terminate the Tenancy.

The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

Equal Opportunities

The Association will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or age.

Officers and committee

The business of the group will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than four times a year.

The Committee will consist of 8 members, and be composed of :-
The Town Council nominated Tennant acting as Council Representative.
The Clerk to the Town Council if she/he wishes to attend a meeting.
2 plot holders representatives from each of the 3 Allotment runs.
Additional members may be co-opted onto the committee at the discretion of the committee for the purpose of specific duties or expertise.

The officers’ will be elected at the AGM from the representatives and will be as follows:

Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings

Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of information to the plot holders and liaison with the council for membership records

Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the committee for the remainder of the year until replaced by the next AGM.

Any committee member not attending meetings without apology will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign.

Meetings

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

An Annual General Meeting will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.

All members will be notified in writing at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.

Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.

The quorum for the AGM will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.

At the AGM:-

The Committee will present a report covering matters of interest that occurred on the Allotments during the year.

The Treasurer will present the accounts for the previous year.

The Committee and Officers for the next year will be elected.

Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed subject to the Chairman’s approval.

Special General Meetings

A Special General Meeting will be held if requested by more than ??% members.

Special General Meetings can be called to cover disputes arising and not satisfactorily dealt with by the committee or at the request of the Committee.

Not less than one weeks’ notice will be given for such meetings.

Committee Meetings

The Committee will meet to deal with the matters of the Association when necessary.

Conduct at Meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

Finances

The Treasurer will maintain an account on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer).  The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

All payments will be signed by two of the signatories.

For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.

For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting.

All money raised by or on behalf of the Association is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in the Aims of this constitution.

Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

Dissolution

If the committee, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the Association it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

 

This constitution was agreed at the Inaugural General Meeting of the Kingsway Allotments Association.

Document to be signed and dated by 2 members.

(Copied from https://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information/constitutions/)

Italics and underlined items are for further discussion (as of course is the whole document)