The Constitution of the Hookhills and Broadsands Park Community Association
Charity Number 279924
As updated at the AGM 16th May 2022
1) Name: The name of the Association shall be Hookhills and Broadsands Park Community
Association, (hereinafter called the Association).
2) Objects: The objects of the Association shall be
- To promote the benefit to the inhabitants of Hookhills and Broadsands Park and the wider area of Paignton and Brixham without distinction of sex, or of political, religious or other opinions by associating the local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said residents.
- To establish or to secure the establishment of a Community Centre (hereinafter called the Centre) and to maintain and manage, or to co-operate with any local statutory authority in the maintenance and management of such a Centre for activities promoted by the Association and its constituent bodies in furtherance of the above objects.
The Association shall be non-party in politics and non-sectarian in religion. The Association shall have power to affiliate to the National Federation of Community Associations and to other organisations with similar charitable objects.
2) Membership: Membership of the Association shall be Individual Members who shall be Full or Junior Members. Junior Members do not have voting rights at Members’ meetings.
3) Individual Membership: shall be open, irrespective of political party, nationality, religious opinion, race or colour, to:
- All persons aged 18 years of age who shall be Full Members.
- All persons under the age of 18 who shall be Junior Members.
- New Members applications shall be posted on the notice board for 1 week before approval.
4) Termination of Membership: The Committee shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the Membership of an individual Member provided that the individual Member shall have the right to be heard by the President before a decision is made.
5) Subscriptions: All Members shall pay such subscriptions as the Committee may from time to time determine.
6) Officers
- a) Honorary Officers The Annual General Meeting shall elect its Chairman, Treasurer and such other Officers as it may from time to time determine.
- b) Paid Officers The Trustees shall have the power to appoint and dismiss a Manager. The Manager may employ staff as he/she may from time to time determine.
7) Annual General Meeting (AGM): Once every year, in the month of May, the Committee shall convene an Annual General Meeting of the Association, which all individual Members shall be entitled to attend, for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report of the Committee and the Annual audited statement of accounts; of appointing Honorary Officers of the Association; of accepting resignations of Members of the Committee; of electing representatives of Full Members to serve on the Committee; of appointing an Auditor or Auditors; of making recommendations to the Committee and, whenever necessary, of voting on proposals to amend this Constitution in accordance with clause 15 hereof. A minimum of 21 days notice shall be given of the AGM.
8) Special General Meeting: The Chairman of the Committee or the Secretary may any time at their discretion, and shall within twenty-one days of receiving a written request so to do signed by not less than ten per cent of Members having the power to vote and giving reasons for the request, call a Special General Meeting of the Association for the purpose of altering the constitution hi accordance with clause 15 hereof or of considering any matter which may be referred to them by the Committee or for any other purpose.
9) Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be appointed at the AGM. The Executive Committee shall consist of a minimum of 8 maximum of 12 Members (proposed and seconded before the AGM) and subsequently elected at the AGM. All Members of the Executive Committee shall retire bi-annually but shall be eligible to be appointed again.
10) Rules of Procedure at all Meetings;
- Voting Subject to the provisions of Clause 15, all questions arising at any Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote thereat. No Member shall exercise more than one vote notwithstanding that he/she may have been appointed to represent two or more interests but in case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
- Quorum One-half of the Members shall form a Quorum at meetings of the Executive Committee and decisions agreed by a majority vote. Twenty five Members shall form a Quorum at the AGM.
- Minutes Minute books shall be kept by the Executive Committee and the appropriate Secretary shall therein a record of all proceedings and resolutions.
11) Standing Orders and Rules for the use of the Centre: The Executive Committee shall have power to adopt and issue Standing Orders and/or Rules for the use of the Centre. Such Standing Orders and Rules shall come into operation immediately, provided always that they shall be subject to review by the and shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution.
12) Finance
- All monies raised by or on behalf of the Association shall be applied to further the objects of the Association and for no other purpose.
- The Honorary Treasurer together with the Accountant (outsourced) shall ensure proper accounts of the finances of the Association are maintained.
- The accounts shall be audited at least once a yearly a qualified Auditor or Auditors who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
- An audited statement of accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Committee to the Annual General Meeting.
13) Trust Property: The Title of all and any real property which may be acquired by or for the purposes of the Association shall be vested in Trustees who shall be confirmed at the AGM and who shall enter into a Deed of Trust setting forth the purposes and conditions under which they hold the said property in trust for the Association. The number of Trustees shall be not less than two and not more than four.
14) Dissolution: If the Committee by a simple majority decides at any time that on the ground of expense or otherwise it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall call a meeting of all Members of the Association of which meeting not less than 21 days’ notice, stating the terms of the resolution to be thereat, shall be posted in a conspicuous place and advertised in a newspaper circulating in the local area and given in writing to the Charity Commissioners and the Secretary of the National Federation of Community Associations. If such decision shall be confirmed by a simple majority of those present and voting at such meeting, the Trustees shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or in the name of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be applied towards charitable purposes for the benefit of the local inhabitants as the Trustees may decide and as may be approved by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.
15) Alterations to the Constitution: Any proposal to alter this Constitution must be delivered in writing to the Committee not less than 28 days before the date of the meeting at which it is first to be considered. An alteration will require the approval of both:
- A simple majority of Members of the Committee present and voting at a Committee meeting;
- A two-thirds majority of individual Members voting at a General Meeting.
Notice of each such meeting must have been given in accordance with normal procedure but not less than fourteen days prior to the meeting in question and giving the wording of the proposed alteration.
No alteration to Clause 2 shall be made without the consent of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales
If Trustees have been appointed in accordance with Clause 13 hereof, an alteration shall not be made
without the knowledge and consent of the Trustees, but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld by them.
This Constitution was adopted as the Constitution of the
Community Association at a Public Meeting duly convened
On 16th of May in the year 2022,
Signed Chairman
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