SHC Constitution

(ratified at our AGM on the 21st March 2021)

Sustainable Harborough Community, formerly known as Transition Town Market Harborough, is an unincorporated not-for-profit Association. We understand that our planet is undergoing a climate crisis. We want to work together with the many excellent environmental and sustainable groups, projects and concerned individuals that exist across Market Harborough and the surrounding area, to effect change that will help to avert the crisis.
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OUR VISION

To face up to the climate crisis that now threatens all life on earth. To recognise and enact our responsibility as guardians of this planet, for the sake of future generations, and all those already affected by extremes of weather and rising sea levels. To keep hope alive by working together on our aims and objectives.

OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aims and objectives of the Association are:

a) To provide reliable information for local people about the environmental challenges we face, and how we can all make a positive response:

  • we will establish a network of members and friends that we will work in partnership with to deliver our aims
  • we will become recognised as a trusted supplier of accurate and helpful information
  • we will use physical and electronic media to share our messages and inspire action
  • we will hold social and educational events to inspire local people to act together

b) To deliver and support the establishment of local projects designed to build sustainability, protect our environment, maintain and rebuild our communities’ cohesion and build our resilience to external factors such as climate change, pandemics, health and economic stresses:

  • we will support existing groups and projects that have similar aims to our own
  • we will look for gaps and opportunities in the local response to the climate crisis, and encourage the setting up of new groups and projects to address them
  • we will apply for relevant funding from external bodies to enable us to meet our aims

c) To ensure that we take advantage of the benefits offered by working with regional and national groups that share our vision:

  • we will join or affiliate ourselves to regional and national groups that share our vision, including, but not limited to the Transition Town Movement, and Climate Crisis coalitions
  • we will create a Market Harborough Climate Coalition which will work with other local groups and businesses to develop policies on environmental issues that are specific to Market Harborough and the surrounding area
  • we will work to ensure that such policies are adopted by relevant local bodies that have the power to bring them into force

d) To foster good working relations with groups and individuals who have a real influence on how our local environment is managed (e.g. MPs, councillors, landowners, developers, business groups):

  • we will endeavour to engage such individuals in discussions about Climate Change, via meetings and correspondence
  • we will engage with people in these groups in a supportive and positive way, and not in a combative or negative way
  • we will organise occasional Market Harborough Climate Crisis Forums, which such individuals will be invited to attend, to debate issues relating to Climate Change more openly.

POWERS

The Association will have the power to recruit volunteers, acquire equipment, raise money, generate income and to undertake any other lawful activity that the Association considers useful or necessary for the achievement of its aims.

MEMBERSHIP

Any individual may become a Member of the Association as long as:

  1. they are over 18 years of age
  2. they live or work in Market Harborough or the surrounding area
  3. they support the Vision and Aims of the Association

Members will be invited to volunteer their time and talents to promote the aims of the Association. This may involve attending meetings, helping with events, joining sub-groups and working parties, writing communications materials to promote our aims and achievements, or encouraging others to get involved with the Association.

Membership of the Association is free. A membership form will need to be completed and returned to the Secretary. Membership details will be stored and used in accordance with our Data Protection Policy (see section 14).

Members will:

  1. be kept up to date with current activity of the Association via meetings, e-mails and the Association’s website and social media platforms
  2. be able to promote their relevant skills, knowledge and experience via the Association’s website and social media platforms
  3. be invited to attend regular Members Group Meetings (see section 7)
  4. be invited to attend the Association’s AGM (see section 11)
  5. be eligible for free or discounted entry to events held by the Association

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership of the Association will be terminated if an individual no longer lives or works in the area, or they are not contributing to the group or attending meetings, or they resign or are deceased
  2. Those not working to good practice or in the best interests of the Association will also have Membership terminated by the Association. This will be effected by a simple majority of those voting at a Special General Meeting specially convened for the purpose in accordance with Section 12 below. In such a case, the Member will be invited to the meeting, with due notice given, where they may respond to the allegations against them. The decision to terminate Membership will be valid whether or not the Member chooses to attend the meeting.
  3. Members may terminate their own Memberships at any time by notifying the Secretary.

MEMBERS GROUP

The Members Group will consist of all Members of the Association, and Members Group Meetings will be held at least 3 times a year.

  • Members Group Meetings will be held to ensure that Members of the Association are kept up to date with activities of the Association, and have the opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions about those activities and ask the Steering Committee to consider specific proposals
  • Notice of Members Group meetings stating time, date and venue will be distributed to members at least five days before the meeting
  • The Secretary will be responsible for the preparation and distribution of agendas, notices of meetings
  • The Secretary will be responsible for keeping a proper record of minutes
  • Quorum – at least three members of the Members Group and two Steering Committee Officers must be present to take a decision on items they wish to present to the Steering Committee for consideration.

STEERING COMMITTEE

The Association will be managed by a Steering Committee which will be made up of Members of the Association

a) The Steering Committee will be responsible for:

  • ensuring that appropriate activities and projects are in place to enable the Association to meet its aims and objectives
  • identifying and applying for relevant forms of funding to enable the Association to undertake its activities
  • ensuring that the policies set out in Sections 14, 15, 16 and 17 are followed by Members of the Association

b) The Steering Committee will be comprised of between 3 and 10 people, who will be elected by Members at the AGM

c) The normal period of service for members of the Steering Committee will be 3 years

d) Three members of the Steering Committee will be elected at the AGM to the following offices – Facilitator, Secretary and Treasurer

e) There may be other responsible positions created from time to time to fulfil specific administrative or project roles such as Social Media and Website Management. These positions may be agreed by the Members at the AGM, but in between AGMs may also be agreed by the Steering Committee. The holders of such posts will become part of the Steering Committee.

f) The Facilitator will;

  • be responsible for prioritising times and agenda items
  • preside at Steering Committee meetings and AGMs
  • represent the Association to other partner organisations
  • act as spokesperson for the Association as necessary

g) The Secretary will be responsible for;

  • keeping a register of Members, and their associated personal details, in accordance with the Association’s Data Protection Policy (see section 14)
  • giving at least five days notice of upcoming meetings
  • writing and distributing the agendas and associated documents of meetings
  • taking and distributing minutes of meetings

h) The Treasurer will be responsible for;

  • keeping a true record of accounts
  • presenting accounts on a regular basis to the Steering Committee
  • opening and operating a bank account for the Association
  • nominating at least two other signatories required for making payments from the bank account, in accordance with Section13 (d)
  • ensuring that all funds raised by or on behalf of the Association are used to further the aims of the Association and not for any other purpose.
  • ensuring that appropriate measures are put in place to manage and report on any funding awarded to the Association by outside bodies
  • ensuring all clauses in Section 13 are adhered to.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETINGS

The Steering Committee will meet at least 6 times throughout the year.

The following procedures will apply:

  1. The Quorum for the meetings will be three members of the Steering Committee. If the quorum is not met, the meeting must be reconvened as soon as possible. Decisions affecting the Association cannot be made if the Steering Meeting is not quorate
  2. Notice of Steering Committee meetings stating time, date and venue will be distributed to Steering Committee members at least five days before the meeting
  3. The Secretary will be responsible for the preparation and distribution of notices of meetings, agendas, outstanding action lists and any other papers relevant to the agenda
  4. The Secretary will be responsible for keeping a proper record of minutes, including actions agreed, and distributing them in a timely fashion
  5. Guests may be invited to join the Steering Committee meetings to present, or be involved in the discussion of, specific agenda items. Such guests may not participate in any votes
  6. If deemed necessary by the Secretary, an Emergency Meeting may be called without the normal 5 days notice. The meeting may be an actual meeting, or may take the form of asking Steering Committee Members to respond to an e-mail. In either case, a quorum of three is still required for any decisions made to be binding

SUB-GROUPS

New sub-groups can be created at any time when three or more people express an interest in participation. Sub-groups will need to be set up by, or approved of, by the Steering Committee.

Sub-groups must:

  1. be formed for a specific purpose, which should be set out in a document which will be approved of by the Steering Committee
  2. consider nominating individuals to take on the roles of Facilitator and Secretary. If the sub-group is going to be applying for funds, or generating income in some other way, and/or making expenditure in it’s own right, they must appoint a Treasurer. They may use the Association’s Treasurer if they wish.
  3. must prepare a report for consideration at Steering Committee meetings, which should be passed to the Secretary at least 3 days before that meeting. The format of such reports will be defined by the Steering Committee Secretary

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Steering Committee will arrange an AGM for the purposes of:

  1. reporting the previous year’s activities to its Members
  2. enabling Members to review and approve the examined accounts of the Association (see also Section 13)
  3. accepting the resignation of any Steering Committee members, or of the Steering Committee as a whole if these have been tendered
  4. electing new Steering Committee Members and/or auditors if necessary
  5. Considering resolutions or proposals from the Steering Committee or Members.

The following procedures will apply:

  1. The AGM will be held no more than 12 months after the last AGM
  2. Notice of the AGM will be distributed to all Members one calendar month prior to the date of the meeting. This will be the responsibility of the Secretary or the Facilitator in the Secretary’s absence
  3. The Facilitator of the Steering Committee will act as Facilitator at the AGM. If the Facilitator of the Steering Committee is absent from the AGM, another person from the Steering Committee should be selected to fill that role
  4. The Quorum for the meetings will be 3 members of the Steering Committee, plus 10% of the Members or 10 Members, whichever is the smallest. If the quorum is not met, the meeting must be reconvened as soon as possible. Decisions affecting the Association cannot be made if the AGM is not quorate
  5. Any Member wishing to issue proposals at the AGM will be required to submit them to the Secretary no later than 20 days prior to the date of the AGM
  6. Any proposals require agreement by two thirds majority of Members present at the AGM
  7. Each Member will be entitled to one vote per proposal
  8. For the purposes of voting, Members are defined as those having their details lodged with the Secretary before the meeting commences.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

Special General Meetings may be called at any time, when an urgent issue needs to be discussed and acted on.

The following procedures will apply:

  1. Special General Meetings may be called at the instigation of the Steering Committee
  2. Special General Meetings may be requested by Members. Such requests must be made in writing to the Steering Committee for consideration. If at least 10 Members make the request, the Steering Committee must agree to the request
  3. The Secretary will co-ordinate any Special General Meetings
  4. Notice of the Special General Meeting, will be sent out to all Members with at least one month’s notice
  5. The Notice will include the date, time, venue and purpose of the meeting
  6. The quorum for any Special General Meeting will be 5 Members, at least 2 of which must be Members of the Steering Committee

ACCOUNTS & FINANCE

  1. All monies raised on behalf of the Association will be invested in the aims and objectives of the Association only and for no other purpose.
  2. The Association will operate a bank account in the name of the Association, which the Treasurer will be responsible for opening and managing
  3. The Treasurer will ensure that the Association has accurate bookkeeping and records of accounts; that the accounts are independently examined annually by an accountant, bookkeeper or other suitably qualified person; and that the accounts are prepared for presentation at the Annual General Meeting
  4. Cheques should be signed by a minimum of two signatories who are members of the Steering Committee, and who are unrelated
  5. No member of the Steering Committee should sign blank cheques

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

The Association is committed to ensuring that the personal data relating to all Members, and other people it works with, are collected, stored and managed in line with the Data Protection Act.

  1. The Association has a Data Protection Policy which can be viewed on request
  2. The Steering Committee has overall responsibility for matters relating to the Data Protection Policy
  3. The policy will be reviewed annually by the Steering Committee

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY

The Association is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among its Members and other people it works with, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.

  1. The Association has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy which can be viewed on request
  2. The Steering Committee has overall responsibility for matters relating to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
  3. The policy will be reviewed annually by the Steering Committee

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

The Association is committed to running in the most environmentally sustainable way possible, and as far as possible will operate as a net zero carbon user.

  1. The Association has an Environmental Policy which can be viewed on request
  2. The Steering Committee has overall responsibility for matters relating to the Environmental Policy
  3. The policy will be reviewed annually by the Steering Committee

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

The Association is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for all of its Members, and anyone else who is directly impacted by the Association’s activities.

  1. The Association has a Health and Safety Policy which can be viewed on request
  2. The Steering Committee has overall responsibility for matters relating to the Health and Safety Policy
  3. The policy will be reviewed annually by the Steering Committee

ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

  1. Any alterations to this Constitution will require approval of two thirds majority of Members present at an Annual or Special General Meeting.
  2. Confirmation of proposed alterations to the Constitution must be received in writing by the Secretary no less than one month before an AGM or Special General Meeting. One month notice is to be given by the Secretary to all Members stating time, date and venue plus the text of the proposed alteration(s).

DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

  1. If the Steering Committee decides at any time that it is advisable to dissolve the Association, the Steering Committee will call a Special General Meeting for all Members with one month notice, stating the declaration to be proposed at the meeting.
  2. If the declaration is agreed and confirmed by a majority of votes at the meeting, the Steering Committee has the power to dispose of assets held in the name of the Association. Any surplus assets, after satisfaction of other Association debts and liabilities, will be transferred to another voluntary organisation(s) with similar aims to the Association. These organisations will be agreed at a Special General Meeting.

APPROVAL OF THE CONSTITUTION

This Constitution has been approved by the following :

  • Brian Davies : Facilitator
  • Mark Baverstock : Secretary
  • Julie Fagin : Treasurer

We are a collaborative organisation, working together with environmental groups and concerned individuals in the Market Harborough area to ensure we create a more sustainable town and planet.

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