CONSTITUTION

BILLINGSHURST COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

“Managing a Changing Environment”

CONSTITUTION

BILLINGSHURST COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

A. Name

The name of the partnership is;

“Billingshurst Community Partnership”

B. Structure and administration

The partnership is an unincorporated association of organisations and individuals representing the community and interests of Billingshurst and its surrounding communities.

Subject to the matters set out below the partnership shall be administered and managed by the members of the Management Committee, constituted by clause E of this constitution.

C. Aims, objectives and beneficiaries

Main aims

The partnership shall have the following main aims;

· To work together to realise the Vision for Billingshurst arising from the Healthcheck consultation process and the ongoing development of that plan.

· To work together on issues and projects of interest and concern to Billingshurst and its surrounding communities in order to secure its long term viability as a centre for social, business and cultural activities and to maintain its particular character and heritage.

· To implement the agreed action plans arising from the Healthcheck consultation process

· To maintain and update the original project objectives and to be aware of and incorporate arising community concerns where applicable.

Key objectives

In order to achieve its main aims the partnership shall have the following key objectives for action;

To develop a fully representative membership, or other consultative processes, to ensure the needs of all sections of the community are heard and taken into consideration.
To define Billingshurst’s priorities arising from the Healthcheck process and the action plan.
To seek and work with partners to ensure the delivery of those projects contained in the action plan.
To seek to influence decision making in, and concerning, Billingshurst in line within the agreed action plan.
To undertake further research as necessary to secure additional evidence of needs and proposed actions.
To seek, through a variety of means, to engage the whole community and keep them informed of the work of the partnership.
To promote Billingshurst and the partnership both locally and with other partners.
To identify and apply for sources of funding and other resources for the partnership, its projects and initiatives, including, but not limited to, grant funds, local business support, sponsorship and support in kind.
To seek to ensure that the local action plans and concerns are reflected where applicable in the County and District Community Strategies and in the other development plans of major public agencies.
To work jointly with the other member towns’ partnerships of the South Horsham Towns Partnership Forum (Pulborough, Steyning, and Storrington) on issues and projects of shared concern and by sharing expertise and experience.
To monitor and review the work of the partnership to ensure it delivers appropriate results, maintains its credibility and is restructured when appropriate.
Area and communities of benefit

The catchment area for the partnership shall be the civil parish of Billingshurst its hamlets and surrounding areas whose residents look to Billingshurst, for education, jobs, goods, accommodation and services.

The communities of benefit shall be all those who live or work within this area and on whom the future plans and development of Billingshurst will impact.

D. Powers

In furtherance of its aims and objectives the partnership shall have the power to;

Receive funds and undertake financial transactions necessary to conduct its business.
Seek funding and support in kind to assist in the running of the partnership and for the delivery of agreed projects.
Take appropriate action to influence local and regional decision-making as it affects the achievement of the main aims of the partnership.
Through membership of the South Horsham Towns Partnership Forum to oversee the work of the Healthcheck Project Manager jointly with the other town partnerships.

Through membership of the South Horsham Towns Partnership Forum to act jointly with the other town partnerships where joint issues and projects are concerned and to work together in furtherance of shared objectives.
To establish, where appropriate, organisations or other bodies to run local services arising from the work of the partnership.
To do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the aims and objectives of the partnership.
In exercising these powers the partnership as an unincorporated association will take account of the risks involved in not being incorporated and will make appropriate arrangements to protect individual members of the Partnership.

Note: As an unincorporated association the partnership does not have a separate legal identity and cannot therefore purchase or hold assets in its own right. Any “legal” arrangements, be they about bidding for funds, employing staff or contracting for services, will , at this stage, be entered into by another organisation on behalf of the partnership. This other organisation will be an existing member of the partnership and be committed to its aims of the partnership. A memorandum of agreement will be drawn up between the partnership and the organisation detailing the relationship and the responsibilities of all parties. At any stage the partnership may consider incorporation or charity registration if it becomes appropriate or necessary.

E. Membership

Eligibility

General membership of the partnership shall be open to;

1. Individuals (over the age of 18 years) who have an interest in the issues and concerns of Billingshurst and its surrounding area and who are prepared to sign up to the aims and objectives of the partnership.

2. Any body corporate or unincorporated association which is interested in and committed to furthering the work of the partnership and is prepared to sign up to the aims and objectives of the partnership.

3. Parish, District and County Councils having responsibility for some or part of the catchment area.

Each member shall have one vote.

Where members are separately constituted organisations, businesses or associations they may nominate a named individual to represent them and vote at meetings of the partnership. They may also nominate an alternative individual to replace the appointed individual should they be unable to attend meetings or cease to be part of the organisation.

Young People

The partnership may consider mechanisms for involving the views of young people in the work of the partnership either outside the formal membership or through agreeing specific youth membership.

Membership and subscriptions

Members are entitled to;

· Vote at the annual general meeting and other meetings of the partnership membership

· Receive copies of the partnership newsletter and updates

· Become involved in individual projects

A membership subscription may be raised and the level of any membership subscription will be set at the annual general meeting.

F. Annual general meeting and other general meetings of the partnership

There shall be an annual general meeting of the partnership held in the month of September in each year. The first annual general meeting should be held no more than 12 months after the formation of the partnership and there should be no more than 15 months between annual general meetings.

The business of the annual general meeting shall include the following matters to be discussed and decided on;

· Receiving the Annual Report and the accounts for the preceding year from the Management Committee Appointing an auditor

· Electing/re-electing honorary officers and management committee members

· Determining the membership subscription, if any.

· Evaluating the work of the partnership

· Reviewing and agreeing any proposed constitution changes

The annual general meeting shall be open to all members of the partnership and the general public. Notice of 21 days shall be given of any general meetings, being sent directly to partnership members and advertised in the local press.

Honorary officers

At the annual general meeting of the partnership the members shall elect from amongst themselves a chairman, vice chairman, secretary and a treasurer who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting.

These offices will be held initially for one year although individuals may stand for re-election each year for up to three further years.

Quorum

The quorum for the annual general meeting shall be at least 12 members . If no quorum is present a special general meeting will be called.

Special general meetings

The management committee may call a special meeting of the partnership at any time. If at least ten members request such a meeting in writing stating the business to be considered the secretary shall call a meeting. At least 21 days notice must be given and the notice must state the business to be discussed.

G. The Partnership Management Committee

A partnership management committee shall be elected from amongst the membership to ensure that the work of the partnership is appropriately managed and targets are achieved.

The partnership management committee membership shall consist of not less than 6 members nor more than 15 members being;

· the honorary officers

· individual members elected at the annual general meeting who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting;

· corporate/organisation members

· local authority members

In order to achieve appropriate representation from all community interests and from funders it is suggested that the membership of the management committee should be drawn from the following sources:

Local government
Billingshurst Parish Council

Horsham District Council

West Sussex County Council

2. Representation of surrounding communities

3. Local business community

4. Local voluntary and community sector

5. Individual/founding members

6. Advisory members

Action in rural Sussex

In addition, the management committee may co-opt representation of significant local interests e.g. health, tourism, housing, education when this is relevant to the particular work of the partnership.

Retirement
All the members of the management committee shall retire from office together at the end of the annual general meeting next after the date on which they came into office but they may be re-elected or re-appointed.

Vacancies

Should vacancies arise on the management committee during the course of the year the committee shall appoint a member of the Partnership in order to fill that vacancy. Individuals appointed in this way shall be members of the committee until the next annual general meeting and can stand for re-election at that time if they wish.

Meetings of the partnership management committee

The partnership management committee shall hold at least 6 meetings per year.

Attendance and records

The secretary shall keep a formal record of attendance at the Management Committee meetings. The minutes and action points from each meeting shall be circulated to all members of the management committee and be made available to the broader partnership membership if requested. All minutes and agenda will be posted on the community website.

A member of the management committee shall cease to hold office if he or she;

· Is absent without permission of the management committee for all their meetings within a six-month period.

· Is disqualified from acting as a member of the management committee by virtue of any relevant law, or becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury from managing their own affairs.

Quorum

The quorum for all management committee meetings shall be one third of the membership of the committee.

Co-options

The committee may co-opt individuals who have specific expertise, knowledge or experience. These individuals will be advisory members only and may not number more than one third of the committee in total.

Specialist advisors

The committee may seek specialist advice from time to time and may co-opt specialist advisors to the committee for a limited time or for a specific project.

Voting rights

Each full member of the management committee shall have one vote. All decisions shall be through a majority voting system. Where votes cast in any matter are equal then the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to a vote as a member.

Healthcheck Project Manager

The Healthcheck Project Manager will be closely involved in the operation and activities of the partnership but will not be a voting member of the management committee.

Urgent matters

Should urgent matters arise requiring a decision that cannot wait until the next management committee meeting then the Chair shall have the power to decide the matter providing that it is in line with the existing policy of the partnership. The matter shall be reported back in full to the next meeting of the management committee.

H. Working groups

The management committee shall have the power to set up working groups to take forward the issues and projects arising from the healthcheck process. An existing member of the management committee will chair each working group. The membership of each working group will be made up from members of the management committee and/or interested general partnership members not on the committee but who are committed to helping deliver the action plan work or who can contribute specialist skills, experience or knowledge.

I. Agendas

Agendas will be published at least one week in advance of any meeting of the partnership.

J. Openness

All meetings of the partnership will be open to the parishioners and the press at all times

K. Minutes

All the meetings of the partnership will be minuted, or be noted, and these shall be placed in the public domain (for example in the public library or in electronic form on the Billingshurst web site .org)

L. Partnership secretariat

The partnership shall have its own secretariat

M. Correspondence and Publications

The partnership shall have its own headed paper and logo style. The Chairman of the management committee or any working group or subcommittee will have the power of signature as directed by that group or committee

N. Accessibility to records and correspondence

All correspondence and publications will be filed in a central place at the parish offices and be available for inspection at any reasonable time

O. Keeping financial records

The partnership will need to access two sets of funds to achieve its aims.

· Running costs for the partnership itself including the costs of administration, office space and staff support

· Project funds

Running costs of the partnership will be met through grants from Parish, District or County Councils or by support in kind from these organisations. Project funds are specific allocations from any source and the partnership will request the Parish Council to hold these funds on behalf of the partnership.

The partnership shall keep clear records of all financial transactions. These records shall be independently audited and presented for approval at the partnership annual general meeting.

A bank account shall be opened in the name of the partnership. Signatories to the bank account will be the Chair and Treasurer of the partnership and two other nominated management committee members within authority levels defined at the annual general meeting.

P. Changes to the constitution

Changes to the constitution of the partnership can only be made at a general meeting of the partnership and must be agreed by at least two thirds of the full partnership membership present and voting. 21 days notice of proposed changes to the constitution must be given to the membership prior to the meeting.

Q Dissolution

The partnership can only be dissolved by the decision of the full membership at a special general meeting expressly called for the purpose. A vote of two thirds of the full partnership membership present and voting at the meeting in favour of dissolution is required for the partnership to cease operating. Directions as to the disposal of any assets shall also be decided at this meeting.

R Arrangements until first annual general meeting

Until the first annual general meeting takes place this constitution shall take effect as if references in it to the Management Committee were references to the persons whose signatures appear below. In this interim these persons will act as a Steering Group in accordance with appendix 1.

This constitution was adopted on the

20th January 2004

by the persons and founding members whose signatures appear below;

Signed

Helen Abbott ………………………………………………

David Bosworth ……………………………………………

Trevor Chittenden …………………………………………

Gavin Collins ……………………………………………….

Owen Davies ....................................................................... .

Peter Hooper ………………………………………………

Ken Johnson......................................................................... .

Geoff Lawes ........................................................................ .

Patrick Perks........................................................................

Gillian Yarham ……………………………………………..

Appendix 1

Continuity and Setting up of the Partnership.

To ensure that there is continuity with the healthcheck process both in terms of the people involved and the work already underway there will be a transition period for the development of the full partnership.

The constitution reflects this and allows at Clause R for those individuals who have been closely involved in the healthcheck process to sign up as the “founding” members of the partnership. These members then have the power to run the partnership for the period from the adoption of the constitution until the first annual general meeting, which must be held no more than 12 months after the formation of the partnership. During these 12 months the “founding” members would work towards ensuring that by the time of the first annual general meeting the membership and operation of the partnership is developed in line with the constitution and that the structure and relationships needed to deliver the action plan are in place.

In adopting the constitution the Steering Group will take the following actions;

1. Agree the individual signatories to the constitution.

2. Agree and minute the decision to form the partnership and adopt the constitution.

3. Agree the actions to be undertaken during the transition period to ensure the partnership fully meets the constitutional set up by the first annual general meeting and has the operational structure and relationships in place that it needs to deliver the action plan.

4. Sign the constitution.

5. Elect honorary officers to serve the partnership until the first annual general meeting.

6. Appoint to any vacancies

7. Consider what co-options are needed

8. Publicise the launch of the partnership