1. Name
 

The Association shall be known as the Bootham South Residents Association (the Association) and will cover the geographical area shown on our home page
 

2. Aims & Objectives
 

The aims and objectives of the Association shall be:
a. To represent and to promote the interests of all residents living in the area.
b. To seek to improve conditions for residents in the area.
c. To work in partnership with the council and other agencies to achieve its aims.
d. To represent the interests of residents in consultation with the council and other bodies.
e. The Association shall be non-party political and non-sectarian.
 

3. Membership

a. Membership of the Association shall be open to all residents over the age of 18 living in the area shown on our home         page
b. All members shall have voting rights on all issues raised at general meetings that they attend.
c. All members shall on request be supplied with a copy of this constitution.
 

4. Code of Conduct

a. Members are required to act with honesty and integrity.
b. Members must behave in a polite, respectful, and appropriate manner.
c. Members should not discriminate against any person on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage       and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
d. Members should not write, speak, or act on behalf of the Association without permission from or at the request of the       Chair and the Committee.
e. Conduct at Meetings:
     i. Members must respect the role of the Chair in leading and keeping order in meetings.
     ii. The Chair of the meeting will follow the agenda.

     iii. Agenda items should be submitted to the Secretary as soon as possible before the meeting and at least 24 hours in
          advance
     iv. Urgent non agenda items may be allowed at the end of the meeting at the Chair’s discretion.
     v. Anyone wishing to speak shall indicate their request by raising their hand and the Chair shall invite contributions.
     vi. Members should listen to contributions without interrupting, responding only when the speaker has finished their              point.
     vii. Members should turn off their mobile phones during meetings, except with the permission of the Chair.
     viii. Members must not attend meetings under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances.

f. A member may be excluded from meetings or expelled from the Association for a breach of these conditions or for any      other conduct contravening the objectives of the Association. This to be decided by a majority of those present and vot        ing at any meeting. Any member so excluded shall have the right of appeal at the next meeting.
 

5. The Committee
 

a. The Officers will be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will include a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Secretary, and a                 Treasurer and at least 4 other members of the Association.
b. If possible the membership of the Committee shall be equally divided between those residing in Guildhall Ward and              those residing in Clifton Ward.
c. Officers will be re-elected each year at the AGM and any Officer will only be able to be elected to that post for three              years in succession.
d. No two persons from the same household can be Officers.
e. The Committee will provide an update to the residents of the area twice a year on their work through a newsletter or            other communication.
f. There will be a minimum of 4 committee meetings held each year.
g. At least seven days’ notice of committee meetings will be given to all members of the committee.
h. The quorum for committee meetings shall be a minimum of two Officers and 3 members.
i. Where a casual vacancy arises on the committee, it will be filled by election at the next General Meeting of the                         Association.
j. The Committee shall deal with any issues of management of the Association which require decision during the periods         between general Meetings of the Association, and report these to the next General Meeting.
k. Committee members who miss more than three consecutive meetings without giving reasonable apologies will be               asked to resign from the committee.

l. A member of the Committee may be removed or suspended from their post if they bring the good name of the                     Association into disrepute, or do not abide by the terms set out in this constitution.  A full meeting of the Committee will     be called to consider evidence from all sides and a majority vote will be necessary to remove or suspend.
 

6. Annual General Meeting

a. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association shall be held once a year (within 15 months of the last AGM).
b. Written notice of the meeting must be sent at least 14 days in advance to every household. Members will be made               aware that they can make nominations for election or stand for election themselves, and to vote for the officers and             committee at the meeting.
c. The quorum for the AGM is a minimum of 3 Officers and 10 association members.
d. At the meeting:
     i. The minutes of the previous AGM will be presented and approved.
     ii. The existing committee will present a report of the Association’s activities in the past year.
     iii. Validated accounts for the year will be presented. The accounts must end in the current year and the year-end must
          not be more than four months before the date of the AGM.
     iv. The existing Committee will stand down.
     v. The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected.
e. Any proposals to amend the constitution must be presented to the Secretary in writing at least 21 days prior to the               meeting at which they are to be considered.
f. Proposals to amend the constitution must be circulated to all members of the Association along with the notice of the         meeting.
g. Nominations for Management Officers and committee members will be accepted only if the person nominated is                 present at the Annual General Meeting or has put in writing that they want to stand. If there is more than one nomina-        tion for each post the nominees may be asked to leave the room whilst the vote is taken.
h. If there is nobody willing to stand, the Committee will decide whether to start procedures to close the Association down.
     Alternatively, the Committee can continue in office to try and redevelop the Association for up to six months. It is the
     responsibility of the Committee to recruit a new committee or formally dissolve the Association within that period.

7. General Meetings

a. The business of the Association shall be conducted at General Meetings, which shall be open to all residents.
b. The Association will hold a minimum of 4 General Meeting per year one of which could include the AGM.
c. The Association will publicise General Meetings and public events to all households in the Association’s area to involve         all members and hear their views. All members of the Association will be entitled to attend General Meetings, to speak       and to vote.
d. Non-members of the association will be allowed to attend by invitation of the Committee. Members wishing to bring           non-members to meetings should do so only with the approval of the Committee.
e. At least seven days notice of General Meetings will be given in writing to all members.
f. A quorum for General Meetings will be a minimum of 2 Officers and 8 association members. This number of members        will need to be present to take a decision on behalf of the Association.
g. All matters for decision will be decided by a simple majority of those present and voting.
h. No member shall have more than one vote.
i. Minutes or notes must be kept of all meetings of the Association.  The minutes will be presented to the next meeting to      be approved.  The minutes should be made available to any member of the Association on request and main points            should be publicised.
j. All members of the Association will abide by the Code of Conduct as set out in this constitution. The Chair may ask mem      bers to leave if their behaviour is disruptive or offensive.

8. Special General Meetings

a. Special General Meetings may be called at any time for the purpose of altering the constitution or for considering any         matter (including dissolution) which needs the urgent attention of all members.
b. Special General Meetings shall be called either at the written request of at least 5 members of the Association, or if the       General Meeting decides by a two-thirds majority that it is necessary or advisable.
c. At least 14 days’ notice of any Special General Meeting will be given to members in writing, stating the reason(s) for hol       ding the meeting.
d. All matters for decision will be decided by a simple majority of those present and voting.

9. Finance

a. All money raised by or on behalf of the Association shall be applied to cover the running costs of the Association and           the achievement of the objectives of the Association and for no other purpose.
b. The Treasurer shall keep proper account of the finances of the Association and shall open a bank/building society ac           count in the name of the Association and keep copies of all relevant invoices and receipts to support expenditure and          income.
c. The Committee will nominate at least 3 people who have access to and can authorise disbursements from the                       Association bank account. These people must not live in the same household, or be family members. If these committee     members stand down, they are responsible for transferring responsibility for the bank account to the new committee         members.
d. The accounts comprising a detailed income and expenditure account by type of income/cost and a balance sheet shall        be independently inspected by an appropriate, independent person once per year.  These accounts shall be presented        to the Annual General Meeting.
e. The Committee are responsible for the proper use of any money raised through grants according to the guidelines is           sued by the funding body.
f. The committee will agree by consensus how to spend the Association funds and such decisions must be minuted. The
    Treasurer should keep records for all income raised and receipts for all money paid out in expenses to committee mem     bers for duties carried out on behalf of the group.
 

10. Amendments to the Constitution

a. Any proposals to amend the constitution must be presented to the secretary in writing at least 21 days prior to the               meeting at which they are to be considered.
b. Proposals to amend the constitution must be circulated to all members of the Association along with the notice of the         meeting.

11. Dissolution 

a. If the General Meeting decides at any time by a two-thirds majority that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the               Association, the officers shall call a Special General Meeting of all members, stating the terms of the dissolution resolu-         tion to be proposed at the meeting. The resolution to dissolve the Association shall be agreed by a majority of those             present and voting.
b. All outstanding bills will be paid and the balance of any grants and funds held by the Association will be made available       to the residents of the Association area for a suitable project in that area via consultation.

Adopted 09 December 2024