About Queens Park and Charminster Community Forum

(b) To provide a forum for discussion of issues affecting the local area, and a link between local people, schools, local authorities, voluntary and other organisations, which encourage active community participation.

3. TERMS OF REFERENCE

(a) The Forum will provide a link between the local people and Bournemouth Borough Council by providing the opportunity to influence decision making at a local level.

(b) The Forum will ensure local people are made part of the consultation process and allowed access to policies made by the Council.

(c) The Forum will give the local community the opportunity through the Forum to air their views and be empowered to put forward their proposals.

(d) The Forum will aim to influence and monitor services and recourses delivered by the Council that effect the area.

(e) The Forum will aim to create a strong partnership between local residents, services and organisations, working closely with other Forums within the Borough.

(f) The Forum will enable local communities to review and scrutinise Council decisions that affect the local area.

(g) The Forum will meet at least four times a year..

The Forum shall be non-party in politics and non-sectarian in religion.

4. MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be open, irrespective of sex, age, sexual orientation, race, nationality,

Or political, religious or other opinion to all:

(a) Who live within the local area of benefit, which shall be known as Full members. The 'Charminster Community' is defined as the area between Five Ways & Cemetery Junction & from Wessex Way to Abbott, Heron Court & Grafton Roads.

(b) Who live outside the local area of benefit, who shall be known as Associate members, and who may attend as observers but who shall not have the right to vote at General Meetings of the Forum, PROVIDED THAT they shall have power to elect one of their number to represent them and vote on their behalf at General Meetings and at meetings of the General Committee.

(c) Associations and organisations, whether corporate or unincorporated, (and including branches of national or international organisations) which operate solely or in part within the local area, are voluntary or non profit distributing and which wish to support the aims of the Forum, which shall be known as Affiliated Groups.

Each Affiliate Group established shall \ can appoint one individual person being a member thereof to represent it and vote on its behalf at meetings of the General Committee and at General Meetings of the Forum, and may appoint an alternate, being a member thereof to replace its appointed representative as an observer at such meetings if the appointed representative is unable to attend. In the event of such individual person resigning or leaving an Affiliated Group he or she shall forthwith cease to be a representative thereof. The Affiliated Group concerned shall have the right to appoint a new representative, informing the Secretary in writing.

(d) The Statutory Authorities in whose administrative area the local area lies

(e) Individual members admitted, or elected as voting representatives, and representatives appointed, shall hereafter be referred to as “members with power to vote.”

(f) Co-opted members

5. RESIGNATION AND TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

(a) Any member of the Forum may resign his/her membership and any representative of an Affiliated Group may resign such position, by giving to the Secretary of the Forum written notice to that effect.

(b) The General Committee may, by resolution passed at a meeting thereof, terminate or suspend the membership of any member, if in its opinion, his/her conduct is prejudicial to the interests and aims of the Forum, PROVIDED THAT the individual member or representative of the Affiliated Group (as the case may be) shall have the right to be heard by the General Committee before the final decision is made. There shall be a right of appeal to an independent arbitrator appointed by mutual agreement.

6. GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE FORUM

(a) Annual General Meetings:

Once in each calendar year, an Annual General Meeting of the Forum shall be held at such time and place, as the General Committee shall determine, being not more than fifteen months after the adoption of this constitution and thereafter the holding of the preceding Annual General Meeting. At least 21 clear days' notice shall be posted in a conspicuous place or places in the local area and / or advertised in a newspaper circulating in the local area.

The business of each Annual General Meeting shall be:

(i) To receive the Annual Report of the General Committee, which shall

incorporate the accounts of the Forum referred to below, and give an account of the work of The Forum and its activities during the preceding year.

(ii) To receive the accounts of the Forum for the preceding financial year;

(iii) To elect the Honorary Officers of the Forum.

(iv) To elect representatives of Full members to serve on the General Committee.

(v) To consider and vote on any proposals to alter this constitution.

(vi) To consider any other business of which due notice has to be given;

A officer elected at the Annual General Meeting having not attended 3 consecutive Meetings shall have deemed to resign and next meeting shall appoint another to serve until the next A.G.M. (unless the A.G.M. be less than 60 days away)

Meetings of the forum may be called by:

· The Chairman

· The Secretary

· A local ward councillor from the three wards within the area

· Any five residents in writing to the Chairman & Secretary setting out the reasons for the meeting

Fourteen days notice shall be given and the date, venue and time of the meeting notified to the Bournemouth Echo & to the Bournemouth Journal. Neither the Chairman nor the Secretary may cancel any meeting properly called.

7. HONORARY OFFICERS

(a) Any members of the Forum shall be eligible to serve as Honorary Officers provided they are recorded as having attended at least two meetings within the past twelve months.

(b) The members with power to vote, present at the Annual General Meeting, shall elect the General Committee and such other Honorary Officers as the Forum may from time to time decide who shall serve in their respective capacities as Honorary Officers of the General Committee. Such Honorary Officers may be appointed as members of any sub-committee that is formed.

(c) At its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting the General Committee shall elect from among its members a Chair and Vice-Chair. Such Honorary Officers may be appointed as members of any sub-committee established.

(d) An Honorary Officer shall cease to hold office if he/she notifies the Secretary of the Forum in writing of his/her resignation.

(e) If a vacancy occurs by death, resignation or disqualification among the Honorary Officers of the Forum or of the General Committee, the General Committee shall have the power to fill it from among its members.

(f) All Honorary Officers shall hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Forum and shall be eligible for re-election.

8. THE GENERAL COMMITTEE

Subject to the provisions of Clause 5 hereof the policy and general management of the affairs of the Forum shall be directed by a General Committee, which shall meet not less than 6 times a year. The General Committee shall have power to enter into contracts for the purposes of the Forum on behalf of all members. The General Committee shall have power to authorise payments to members in order to further the aims of the forum. They shall authorise one of their number to attend the Bournemouth Partnership Conference.

(a) The General Committee shall consist of:

(i) The Honorary Officers elected.

(ii) A maximum number of 20 general committee members.

(iii) Within the maximum of 20 total members the General Committee shall have power to co-opt up to six members from persons with expertise of value to the community. Such persons shall have voting rights.

(b) All members of the General Committee shall retire from office together at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting next after the date on which they came into office but they may be re-elected or re-appointed.

(c) If casual vacancies occur among the elected members of the General Committee it shall have power to fill these from among the members of the Forum.

(d) The proceedings of the General Committee shall not be invalidated by any failure to elect or any defect in the election, appointment, co-option or qualification of any member.

(e) A member of the General Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she -

(i) Is disqualified from holding such office by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory modification or re-enactment of that provision), or

(ii) Becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing his or her own affairs, or

(iii) Is absent without the permission of the General Committee from all its meetings held within a period of six months and the General Committee resolves that he/she shall cease to hold office, or

(iv) Notifies the General Committee in writing of his or her resignation (PROVIDED THAT at least three members of the General Committee will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect).

(f) Each member of the General Committee shall upon election or appointment to the committee receive a copy of the Forum's constitution.

9. SUB-COMMITTEES

The General Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees for supervising or performing any activity or service. In each such case:

(a) The General Committee shall define the terms of reference of the sub-committee and may also determine its composition and the duration of its activities;

(b) All acts and proceedings of the sub-committee shall be reported as soon as possible to the General Committee.

10 GENERAL AND SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOT TO BE PERSONALLY INTERESTED

(a) No member of the General Committee (otherwise than as a trustee for the Forum) or of the Sub Committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Forum;

(b) No member of the General Committee (otherwise than as a member of the General Committee) shall be interested in any contract entered into by the General Committee;

11. RULES OF PROCEDURE AT ALL MEETINGS

(a) Voting

Subject to the provisions of Clause 16, any question arising at a meeting of the Forum or any of its committees shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and voting. The Chairman shall not vote nor indicate either way. If there is a tie, the Chairman shall have one casting vote for use or for abstention. In the latter case the motion shall not carry. No member shall exercise more than one vote notwithstanding that he or she may have been appointed to represent two or more interests.

(b) Quorum

(i) Committee Meetings: one third of the members with power to vote shall form a quorum at meetings of the General Committee and all other committees and sub-committees of the Forum.

(ii) General Meetings: one third of the members with power to vote shall form a quorum at General Meetings of the Forum.

In the event that no quorum is present at an Annual General Meeting of the Forum, or the meeting has to be abandoned the meeting shall stand adjourned and be reconvened 14 days later, and those members with power to vote present at that meeting shall be deemed to form a quorum.

The Forum shall keep minute books and all its committees and the respective secretary shall enter therein a record of all proceedings and resolutions.

12. FINANCE

(a) All money raised by or on behalf of the Forum shall be applied to further the aims of the Forum and for no other purpose.

(b) An account shall be opened in the name of “ Queen’s Park & Charminster Community Forum” with such financial institution as the General Committee may from time to time decide. The General Committee shall authorise in writing the Treasurer, the Secretary of the Forum and two members of the General Committee to sign cheques on behalf of the Forum. All cheques must be signed by not less than two of the four authorised signatories.

13. ACCOUNTS & ANNUAL REPORT.

The General Committee shall ensure the keeping of accounting records for the Forum & the preparation of annual statements of the accounts for the Forum.

14. INDEMNITY

In the execution of the trusts hereof no member of the General Committee shall be liable:

i) For any loss to the property of the Forum by reason of any improper investment made in good faith (so long as he/she shall have sought professional advice before making such investment); or

ii) For the negligence or fraud of any agent employed by him/her or by any other member of the General Committee in good faith (provided reasonable supervision shall have been exercised);

And no member of the General Committee or the Sub Committee shall be liable by reason of any mistake or omission made in good faith by any member of the General Committee or the Sub Committee other than wilful and individual fraud, wrongdoing or wrongful omission on the part of the member who is sought to be made liable.

15. DISSOLUTION

If the General Committee, by a simple majority decides at any time that on the grounds of expense, or otherwise, it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Forum, it shall call a meeting of all members with power to vote, and of the inhabitants of the local area of which meeting not less than 21 days' clear notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed thereat) shall be posted in a conspicuous place or places in the local area, and advertised in a newspaper circulating in the local area. If such decision shall be confirmed by a simple majority of those present and voting at such meeting, the General Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or in the name of the Forum. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be applied towards such charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of the local area, as the General Committee shall decide.

16. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any proposal to alter this constitution must be delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Forum not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting at which it is first to be considered. Any alteration will require the approval of both:

(a) A simple majority of members of the General Committee present and voting at a General Committee meeting;

(b) A two‑thirds majority of members with power to vote present and voting at a General Meeting.

At least 14 clear days' before the first meeting the notice shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the local area and the Bournemouth Echo or Advertiser advised of the meeting. (It shall be sufficient that they be advised not that a notice be published)

This Constitution was adopted as the Constitution of the Queen’s Park & Charminster Community Forum at a public meeting at Nortoft Day Centre, Nortoft Road, Charminster. on Thursday 18^th January 2007.

Signed:

Michael Beckett Peggy Agabeg

Chair of the Meeting Secretary of the Meeting