Membership:
Membership is open to anyone who supports the aims and objectives of the association. Members will elect a committee and a membership secretary who will consider and decide each individual membership.

There will be a monthly membership fee agreed by all members. The fee is payable by every member of the association. The fee will be reviewed annually at the annual general meeting. Any member who fails to pay their monthly membership fee for three consecutive months will be contacted by the committee who will then decide appropriate action. Any decision taken by the committee must serve the best interest of the association.

A list of all members will be kept by the membership secretary.

Ceasing to be a member:
Members who wish to end their membership may do so at any time in writing to the secretary or the chairman stating their reason/s to resign.

Any member who has not paid their membership fee for three consecutive months will be contacted by the committee, who will then decide whether that member is deemed to have resigned. Again any decision taken by the committee must serve the best interest of the association.

Officers committee
The affairs of the association will be carried out by officers elected at the Annual General Meeting. Officers will meet when necessary and not less than five times a year. Officers will consist of eight members.

The officers’ roles are as follows:
Chair, who shall chair both general and Annual General Meetings.

Vice chair shall assist the work of the chair. Vice chair will take responsibilities in the absence of the chair

Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all correspondence.

Assistant secretary shall assist the work of the secretary. Assistant secretary will take responsibilities in the absence of the secretary.

Treasurer who shall responsible for maintaining account.

Assistant treasurer shall assist the work of the treasurer. Assistant treasurer will take responsibilities in the absence of the treasurer.

Membership secretary, who shall be responsible for keeping records of members

Assistant membership secretary shall assist the work of the membership secretary.
Assistant membership secretary will take responsibilities in the absence of the membership secretary

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

Oversee committee:
Members will elect a committee of at least five members to oversee the day to day running of the association to ensure its working methods are effective and transparent. Their primary role is to make sure that officers of the association are competent, effective and transparent in their respective roles. Oversee committee have the powers to inspect, and assess the performance of each officer as and when they deemed necessary. They must report immediately to members of the association of any outcome so that members can find ways to rectify any issues or concerns.

Finances:
A bank account will be open at a bank agreed by all members of the association. The account will be maintained on behalf of the association. There must be at least three signatories to the account and of each cheque, one of which is to be the treasurer. Any one of these must sign every cheque. The signatories shall be elected by members and must not be related nor members of the same household.

Accurate records of income and expenditure shall be maintain by the treasurer and a financial statement must be made available on request by the oversee committee and at each meeting. The signatories are to develop and maintain an open, transparent, candid and honest working culture at all times. They must provide a truthful account of all transaction/s.

All money raised by or on behalf of the Sierra Sussex Association is only to be used to further the aims of the association as specified in this document.
Annual General Meetings (AGM):

Annual general meetings are to be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM. Members are to be notified in writing at least four weeks before the date of the meeting stating the date, time and venue. Nominations for officers and committee members may be made to the secretary before the meeting or at the meeting.

The quorum for the Annual General Meetings will be 10% of the membership or ten members, whichever is the greater number.

At the Annual General Meetings:
Officers shall present a full report of the work of the association over the year

The treasurer or assistant treasurer shall present the accounts of the association for the previous year

Officers and committee members for the following year shall be elected

Any other matters or proposals raised by any member that is deemed necessary shall be discussed.

General meetings:
General meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every two months or more often if necessary. All members are to be given opportunity to participate fully at general meetings to enable them have meaningful input in decision making.

All members are to be given at least fourteen days’ notice stating the date, venue, time and agenda. Members can be notified by their preferred means of communication.

Minutes are to be made available to all members at least seven days after each meeting.

The quorum for a general meeting shall be 10% of the membership or five members, whichever is the greater number.

Any aggression or offensive behaviour including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks during meetings or any place of gathering of members will not be tolerated. Any member found to behave in such a manner or breaching the equal opportunities policy may be asked not to attend further meetings or gathering of members, or asked to resign from the association if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the officers and the oversee committee, accompanied by a friend or family member before a final decision is made.

Voting:
Matters arises at any meetings are to be discussed openly and members present will seek to find agreed solution. If a consensus cannot be reached then a vote should take place and a decision will be made by simple majority. If the numbers of votes cast on each side are equal then the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote to decide a majority.

Confidentiality:
SLSA believes that confidentiality and privacy is an absolute right of every member. The association recognises, is a vital element in building a trusting relationship where members can interact in the knowledge that their personal information will be kept private and protected at all times.

The association aim to:
Always act in full compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and with associated guidelines and best practice
Always respect the privacy of members and their rights to have their confidentiality protected
Always seek to ask permission from individuals before any information about them is shared or given to anyone else.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
SLSA seek to adopt equality and inclusive as core values in all its dealings by ensuring that individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Also provide a safe, supportive and welcoming environment for anyone who comes into contact with the association.
SLSA will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, marital status or age, sexuality, disability, ethnic or national origin, religious or political belief.

Amendment to the Constitution:
Amendment to the constitution can only be made either at the Annual General Meeting or General Meeting. Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the secretary in writing who will then be send the proposal to all members with the notice of meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.

Dissolution:
If members decide to close down the association then a general meeting may be called to do so. The sole agenda of such meeting will be to dissolve the association
If by a simple majority agreed to dissolve the association then all remaining money and assets will be donated to a charity agreed by members once outstanding debts have been paid.

Advertisement