Who we are and how you can join.

Constitution for
The Kersland Street Neighbours Association (unincorporated association)

1. Name

The name of the group shall be Kersland Street Neighbours Association.

2. Aims

The aims of the association will be

• To bring together the neighbourhood to work in a cohesive manner

• To arrange clean ups, neighbourly help and local meet ups for residents

• To help reduce antisocial behaviour both within the buildings and the street

3. Membership

3.1 General Membership

Membership is open to anyone who:

• is a resident, owner, landlord or agent in Kersland St

• or lives in buildings directly connected to Kersland St and

• supports the aims of the Kersland Street Neighbours Association

A list of General Members will be kept on the Kersland Street Neighbours Association WhatsApp group. The Secretary will keep a list of the Committee Members, Advisory Committee Members and any paying members.

The constitution and details of forthcoming meetings and how to include an item on an agenda will be on the kerslandstreet.co.uk  website and members will be directed to this. There may optionally be a voluntary general membership fee which would be agreed at a Special General Meeting or the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and will be payable by members to help the group with any costs.

3.2 Associate Membership

This class of membership is open to people who do not live in the Association area, but who are interested in helping the Association achieve its aims. The Committee will decide whether to grant Associate Member status and whether or not to grant Associate Member voting rights as and when it occurs. This category may include people running businesses or working in or near Kersland Street, residents of streets with common interests, and council executives and members. 

3.3 Ceasing to be a member

General Members may resign at any time. Committee Members must inform the Secretary in writing. Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the Equalities & Diversity principles may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

4. Equalities & Diversity

• The Association will not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, race, faith, gender or sexual orientation. It will seek to promote equal opportunities and good relationships within its membership and the community.

• The Association will value diversity, recognising that all sections of the community have a positive contribution to make to the life of our communities.

• The Association will provide members with information on how to access support and how to contribute their views, making people feel welcome at all times.

5. Officers and Committee

The business of the group will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than three times a year. The Committee will consist of 3 to 8 members, and be composed of at least 3 officers and up to 5 additional committee members, who may be co-opted onto the committee at the discretion of the committee.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

• Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings

• Vice Chair, optional officer who can also chair both general and committee meetings

• Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes, distribution of all papers and calling SGMs

• Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts

In the event of an officer standing down during the year, a replacement will be elected by the next Committee Meeting.  Any committee member not attending a meeting without apology for four months will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign. Committee Members should declare any conflict of interest and withdraw from discussions and/or voting if requested by the Chair.

Committee meetings will be publicised on the website and can be attended any member, who may speak but not vote. A cap on total number of attendees may be put on any meeting.

Advisory Committee members are General Members who have said they wish to be involved in the Association. 

6. Meetings

6.1. Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM. All members will be notified by WhatsApp and/or email at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time. The meeting quorum is 5 members. Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.

At the AGM:

• The Committee will present a report of the work of Kersland Street Neighbours Association over the year.

• The Committee will present the accounts of Kersland Street Neighbours Association for the previous year.

• The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected.

• Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.

6.2 Special General Meetings

The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least three other members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request. The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request. All members will be notified by WhatsApp and/or email at least 2 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time. The meeting quorum is 3 members.

6.3 General Meetings

General Meetings are open to all members and will be held as often as necessary. All members will be notified by WhatsApp and/or email at least 1 week before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time. The meeting quorum is 3 members.

6.4 Committee Meetings

Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary. Committee members will be notified by WhatsApp and/or email at least 1 week before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time. The meeting quorum is 3 members.

7. Rules of Procedure 

7.1 Meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to. If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

7.2 Other

Official letters (or letter templates for multiple mailings) to be sent on behalf of the Association must be circulated to the Committee with “OFFICIAL” in the subject line, authorised by means of email approval or signature by a Chair, and recorded in a log by the Secretary.

8. Finances

If the Kersland Street Association ingathers any membership fees, an account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer).  The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

All payments will be signed by two of the signatories. For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque. For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting. All money raised by or on behalf of Kersland Street Neighbours Association is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution. Money may be used for hiring meeting halls, postage, media etc

9. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting to all members. Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

10. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group, it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

If you feel you have the time and energy to become part of the main committee, please feel free to contact us. We would welcome capable and well-connected individuals to join the team.

The Committee will consist of 3 to 8 members. This will be composed of at least 3 officers and up to 5 additional committee members, co-opted onto The Committee at the discretion of The Committee.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

• Chair, who shall chair both General and Committee Meetings

• Vice Chair, optional officer role, who can also help chair both General and Committee Meetings

• Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers

• Treasurer, who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts

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