Constitution

MARDEN COMMUNITY PLAN

CONSTITUTION

A. NAME

The name of the Partnership is “Marden Community Plan”

B. STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

The Partnership is an unincorporated association of organisations and individuals representing the community and interests of Marden and its surrounding area.

Subject to the matters set out below the Partnership shall be administered and managed by a Management Group, undertaking its activities through the wider membership of a Working Group.

C. AIMS & OBJECTIVES

MAIN AIMS

The Partnership shall have the following main aims:

· To work together to create a potential future policy and action plan, to be known as the Marden Community Plan, arising from the Healthcheck consultation process.

· To endeavour to implement the agreed Community Plan arising from the Healthcheck consulation process.

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

KEY OBJECTIVES

In order to achieve its main aims the Partnership shall have the following key

Objectives:

To develop a fully representative membership, and undertake other consultative processes, to ensure the needs of all sections of the community are heard and taken into consideration

To define Marden’s priorities via the Healthcheck process.

To seek and work with partners to ensure the delivery of those projects contained in the agreed Community Plan.

To seek to influence decision making in, and concerning, Marden in line within the agreed Community Plan.

To undertake further research as necessary to secure additional evidence of needs and proposed actions.

To engage the whole community, through a variety of means, and to keep them informed of the work of the Partnership, including making any information gathered for the Partnership available to them on request.

To promote Marden and the Partnership both locally and with others in the surrounding area.

To identify and apply for sources of funding and other resources for the Partnership and its initiatives, including, but not limited to, grant funds, local business support, sponsorship and support in kind.

To seek to ensure that outcomes of the Marden Community Plan and concerns are reflected where applicable in the County and Borough Community Strategies and in the plans and policies of other major public agencies.

To work jointly with other similar projects in Kent on issues of shared concern and share expertise and experience.

To monitor and review the work of the Partnership to ensure it delivers appropriate results.

D. AREA AND COMMUNITIES OF BENEFIT

The catchment area for the Partnership shall be the civil parish of Marden, its hamlets and surrounding areas whose residents look to Marden, for education, jobs, retailing, accommodation, transport and other 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 Marden will impact.

E. 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 actions.
Take appropriate action to influence local and regional decision-making as it affects the achievement of the main aims of the Partnership.
To support existing bodies and establish, where appropriate, new organisations or bodies to operate initiatives or run local services arising from the agreed Community Plan.

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.

F. MEMBERSHIP

Eligibility

Membership of the Partnership shall be open to:

1.                  Individuals who have an interest in the issues and concerns of Marden and its surrounding area and who are prepared to accept 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 accept its aims and objectives.

3.                  Representatives from Marden Parish, Maidstone Borough and Kent County Councils and any other Council having responsibility for 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 Community Plan meetings. 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.

G MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Members are entitled to:

· Vote at meetings of the Partnership

· Receive copies of the Partnership newsletter

· Become involved in Partnership’ activities

There shall initially be no subscription for membership of the Partnership.

H ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE PARTNERSHIP

There shall be an annual general meeting held in the month of October in each year.

The first annual general meeting should be held no more than 12 months after the formation of the Partnership. If, for any reason, an AGM has to be postponed, 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 Group

Evaluating the work of the Partnership
Appointing an auditor
Electing honorary officers and management committee members
Determining the membership subscription, if any
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 14 days shall be given of any general meetings, to be sent directly to the Marden Community Plan Partnership members and also to be advertised in the local press.

Extraordinary General Meetings may be called (i) by the Management Group at any time, (ii) by the Secretary, if at least ten members request such a meeting, in writing; to the Chairman of the Management Group., stating the business to be considered, the Secretary shall call a meeting. At least 14 days notice must be given and the notice must state the business to be discussed.

I 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.

J MANAGEMENT AND WORKING GROUPS

The Management Group shall ensure that the work of the Partnership is appropriately managed and targets are achieved.

The Working Group will comprise all active members of the Partnership engaged in the activities set out by the Management Group in its current programme.

In addition, the Management Group may co-opt representatives of significant local interests eg health, tourism, housing, education when this is relevant to the particular work of the Partnership. These representatives shall have no voting rights.

At the annual general meeting of the Partnership, members present shall elect from amongst themselves a maximum of three ordinary members in addition to the officers. One such member should be an elected member of Marden Parish Council.

K MEETINGS

There should be at least 6 meetings per year of the Management Group in addition to the Annual General Meeting.

The Working Group shall meet as set out by the Management Group in its current programme.

The quorum for any general meeting shall be ten, and the quorum for any Management or Working Group meetings shall be three.

L ATTENDANCE AND RECORDS

The Secretary shall keep a formal record of attendance and business at Management Group meetings; the Minutes Secretary shall do the same for the Working Group meetings. The minutes and action points from each of these meeting shall be circulated to all members.

M VOTING RIGHTS

Each member of the plan Partnership shall have one vote. All decisions shall be through a majority voting system of those present at the meeting only. Where votes cast in any matter are equal then the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to a vote as a member.

N URGENT MATTERS

Should urgent matters arise requiring a decision that cannot wait until the next meeting then the Chairman 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 Group.

P AGENDAS

Agendas will be published on the Parish notice board at least one week in advance of any meeting.

Q. OPENNESS

Meetings of the Partnership will be open to all.

R. MINUTES

All the meetings will be minuted, or be noted, and these shall be distributed to members and placed in the public domain in the Village library and in electronic form on the Marden web site.

S CORRESPONDENCE AND PUBLICATIONS

The Partnership shall have its own headed paper and logo style. The Chairman or any member of the Partnership, where delegated authority has been given by the Chairman in writing, will have the power of signature. All external correspondence and publications will be filed at the Parish Office at the Memorial Hall and be available for inspection by arrangement with the Parish Clerk.

T. FINANCIAL RECORDS

The Partnership will need to access and keep two sets of funds to achieve its aims.

Running costs for the Partnership itself including the costs of personnel, marketing and publicity, administration, and publication.
Project funds for implementation of the agreed Community Plan.

Running costs of the Partnership will be met through grants from Marden Parish Council, Maidstone Borough or Kent County Councils or by support in kind from these organisations or other grant giving bodies. Project funds are specific allocations from any source and the Management Group may request that third parties hold these funds on behalf of the Partnership.

The Management Group may also agree to accept loans.

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

A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Partnership. Signatories to the bank account will be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the Partnership, any two of whom will be required to sign cheques and authorise other forms of payment...

U. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

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

V. DISSOLUTION

The Partnership can only be dissolved by the decision of the full membership at an extraordinary general meeting expressly called for the purpose. A vote in favour of two thirds of the members present at the meeting is required for the Partnership to cease operating. Directions as to the disposal of any assets shall also be decided at this meeting, except in the case of loans and grants where monies or assets are given and where the loan or grant giver has specified the course of action to take. No new members may join the Partnership once the notice of the extraordinary general meeting called for the purpose of dissolution has been given.

Y. ARRANGEMENTS UNTIL FIRST GENERAL MEETING

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

THIS CONSTITUTION WAS ADOPTED ON THE 2nd FEBRUARY 2006

By the persons and members whose signatures appear below:

(signed) John Verrall, John Banks, Chris Turner, Graham Tippen

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 Marden Community Plan.

The constitution reflects this and allows at Clause Y 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 Marden Community Plan 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 Management Group will take the following actions: