FRIERN BARNET AND WHETSTONE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION RULES AND CONSTITUTION
(as amended 2018 , 2021 and 2024)
1. NAME
1.1 The name of the Association shall be the “Friern Barnet and Whetstone Residents’ Association”.
2. ACTIVITIES
2.1 The Association shall be non-party political.
2.2 The activities of the Association shall be concerned wholly or partly with the area of the London Borough of Barnet or the area of a neighbouring local authority.
3. OBJECTS
3. The objects of the Association shall be:
3.1 To study the questions of local and municipal importance and the action of Public and Statutory Bodies and thereby to create and foster interest in Local Government.
3.2 To act as a medium of communication between the residents and the various authorities exercising jurisdiction on all matters of interest to them.
3.3 To promote and protect the interests of the residents.
3.4 To call meetings, appoint deputations, co-operate with any other body and make such representations to the authorities as may be considered necessary to promote the interests of the residents.
4. MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Residents in the former Urban District of Friern Barnet, or in such other area as the Executive Committee may from time to time determine, or persons whose names appear in the local register of electors of that District or (as the case may be) other area, on subscribing to the funds of the Association, in accordance with rule 5, and agreeing in writing to be bound by these rules shall become members and on application shall be supplied with a copy of the Rules and Constitution of the Association (“these rules”).
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS
5.1 The annual subscription shall be as from time to time determined by the Annual General Meeting and may include all adult members of the same household resident at the same address and whose particulars have been notified to the Association in writing. Subscriptions shall be payable when membership is taken up and in each year thereafter.
5.2 The membership year will run from 1st January until 31st December. Membership may cease at any time without pro rata subscriptions being returned.
5.3 Membership shall lapse if the subscription is unpaid for a period of three months after the commencement of the membership year.
6. OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
6.1 The Officers of the Association, all Honorary, shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting when the vacancies on the Executive Committee shall be filled.
6.2 The Officers of the Association shall be ex officio members of all Sub-Committees elected by the Executive Committee.
7. MANAGEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
7.1 The management of the Association shall be vested in an Executive Committee, which shall comprise the Officers of the Association and not more than ten elected members. Election of such members shall be for a period of two years. Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election.
7.2 The Executive Committee shall have power to fill, until the next Annual General Meeting, any vacancy in its membership and any vacancy amongst the Officers of the Association or in respect of the Independent Examiner which may occur during the year (including any which exists after the conclusion of an Annual General Meeting). Meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held each month, unless varied by a majority wish of the Executive Committee. At any meeting any two Officers of the Association together with any other member of the Executive Committee or any five shall form a quorum.
7.3 Any member of the Executive Committee failing to attend three consecutive meetings, without a reasonable excuse, shall cease to be a member of the Executive Committee.
7.4 The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall constitute a Standing Committee with power to act in case of emergency.
8. RESTRICTION ON ELEGIBILITY TO SERVE
8.1 No member or officer of the Council of the London Borough of Barnet shall be eligible to serve as an Officer of the Association or as a member of the Executive Committee.
9. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
9.1 An Independent Examiner who is not an Officer of the Association or a member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting
10. PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
10.1 On the recommendation of the Executive Committee a President and up to two Vice-Presidents may be elected at any Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and shall serve for two years with the possibility of re-election. Such positions do not constitute an additional Officer of the Association. The President/ a Vice-President may be invited by the Executive Committee to become publicly involved in any issue of the day. He or she may attend meetings of the Executive Committee but shall not have power to vote and shall not count towards the quorum. The Executive Committee may remove the President or a Vice-President from that position at any time if they shall consider that it is appropriate to do so whether by reason of incapacity or otherwise
11. MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION
11.1 Annual General Meetings of the Association
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held on or about 30th April each year on such date as the Executive Committee shall decide. At least 14 days’ notice, in writing, of such meeting shall be given to every member. A report of the work done during the past year shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting together with the accounts for that period as approved by the Independent Examiner.
11.2 Quorum
Members present in person shall form a quorum for a General Meeting.
11.3 Format of meetings
Meetings, Annual General Meetings, Special General Meetings, Members’ Meetings and meetings of the Officers of the Association, the Executive Committee and any Sub-Committee may be held in person or online using any application unanimously deemed appropriate by the Officers of the Association. All these rules relating to in person meetings shall (the necessary changes being made) apply equally to online meetings.
11.4 Public meetings and Members’ Meetings
The Association shall hold Public Meetings and Members’ Meetings as and when the Executive Committee shall determine
11.5 Special General meetings
11.5.1 A Special General Meeting of the Association shall be convened by the Secretary upon the instructions of the Executive Committee or within six weeks of the receipt of a requisition to that effect, in writing signed by not less than 5% of the membership of the Association and whose subscriptions are fully paid up. At least fourteen days’ notice in writing of each such Special General Meeting shall be given to every member. Such notice to state the object of the meeting, at which no other business shall be transacted.
11.5.2 When the purpose of convening a Special General Meeting is to alter these rules, a maximum period of three months may elapse between receipt of requisition by the Secretary and the date of the meeting.
12. AMENDMENTS
12.1 No new rule shall be made or existing rule amended or rescinded, except by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting, or a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose. Any member intending to propose any alteration to these rules at an Annual General Meeting shall give notice in writing to the Secretary not less than two calendar months prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting setting out the alteration to be proposed (this requirement shall not apply to an alteration to these rules to be proposed on behalf of the Executive Committee). Any requisition for a Special General Meeting, to be called for the purpose of a proposed alteration to these rules shall specify such alteration.
12.2 The notice convening a General Meeting at which an alteration to these rules is to be moved shall specify the proposed alteration, addition and / or deletion. For the purpose of this rule 12 the word “alteration” shall include alteration, addition and / or deletion.
13. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
13.1 Receipts
All receipts of the Association shall be handed to the Treasurer who shall bank the same in the name of the “Friern Barnet and Whetstone Residents’ Association”. Payments in excess of ten pounds shall be made by cheque. Such cheques to be signed by two nominated officials of the Association, one of whom shall be the Treasurer. Additionally, online banking or telephone banking may be used by any Officer of the Association.
13.2 Expenses of administration and application of funds
The Executive Committee shall, out of funds of the Association, pay all proper expenses of administration and management of the Association. After the payment of the administration and management expenses and the setting aside to reserve such sums as may be deemed expedient, the remaining funds of the Association shall be applied by the Executive Committee in furtherance of the Objects of the Association.
13.3 Restriction on distribution of surplus funds
The Association shall not distribute any surplus funds (which expression shall be deemed to include any “profit”) to its members and any such surplus shall be applied wholly or partly for the benefit of the area of the London Borough of Barnet or a neighbouring local authority area.
14.NOTICES
14.1 Any notice to be given under these rules shall be deemed to be validly given if sent by pre-paid post or delivered by hand or (if a member has provided an email address to the Association) by email to the address last notified in writing to the Secretary or by email to the Association at its email address. Any such notice deemed to be given to any member shall be deemed also to have been given to any other member resident at the same address. Notice may not be validly given by advertisement through a website but in the case of notice given by email annexures may be included either as annexures to the email or by way of a link or links to a copy of the relevant document placed on a website.
14.2 The accidental omission to send notice to or the non- receipt of a notice by any persons entitled to receive the notice shall not invalidate either the process or the proceedings at the meeting which is the subject of the notice.
14.3 Any requisition by members that a Special General Meeting shall be convened and any notice of a proposed alteration to these rules intended to be proposed to be made by a member shall be invalid unless actually received by the Secretary.
15.WINDING UP
15.1 The Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Association and confirmed by a simple majority of members present and voting at a further Special General Meeting held not less than fourteen days after the previous meeting.
15.2 If a motion for the dissolution of the Association is to be proposed at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting the motion shall be referred to specifically when the notice of the meeting is given.
15.3 In the event of a dissolution of the Association the records of the Association shall be transferred to such relevant public archives as the Executive Committee shall determine and the available funds of the Association shall be transferred to such one or more organisations having objects reasonably similar to those of the Association and the activities of which are concerned wholly or partly with the area of the London Borough of Barnet or the area of a neighbouring local authority to be applied for the benefit of the same.
16.MATTERS NOT PROVIDED FOR
16.1 The Executive Committee shall be empowered to decide on all matters not provided for in these rules.