CONSTITUTION OF THE

DIGBETH RESIDENTS
ASSOCIATION

1. NAME

The name of the organisation shall be Digbeth Residents Association (hereafter referred to as the
group).

2. OBJECTIVES

a) To safeguard and promote the interest of residents in the area on matters concerning housing and
the environment.
b) To help to improve living conditions, community facilities and services for residents living in the
group’s area.
In order to do this we are committed to representing the views of residents in our area of operation.

The group will uphold equal opportunities and work towards good relations amongst all members of
the community, specifically prohibiting any conduct which discriminates or harasses on grounds of
race, religion, disability, political belief, sex or sexual orientation.

3. MEMBERSHIP

a) Membership shall be open to all residents, irrespective of tenure, in the area between Fazeley Street
and Cheapside, running from Camphill to the city centre.
b) All voting members must be at least 16 years of age.
c) Membership shall cease immediately upon a person leaving the area defined in paragraph 3a).

4. THE COMMITTEE

a) A committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the group and shall serve
for 12 months.
b) The committee shall consist of at least three members, who shall have the power to co-opt other
members on to the committee, during the course of the year. All members will have voting rights.
c) The committee shall elect from within their number a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. No
committee member shall fill more than one position. If the Chairperson cannot be present at meeting,
those present at the meeting can select another member of the group to temporarily undertake the role.
d) The Chairperson is not expected to vote, unless a deciding vote is required.
e) The committee and office bearers shall make and carry out decisions in accordance with the
objectives of the group.
f) Meetings of the committee shall be open to any member of the group who wishes to attend. Group
meetings are open for all members.
g) Birmingham City Councillors and other guests are welcome to attend all meetings of the group as
non-voting members. Non-voting members may be co-opted onto the committee from council staff.
h) Voting members may be co-opted from residents to fill casual vacancies throughout the year.
i) Committee members who do not attend three consecutive meetings without submitting their
apologies will be deemed to have resigned from their position.
j) Committee members must declare any interest they may have in the topic under discussion and the
committee will decide if they need to forfeit their right to vote on this occasion.
5. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS OR STANDING ORDERS

a) Members may speak only through the Chair.

b) Decisions will be agreed by a simple majority, voted in through a show of hands, or a secret ballot.
c) Meetings will end at the time agreed by the committee unless all those present agree to extend the
meeting.
d) Any offensive behaviour, including racist, ageist, sexist or inflammatory remarks will not be
permitted. The Chairperson can ask any members engaging in such behaviour to leave the meeting.
e) Any member who brings the group into disrepute or refuses to comply with the constitution shall be
expelled on a majority vote of the full committee.
f) Any such member will have the right to appeal within 28 days of the expulsion. The appeal shall be
heard by the membership at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose.
g) The Secretary shall deal with all correspondence.
h) Agendas will be distributed to the membership at least 24 hours before a meeting, where possible.
Items for the agenda should be forwarded to the Secretary and Chair seven days before the meeting,
where possible.
i) Minutes will be distributed to the membership 7 days after a meeting, where possible.

6. FINANCES

a) The group may raise funds by obtaining grants from other bodies or by fundraising schemes. All
money raised by or on behalf of the group shall be applied to further its objectives.
b) All funds shall be kept in a bank account that shall be opened in the name of the group.
c) The Secretary, Treasurer and the Chairperson shall be signatories on the account and all cheques
shall require two of these signatures.
d) Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, and brought to every committee meeting where they may
be inspected. Failure to bring the books to a meeting on three consecutive occasions will mean the
Treasurer will be asked to resign.
e) All expenditure shall be agreed and controlled by the committee. Receipts should be acquired for all
expenditure.
f) No officer shall sign a blank cheque – all cheques are to be filled in before signatures are added.
g) Once a year, the accounts will be audited and presented to the Annual General Meeting of the
group. The Auditors will be voting members of the group, but not committee members.

7. PUBLIC MEETINGS

a) Public meetings of the members shall be regularly held to discuss matters of importance and to keep
the members fully informed of the group’s activities.
b) Members shall be given 14 days notice of a public meeting.
c) All votes shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present. This applies to all meetings
of the group.
d) Any member, having the written support of 20 other members, may request the committee to call a
Special Public Meeting of the group. The committee shall call the meeting within 21 days of this
written request.
8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

a) An AGM shall be held every year to discuss the activities of the group, to receive the audited
accounts and to elect the committee.
b) The AGM shall be held at a suitable venue to accommodate as many members as possible.
c) To be deemed quorate, all group meetings must have a minimum of 5 members present.
d) Members must be given at least 14 days notice of the AGM.
e) At the AGM the resignation of all committee members will be accepted and a new committee
elected.

9. CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION

a) This constitution can be changed at any quorate meeting of the group.

b) Any changes to the constitution can be approved by a simple majority vote.

10. LEASES AND AGREEMENTS

a) As trustees for and on behalf of the group, the current Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, may
enter into leases and access agreements that are transferable to ongoing elected office bearers to
further the objectives of the group as set out in clause 2.

11. DISSOLUTION OF THE GROUP

a) The group may only be dissolved by a special meeting called for that purpose. Such a meeting shall
come about following a proposal in writing signed by a simple majority of those remaining on the
committee being submitted to the Secretary.
b) All members shall be informed of such a meeting at least 21 days before the date of the meeting.
c) Dissolution of the group shall only take effect if agreed by two thirds of the members present and
voting at that meeting.
d) Any assets remaining after meeting liabilities must be distributed among local charities or other
community group with similar aims of the group nominated by that meeting.
e) Any money received via funding bodies should be returned to the funders in relation to the funding
criteria.
f) On dissolution, any documents belonging to the group shall be disposed of in a manner agreed by
that meeting.

This constitution was adopted at a committee meeting of the Digbeth Residents Association on
__________________

Signed Print Name

Chairperson: .......................................................... .....................................................

Secretary: .......................................................... .....................................................

Treasurer: .......................................................... .....................................................