Rules of the Association (Adopted at 20th October 2021 AGM)
1. Name. The name of the Association shall be “Belmont & South Cheam Residents’ Association” (BSCRA).
2. Area. The area covered by the Association shall lie exclusively within the London Borough of Sutton and be bounded to the north by the Sutton to Epsom railway line, to the west by the boundary with the Borough of Epsom and Ewell (excluding Higher Drive, Gilhams Avenue, Walnut Tree Close, Cuddington Park Close and Banstead Road), to the south by the boundary with the Borough of Reigate and Banstead, and to the east by a line following York Road, Holland Avenue (including Sackville Road and attached closes), Dorset Road, Brasted Close, Homeland Drive (and attached closes, but excluding Shanklin Village), Chiltern Road (south side), Banstead Road South (west side), Downs Road and Brighton Road (excluding Shanklin Village).
3. Objectives. The objectives of the Association shall be to:
a) Protect and enhance the character and amenity of Belmont and South Cheam with the aim of improving the quality of life of its residents.
(b) Provide feedback to the local council (and other bodies) with the views of its Members in response to documents issued for consultation purposes (i.e. to be a recognised General Consultation Body as part of the local council’s Statement of Community Involvement).
(c) Make representations to the local council and other bodies on matters of concern as the Executive Committee sees fit.
(d) Stimulate interest in local affairs and provide opportunities for Members to discuss relevant matters.
(e) Initiate social activities where Members indicate a desire for such.
(f) Work in partnership with the Council to promote and enhance Public Parks and Open Spaces within the Association’s boundary.
4. Activities. The activities of the Association shall be non-party political and non-sectarian. However, nothing in this Rule shall prevent the Association from supporting Residents’ Association candidates at local government elections and for this purpose the Executive Committee may appoint a Member as a delegate to an appropriate election committee. The Association is a not for profit organisation.
5. Membership. Any resident or person engaged in business whose registered address is within the Association’s Area (as defined in Rule 2) shall be eligible to become a Member. Membership shall commence (or be renewed) from the time the subscription is paid to any Officer, Committee Member or Steward of the Association. The subscription entitles one member of the household for which the subscription is paid to be a Member of the Association (and hence vote at a General Meeting). Other members of the Member’s household may also participate in any of the activities of the Association. If, as a result of an Association boundary change, an existing Member’s address subsequently falls outside of the Association’s Area, then they may continue to be a Member. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to appoint Honorary Members.
6. Membership Termination. A duly constituted meeting of the Executive Committee shall have power by a majority vote to accept a proposal from a member of the Executive Committee to terminate a Membership with immediate effect. In this event, any Membership subscription paid for the current year (and for any future years paid in advance) by that Member shall be returned. Membership of the Association shall terminate if a subscription remains unpaid more than twelve calendar months after it is requested.
7. Subscription. Members shall pay such annual subscriptions as the Executive Committee from time to time recommends and as agreed at the Annual General Meeting. Subscriptions are payable on joining and thereafter on 1st January in each year. Subscriptions may be paid for years in advance, but are not refundable other than as defined in Rule 6.
8. Officers. The Officers of the Association shall consist of a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. They shall serve in an honorary capacity, hold office until the next Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. The Vice-Chairman shall deputise for the Chairman in the latter’s absence.
9. Executive Committee. The business of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Committee which shall meet at least six times per year and consist of the Officers of the Association plus nine Committee Members elected at the Annual General Meeting. All Executive Committee members must be Members of the Association (as defined in Rule 5). Five members of the Executive Committee, one of whom must be an Officer of the Association, shall form a quorum. The Executive Committee shall have power to co-opt additional members as may be deemed necessary, to appoint sub-committees at their discretion and to invite any person to attend any of its meetings to advise on subjects relevant to the activities of the Association. The Executive Committee shall have power to appoint a Member to fill any casual vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting. Absence from three consecutive Executive Committee meetings without an acceptable explanation shall be deemed to be resignation from the Executive Committee.
10. Accounts. Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer of the sums of money received and expended by the Association. Annual Accounts shall be prepared for examination by a person who will have been elected at the previous Annual General Meeting. The examined Annual Accounts will be presented at the Annual General Meeting.
11. Funds. The Executive Committee shall have power to raise funds to further the objectives of the Association. The funds of the Association shall be deposited in a bank and all cheques and instructions concerning the account shall bear the signatures of any two of the Association’s Officers (see Rule 8).
12. Expenses. No expense shall be incurred in the name of the Association unless previously authorised by the Executive Committee.
13. Annual General Meeting. There shall be an Annual General Meeting which shall be held on a date to be notified at the previous Annual General Meeting. The Notice convening the Annual General Meeting shall be accompanied by the:
(a) Annual Report
(b) Accounts for the year ended the 31st December prior to the Meeting
(c) Agenda for the Meeting
Items for inclusion in the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting must be received in writing by the Secretary not later than sixty days prior to the Meeting.
14. Extraordinary General Meetings. All Meetings of the Association, other than Annual General Meetings, shall be Extraordinary General Meetings and may be held as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or within 30 days following receipt of a Requisition to the Executive Committee signed by one hundred Members. Items for inclusion in the Agenda of an Extraordinary General Meeting must be received in writing by the Secretary not later than twenty-eight days prior to the meeting.
15. Notices and Quorum. A minimum of fourteen days notice in writing (or alternative electronic means) shall be given to all Members of all General Meetings. A quorum for all General Meetings shall be ten Members.
16. Nominations. Nominations for election of Officers and Executive Committee Members must be received 5 days before the Annual General Meeting and must be accompanied by the candidate’s affirmation of his (her) willingness to stand for election. If insufficient nominations are received in advance, the Chairman may accept nominations at the meeting. Any candidate who holds office in, or is actively engaged in the affairs of, any party political organisation must declare this to the Annual General Meeting prior to voting.
17. Voting. At General Meetings every Member shall be entitled to one vote on every motion in respect of his (her) household. Proxy or postal votes will not be allowed. A vote cannot be taken at any General Meeting on any matter not included in the notice of that meeting.
18. Meeting Conduct. The Executive Committee shall cause Minutes to be kept of all Executive Committee, Annual General and Extraordinary General Meetings. These minutes shall be submitted for approval at the next Executive Committee meeting. Any Member of the Association may request to see the minutes of any of the above meetings, but such requests must first be approved by two Officers of the Association, such approval not normally being withheld.
19. Record keeping. All minutes of meetings shall be filed centrally by the Secretary. All letters written on behalf of the Association to third parties shall be copied to the Secretary for central filing.
20. Road Stewards. The Executive Committee shall appoint Road Stewards for each road within the Association’s Area. For Members and potential Members in their allocated road, a Road Steward is responsible for collecting subscriptions, providing input to the Register of Members, distributing Association material and reporting the views of these Members back to the Executive Committee.
21. Members’ Liability. The liability of all Members shall be limited to the amount of their Annual Subscription.
22. Further Activities. The Executive Committee shall be at liberty to decide what other activities shall be undertaken by the Association where such do not conflict with the objectives of the Association.
23. Winding-up. In the event of a Winding-up of the Association, the Association’s funds, after settlement of all its debts and liabilities shall be donated to a registered charity, in accordance with the terms of a Resolution to be passed at the same General Meeting as the Winding-up Resolution.
24. Privacy. The Association maintains a Register of Members that contains name and contact details (including postal address, telephone, and email address) for each Member to allow tracking of membership status and to enable the Association to distribute relevant documents, including Newsletters, Circulars and Consultation Surveys by the most appropriate means. The contents of the Register are available to members of the Executive Committee and selectively to Road Stewards for the purpose of fulfilling the objectives of the Association only. A Member’s details held within the Register will not be made available to third parties nor to any other Member without their permission. A Member can request to verify or amend their own details within the Register upon request to the Treasurer.
25. Alterations. No alterations, amendments or additions to these Rules shall be made except at an Annual General Meeting (or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for this purpose) and supported by two-thirds of those Members present and voting. The latest version of the Rules of the Association (this document) is available to any Member upon request to the Secretary.
26. Interpretation. Where doubt of the interpretation of any Rules of the Association is expressed at any meeting, the decision of the Chairman thereon shall be final.
27. Date of Adoption. This version of the Rules of the Association was proposed and adopted at the Annual General Meeting held on 20th October 2021.
Issued 21.10.2021.