Horndon

The Horndon Society was launched in the early 1970s with conservation of the Village as the main driving force.

The Horndon Community Forum was created in 2006 to provide for improvements and amenities in the Parish by working in partnership with local groups and Thurrock Council.

The two groups found a great overlap between their interests and issues and, after holding joint meetings for two years, the groups formally amalgamated at the AGMs in January 2011.

The objectives of the Society /Forum are to:

Preserve and Enhance the Village and local environment

Provide a route for the public to raise concerns and communicate these to Thurrock Council and other service organisations such as the Police

Support local groups, associations & organisations

Discuss Planning issues with Thurrock Council

Work towards developing a community spirit by holding local events.

Minutes, Meetings, News and Members

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Horndon on the Hill Society/Community Forum
Constitution

 

1) Title
The name of the association shall be known as ‘Horndon on the Hill Society/Community Forum’
hereinafter referred to as “The Association”.

 

2) Objectives

The Association is a non-political, non-religious, non-sectarian group formed by the amalgamation of the Horndon on the Hill Community Forum and the Horndon on the Hill Society. It exists to represent all those with an interest in Horndon on the Hill, Essex encompassed within the parish boundaries.

By working in partnership with all relevant interest groups, voluntary/community groups, government departments, statutory authorities and individuals, The Association seeks to provide for improvements and amenities within the local
environs for an involved and valued community.

 

The Association will:

• Recognise the special character of Horndon on the Hill and will promote this character by the conservation of, and sympathetic improvement of, land and buildings of beauty or historic interest and land of ecological or other scientific interest. To achieve this it may promote, assist or oppose proposals for the use of or development of land and buildings in the Parish and surrounding areas.

• Strengthen local community networks and develop constructive and effective
partnerships between local people and Thurrock Council.

• Provide an additional route for the public to raise concerns and issues on local matters and communicate these to Thurrock Council and other relevant organisations.

• Provide information to local residents, businesses, groups, and all interested parties within the local area, and work towards developing a community spirit by holding local events that will bring the community together.

• Obtain funding for local initiatives from Thurrock Council and other relevant
bodies/organisations as appropriate. The Association may also raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or organization by way of grant or donation.

• Form links with local health and education providers, alongside other service providers within the community.

 

3) Membership

Full membership of The Association shall be open to individuals, community groups, voluntary organisations, partnership agencies, and business representatives that are based in or have an interest in Horndon on the Hill.
Each member organisation shall appoint one representative entitled to attend and vote on its behalf at general meetings of The Association. A deputy may be appointed where necessary.

Honorary members may be appointed at the discretion of the General Committee, and may include such bodies as Police Authorities, Primary Care Trust, and Local Ward Councillors. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote. Voting members should express a declaration of interest on financial matters. Any vested interest should be declared at the start of any relevant meeting, and the member will abstain from voting.

Attendance by young people will be encouraged to enable them to participate in discussions
and express their views and opinions. Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner acceptable to the General Committee when attending meetings or any functions in connection with The Association. Failure to meet the required standard may result in exclusion from the Association.

4) Officers

A Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of
The Association and shall hold office until elections at the following AGM, but shall be eligible
for re-election.

Only full members shall be eligible to serve as officers.

 

5) General Committee

The affairs of The Association shall be directed by a General Committee, which shall comprise
the four Officers, plus a maximum of eight other elected full members. The Association
welcomes youth members onto the committee in a non-voting capacity.

The members of the committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of The
Association and shall hold office until elections at the following AGM, but shall be eligible for reelection.
The Association may also co-opt committee members at a general committee meeting in the
event of a vacancy on the committee. As for elected committee members, co-opted members
shall hold office to the conclusion of the following AGM, but shall be eligible for re-election.
Honorary Members may be invited by the committee to attend meetings but shall maintain a
‘non-voting’ status.

 

6) Meetings of The Association

The General Committee shall meet not less than six times a year in open public meetings. The
actual frequency and timing shall be determined by the committee. Date, time and place of
these meetings will be notified to the Public as described in Clause 8.

An Annual General Meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the General
Committee giving the public at least 21 days notice of such. No more than 15 months shall have
elapsed since the preceding AGM.

(The following clause was added by a vote at the AGM held on 3 Feb 2021 for Issue 2.)
In times of a Crisis, for example, a Natural Disaster/Pandemic where Government regulations
make it impossible to hold a meeting, the AGM can be postponed but should be held as soon as
possible. If this is not possible before 27 months has elapsed from the preceding AGM, or to
enable the AGM to be held sooner, emergency measures such as remote attendance, proxy
voting or voting by email shall be adopted for conducting the AGM.

In exceptional circumstances, the Chair may call a Special General Meeting if so requested in
writing, signed by a minimum of ten full members of The Association and giving reasons for the
request. The public must be given at least 14 days notice of such a Special General Meeting
and the notice must include the agenda for the meeting. Only items on this agenda can be
discussed at the Special General Meeting.

Quorum:-

General Committee meetings shall be deemed quorate if at least the number of elected
committee shown in the table below are in attendance, this must include two officers.

 

 

Annual or Special General Meetings shall be deemed quorate if at least 12 members are
present, this must include two officers.

Voting – At all times, except for amendments to the Constitution, matters shall be decided by
simple majority voting of those present and eligible to vote. In the case of an equality of votes,
the Chair of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. See Clause 9 for rules regarding
amendments to the Constitution

Eligibility to Vote

General Committee meetings: all adult members of the association and not just Committee
members are eligible to vote providing they have attended at least two of the previous six
meetings. In the case of a member organisation with an appointed representative and deputy,
attendance by either the representative or the deputy will be counted as an attendance for this
purpose. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote.

Annual or Special General Meetings: all adult members, except for honorary members, are
eligible to vote on all matters except on amendments to the Constitution. To be eligible to vote
on amendments to the Constitution, see Clause 9.

Minutes – Minutes of all meetings shall be maintained by the Secretary and approved by the
General Committee.

 

7) Finance

A bank account or accounts in the name of the Horndon on the Hill Society/Community Forum
shall be held with banks approved by the General Committee. All cheques must be signed by
not less than two authorised signatories.

The Treasurer shall maintain accounting records and produce an annual summary for the AGM.
The accounts will also require an annual independent examination.
A current financial report will be made available at each meeting. Subject to the request of two
or more committee members, the accounts must be made available within 14 days.

 

8) Communication

Notices will be posted in the Horndon Community Notice Board or, if that no longer exists, be
displayed in another prominent position in the Village. Such a posting will be deemed sufficient
to notify the public where required by this constitution. Communication is not limited to this
minimum requirement and additional methods may be used at the discretion of the Officers of
The Association.

 

9) Amendments to Constitution

Once adopted, the constitution may only be amended at a Special or Annual General Meeting.
A majority of two thirds of those present and eligible to vote are required for ratification. For
eligibility to vote on amendments to the Constitution, members must have attended at least two
of the previous six meetings. In the case of a member organisation with an appointed
representative and deputy, attendance by either the representative or the deputy will be counted
as an attendance for this purpose. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote.

 

10) Dissolution

If the General Committee decide by a majority vote that The Association is to dissolve, a
Special General Meeting shall be called to ratify that decision. A majority of two thirds of those
present will be required to endorse the committee decision.

All members of The Association
(other than Honorary Members) shall be entitled to attend and vote without any restriction or
limitation being placed on such entitlement. Any excess funds held at that time and available for
distribution shall be donated to an agreed charity or community group.

 

 

Constitution Issue 2 Ratified by CS Towlson

Date: 07/02/2021

Position: Chair

Code of Conduct at Public Forum Meetings

  • All members shall be open and honest in their dealings and show respect for other members
  • All speakers will address themselves through the Chairperson
  • Only one person shall speak at a time
  • All speakers shall be polite and not raise their voices
  • All speakers shall respect all others in attendance and shall not use offensive language.
  • All forums observe equal opportunities and respect diversity of all community members.  Racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic and discriminatory language aimed at disabled people will not be acceptable or tolerated so please do not air personal views that are likely to offend.
  • All speakers will keep to the subject under discussion
  • Unless there are exceptional circumstances, each person may speak only once on an issue until every other member has had the opportunity to speak thereby accounting for all opinions
  • All members shall abide by the decisions taken at meetings
  • If any member does not abide by the Code of Conduct, there will be a warning that if they break the Code of Conduct they may be asked to leave the meeting
  • The offending member will be told that three warnings will be given and this is the first warning
  • The offending member will be told that there may be two further warnings and at the third case shall ask the meeting to vote on whether the member should be asked to leave the meeting
  • In the event of there being a conflict of interest (or potential conflict of interest) this must be disclosed to the meeting and if necessary, the member who has disclosed the conflict, (or potential conflict), whether financial or non-financial, shall absent themselves from the meeting whilst the subject is under discussion.  Political references shall be avoided.

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