The committee of Fox Lane & District Residents' Association (FLDRA) has called an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on 26th January, starting at 8pm, with the aim of agreeing an overhauled version of the Association's constitution and introducing a new code of conduct for members.
The committee has also announced a date for the FLDRA's annual general meeting - 30th March. Both meetings will be held in one of the halls in Burford Gardens adjacent to Palmers Green United Reformed Church.
In an email to members, FLDRA secretary Christian Ignatiou reminds them that in order to avoid any confusion around eligibility to attend, vote or stand for election at the AGM, they need to be up-to-date with their membership subscription (this presumably also applies to attending and voting at the EGM). Subs can be paid by bank transfer, cheque or in cash.
To be eligible to join you need to live within the area bordered by The Bourne, Bourne Hill, Green Lanes, Aldermans Hill, Cannon Hill and High Street.
There is a form for joining on the FLDRA website.
A new constitution with some unusual provisions
The proposed new constitution introduces some new membership categories: in addition to Full Members, there would be Partial Members, Business Members and Special Members - the last named category offering membership to people living outside the strictly defined area who are "individuals in the community that the committee feel the Association would benefit from engaging with".
A feature of the draft constitution which differentiates it from the current constitution and those of comparable associations (eg Winchmore Hill RA) is the introduction of some new (and, some might say, rather onerous) procedures that members will have to go through to join the committee:
All members wishing to stand for election must:
- At least 10 days prior to the AGM provide:
- A proposer and seconder (who must both be Full Members at that point)
- A written representation which will be distributed to the membership (length to be defined by the standing committee)
- Details of all affiliations to external organisations
- A written confirmation to adhere to the Association’s code of conduct (pro forma will be provided)
- As part of the election process, members standing must make an in-person presentation to the membership (length to be defined by standing committee), which will include:
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- Reasons for standing
- Skills they believe they can bring to the role
- Their ability to remain impartial and how they would propose to deal with conflicts of interest with particular reference to their affiliations to external organisations
- A verbal confirmation to adhere to the Association’s code of conduct
- Address the “Key issues” (The sitting committee will publish a list of “key issues” as part of the AGM notification process that the membership would like to address)
On top of this, there are further unusually complicated rules about the process used to elect people to the committee. No-one will be able to be elected without receiving "a min 50% validation vote of members present or by proxy" (proxy votes presumably being cast by the chair or secretary).
An obvious danger with such demanding requirements is that they may put off people who are less confident about verbal or written presentation or nervous about voicing views which might not be universally shared, while in the less stressful environment of a smaller committee meeting they might be able to play a valuable role. This is a pity, because joining committees of associations and societies of various types is an important way in which people lacking experience or confidence can build up valuable work and life skills and providing such opportunities is one of the benefits of the "civic sector".
For an example of a constitution that goes out of its way to welcome diversity we don't need to go very far from Fox Lane. The constitution of BHORA (Broomfield Home-owners' and Residents' Association) includes a section on equal opportunities designed to encourage the widest possible involvement:
Equal Opportunities:
- The Association wants to involve everyone in the area and will try to overcome any obstacles to people to give their views or become involved in meetings or events.
- The Association will try to make sure that everyone can feel welcome and safe at events it organises.
- The Association will challenge any remarks or behaviour that cause offence and makes anyone feel unwelcome.
- The Association will take positive action to reach those people who are under-represented at meetings and events and will ensure that all members have equal opportunities to attend and take part in in the Association and its events.
- The Association welcomes the involvement of members of the community who experience exclusion on a day to day basis on grounds of gender, race, ethnic origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.
Source: www.bhora.org/constitution.html
