NENG's Constitution

As amended 16 May 2001

1. Name
The name of the Group shall be the "Nether Edge Neighbourhood Group" (hereinafter referred to as the "Group").

2. Objects
The objects of the Group shall be:-

  1. To improve the conditions of life in the community within the areas of Brincliffe, Nether Edge and Sharrow of the City of Sheffield, without distinction of sex or race or of political, religious or other opinions, by associating the local authorities, voluntary organizations and residents in a common effort to advance education, to improve the environment and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time activities.
  2. The Group shall make all possible effort to inform residents of its activities and to encourage residents to participate in the affairs of the community.
  3. The Group shall have power to affiliate to other organizations with similar charitable objects.

3. Use of Funds
The income, funds and property of the Group shall be applied solely to the pursuit of the objects as set forth above and no part shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of profit to Members of the Group, provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith to any Officer or Member of the Group in return for services actually rendered. But no Member of the Group shall be appointed to any salaried office of the Group paid by fees and no remuneration or other benefit in money shall be given by the Group to any Member except repayment of out-of-pocket expenses properly incurred.

4. Non-Pecuniary Interests
The Group shall not carry on any trade or business or engage in any transaction of Members with a view to the pecuniary gain or profit of the members thereof. No member shall have any personal claim on any property of the Group or make any profit out of Membership.

5. Accounts, Inspection and Audit
True accounts shall be kept of the sums of money received and expended by the Group and the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditures take place and of the property, credits and liabilities of the Group.

6. Membership and Voting Rights
Membership of the Group shall be granted by the General Committee to any individual, household or organisation that supports the objects as stated in Clause 2 above and pays the annual subscription. Each membership subscription paid, be it Individual, Household or Organisational, shall entitle the member to one vote.

7. Exclusion and Resignation of Members
Membership of the Group shall cease if:-

  1. at a meeting of the General Committee, of which the Member shall have had due notice and at which the Member shall have been given an opportunity of being heard, the General Committee shall pass a resolution that it is undesirable in the interests of the Group that such a Member shall remain a Member; or
  2. the Member by notice in writing resigns membership; or
  3. the Member is in arrear in payment of the subscription for three months or more, and notice in writing to that effect has been given to such Member by the Secretary of the Group, and within one further month the arrear is not paid.

In the case of membership ceasing pursuant to this clause (subclauses (i) and (ii)), the General Committee may in its discretion return in whole or in part the Member's subscription, if any, for the then current year.

8. General Meetings
The Group shall hold a General Meeting in every calendar year as its Annual General Meeting at such time and place as may be determined by the General Committee and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, provided that every Annual General Meeting of the Group, except the first, shall be held not more than fifteen months after holding the last preceding Annual General Meeting.

9. Extraordinary General Meetings
All General Meetings of the Group, other than Annual General Meetings, shall be called Extraordinary General Meetings. The General Committee may, whenever it thinks fit, convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of Group Members and such meetings shall also be convened by the General Committee when so required by fifteen or more Members in writing. Such a requisition shall state the reasons for calling a meeting.

10. Notice of Meetings
Fourteen days notice in writing must be given to all Members of any General Meeting of the Group. Any such notice must also specify the place, the day and the hour of meeting and, in the case of special business, the general nature of that business shall be given.

11. Special Business
All business shall be deemed special that is transacted at Group Extraordinary General Meetings and all that is transacted at Group Annual General Meetings shall also be deemed special, with the exception of the consideration of the accounts, the reports of the General Committee and the Auditors, and the appointment, and the fixing of any remuneration, of the Auditors.

12. Quorum at Meetings
No business shall be transacted at any Group General Meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business. Ten Members personally present shall be a quorum.

13. Voting
At any General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by a show of hands by a simple majority. In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

14. Subscriptions
The annual subscription payable by Members of the Group shall only be fixed at a General Meeting of the Group and not otherwise.

15. General Committee
The management of the Group shall be a General Committee including a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary (the five Officers).

16. Composition of General Committee
The General Committee shall include the five Officers together with one representative of each Subcommittee and four other individual members. These four other members shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting and may be nominated at any time up to the moment of voting at the Annual General Meeting. In addition the General Committee shall fill vacancies and may co-opt up to three additional members. All members of the General Committee must be Members of the Group.

17. Retirement of General Committee [As amended 2001]
All elected members of the General Committee shall retire annually but be eligible for re-election, subject to the '3-year rule'. This rule is intended to ensure that General Committee members normally stand down after three years service to make way for others.

This rule will be applied as follows:-

  1. Officers - If an Officer has served on the General Committee for a continuous period of three years or more in a specific Office, then he/she will become ineligible for re-election to that Office until the next AGM. The only exception will be when no other valid nomination is received for that Office and the incumbent is willing to carry on. The Officer will still be eligible for election to the Committee, either as an ordinary member or as another Officer.
  2. Other elected members of the Committee - after serving on the General Committee for a continuous period of three years such members shall be ineligible for re-election as ordinary members until the next AGM. They will however be eligible for election as Officers.

18. Appointment of Subcommittees
The General Committee may appoint such Subcommittees and Working Parties as it considers desirable for the prosecution of its business.

19. Appointment of Working Parties
The General Committee and all Subcommittees shall have power to appoint Working Parties. The Working Parties shall be ad hoc teams established to examine or work on special problems.

20. Formation of Sub-Committees and
Working Parties by Members
Any number of Members may apply to the General Committee to be recognized as a Subcommittee or Working Party of the Group. The objects of such Sub-committees or Working Parties shall be approved by the General Committee before such Subcommittees or Working Parties become a constituent part of the Group.

21. Accountability to General Committee
All Subcommittees and Working Parties shall be accountable to the General Committee. All actions involving financial liability shall be subject to prior approval by the General Committee.

22. Nomination and Election of Officers
At any time after the last Annual General Meeting and not less than twenty-one days before the date fixed for the next Annual General Meeting any two Members may give notice in writing to the Secretary, nominating a candidate or candidates for election as an Officer of the Group. Every such nomination shall be accompanied by a notice signed by the nominee agreeing to serve if elected. Members shall be notified of the names and addresses of nominees in the notice of the Annual General Meeting at which the election by ballot will take place. Any candidate for Office will normally but not necessarily have served for a period of one or two years as an ordinary member of the General Committee. Arrangements shall be made for Members who so wish to cast their vote by post.

23. Representatives of Subcommittees
In the notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be included the names and addresses of all representatives nominated by each Subcommittee. The appointment of these representatives shall be subject to ratification at the Annual General Meeting. Should any of these representatives of Subcommittees also be a nominee for Office and be elected, the appropriate Subcommittee shall have the power to fill the vacancy created.

24. Meetings of General Committee
Subject to giving reasonable notice to all Committee members, the General Committee may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit. Five shall be a quorum for the purpose of any business. Resolutions shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

25. Ad-hoc Decisions by Officers
When there is need for rapid decision ("in emergency") on matters affecting the Group, four members of the General Committee, at least two of whom shall be Officers, may consult together and act on behalf of the General Committee, provided that due report of the decision and actions taken is made to the next meeting of the Committee.

26. Minutes
The General Committee shall cause Minutes to be made at all proceedings of all meetings of the Group, its Committees and Subcommittees.

27. Alterations to Constitution
Any alteration to this Constitution shall require the approval of a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a General Meeting at which such alterations form the business of that meeting. Any resolution for the alteration of this Constitution must be received by the Secretary at least twenty-eight days before the meeting at which the resolution is to be brought forward. No alteration to Clauses 2 or 29 or this Clause shall be made without the consent of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.

28. Disposal of Assets on Dissolution
If, upon dissolution of the Group, any assets or property remain, these shall not be paid or distributed among Members of the Group but shall be given and transferred to some other body or institution, having charitable objects similar to the objects of the Group, which also prohibits the distribution of income and property among its members. Such body or institution shall be determined by Members of the Group at or before the time of dissolution.

39. Participation by Members and Residents
Members shall be encouraged to take full and active part in the running of the Group through its Committees and Working Parties.

End of Constitution, as amended 16 May 2001.

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