Broomhill Forum
The Broomhill Forum was one of the first community forums established in Sheffield by a then local councillor. Since 1995 the Forum has been chaired by the Revd. Canon Adrian Alker, Vicar of St Mark's. The Forum meets quarterly at St Marks and there is an executive committee which serves the Forum.
The Broomhill Forum Constitution (Draft)
The Forum is established for the benefit of those who live in, work in, or otherwise have an interest in the area of Sheffield known as Broomhill. The beneficiaries are referred to below as the ‘community’
Aims and objectives
The Forum’s primary aim is to secure the sustainable development of Broomhill: integrating social, physical and economic aspects in a way that secures the future of the area for the good of all. The Forum will work for the preservation, protection, development and improvement of Broomhill (including the physical, historical, architectural, cultural, business and social environments). The Forum will endeavour to do this in a way that is in harmony with the aims and development of the City of Sheffield.
The Forum will
act as a co-ordinating body to further co-operation between local residents, the Local Authority (including its Planning Boards), other statutory and public authorities, voluntary organizations and charities, the business community, educational organizations, and other groups and persons having an interest in or impact on the area of Broomhill.
- promote or assist in promoting activities of a charitable nature in the area of Broomhill, or such activities that will benefit the area of Broomhill.
- promote civic pride in, and inform public opinion about, the area of Broomhill
- promote and campaign for high standards of planning and development in the area of Broomhill
- organise public meetings to consider issues of relevance to the community. These may include political, environmental, cultural, charitable, educational, social, economic, or other issues of interest or benefit to the community
- raise funds by way of subscriptions, donation or otherwise
Membership
Individual membership of the Forum will be open to any member of the community of Broomhill who is interested in furthering the aims of the Forum. Individual members will each have a single vote at any meetings of the Forum.
Corporate members may include businesses, educational institutions, societies or associations who are interested in furthering the aims of the Forum. A corporate member may appoint a representative to vote at any meetings of the Forum.
Individual and corporate members will pay an annual subscription. The annual subscriptions will be determined by the Annual General Meeting. Only those members who have a fully paid up subscription will be entitled to vote at meetings of the Forum.
The subscription year will run from the 1st January to 31st December and the membership of those who do not renew their membership will automatically lapse.
Meetings of the Forum
General meetings of the Forum will normally be held at least four times in each calendar year. All members, and others with an interest in promoting the aims of the Forum, may attend meetings. A General Meeting will be quorate providing that one quarter of the paid up membership are present.
An Annual General Meeting will be held in each calendar year to receive reports from the Executive Committee (see below) to approve the Treasurer's accounts, and to elect Officers and Members to the Executive Committee. All members with fully paid up subscriptions are entitled to one vote at the Annual General Meeting. An Annual General Meeting will be quorate providing that one quarter of the paid up membership are present.
A Special General Meeting of the Forum may be held at the written request of at least one quarter of the members of the Forum whose subscriptions are fully paid up. A Special General Meeting will be quorate providing that one quarter of the paid up membership are present.
The dates and time of the above meetings will be determined by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will give, to all members of the Forum, at least seven days notice of the date, time, and place of each meeting.
Written minutes will be taken of all meetings of the Forum. These minutes must be agreed (at the next meeting) by members who were present at the meeting, and signed by the Chair as evidence of the transactions of the meeting.
The Executive Committee
An Executive Committee will be responsible for the management and administration of the Forum. The Executive Committee will comprise of the following Officers: Chair, Vice-chair, and Treasurer. The Executive Committee will also include not less than four, and not more than 12, other members.
The Executive will include representatives as determined by the Forum at the AGM, and will normally include representatives from all local interests. For example: residents (including the Broomhill Action Neighbourhood Group), schools, the hospital trust, public houses, the retail sector, the University of Sheffield (including students), the faith communities, and the police.
All Officers and members of the Executive Committee will relinquish their offices every year, but will be eligible for re-election at the Annual General Meeting.
Nominations for the officers and members of the Executive Committee shall be made at the Annual General Meeting by any fully paid up member of the Forum. Each nomination must be supported by a seconder (who is a fully paid up member), and must have the consent of the nominee. The Forum will strive to ensure that the Executive Committee is representative of a variety of sectors of interest.
The election of Officers should normally be completed prior to the election of further Committee members. Nominees for election as Officers or members must declare any financial or professional interest likely to be of concern to the Forum.
If nominations exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot will take place in a manner determined by the Annual General Meeting.
The Executive Committee may fill vacancies occurring among the Officers or members of the Committee between Annual General Meetings.
The Executive Committee will have the power to co-opt further participants who may attend Committee Meetings in an advisory and non-voting capacity.
The Executive Committee will also have power to invite individuals in their own right, or as representatives of organisations, to attend specific Committee meetings or for the discussion of particular items on the agenda at specific meetings. Such invited persons will not have any voting rights.
Any fully paid up member of the Forum may attend an Executive Committee meeting as a non-voting observer, and may participate in discussion at the discretion of the Chair.
The Executive Committee will normally meet at least four times a year. The Chair will determine the dates of each meeting and will give Committee members at least seven days notice of each meeting. The quorum for the Executive Committee will be one-third of the appointed members.
It will be the duty of a member of the Executive Committee who has any financial or professional interest in an item discussed at a Committee meeting at which he or she is present to declare that interest. That member will not discuss such an item (except by invitation of the Chair).
Use of funds
The Executive Committee will, out of the funds of the Forum, pay all expenses for administration and management. After the payment of such expenses and the setting aside of any reserve deemed expedient, the remaining funds may be applied by the Executive Committee in furtherance of the aims of the Forum. Any funds that are not required for immediate use may be invested by the Executive Committee.
The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Forum and will open a bank account in the Forum’s name. All cheques issued on behalf of the Forum shall require two signatures as the Executive Committee shall determine. The Accounts will be examined before the time of the Annual General Meeting by a responsible person from outside the Forum.
Amending the constitution
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of fully paid up members present at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting of the Forum, provided that 21 days notice of the proposed amendment has been given to all members.
Notification
Any notice required to be given by the rules of this constitution will be deemed to have been given if left at, or sent by post to, the address of a member, or sent by email to the email address of the member. It is the responsibility of members to notify the Chair of any change to their postal address or email address.
Dissolution of the Forum
The Forum may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of fully paid up members present at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting which is then confirmed by a simple majority of fully paid up members voting at a further Special General Meeting held no less than 14 days after the previous meeting. If a motion for the dissolution of the Forum is to be proposed at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting this motion must be referred to specifically when notice of the Meeting is given.
In the event of the dissolution of the Forum any funds of the Forum should be transferred to one or more associations having aims similar or reasonably similar to the aims of the Forum and approved by the meeting at which the decision to dissolve the Forum is confirmed. If there is no such appropriate association at the time of the dissolution, then any funds should be donated to a charity that is connected with the area of Broomhill, subject to the approval of the Meeting at which the decision to dissolve the Forum is confirmed.