THE CONSTITUTION

1. NAME
The Association shall be known as:
Juniper House Tenants’ and Residents Association.

2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Association shall be:
– to promote the exercise of tenants’ rights and the maintenance and improvement of their housing conditions, amenities and environment;
– to provide facilities for recreation and amenity and to encourage a community spirit;
– for the furtherance of these objects to represent the interests of tenants in consultation with the local authority and other bodies.
– to promote the harmonious functioning of a multiracial community and to work towards the elimination of all forms of racism and discrimination within it.

3. The Association shall have the power to affiliate to any body whose objects may be of benefit to its membership.

4. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be open, irrespective of nationality, race, colour, political or religious belief, to all residents of the Juniper House Estate.

5. Each eligible person, shall on request, be supplied with an application form by the Secretary; and shall be issued by the Secretary with a membership card and a
copy of the Constitution on receipt of a completed application form and any subscription currently required.

6. It shall be a condition of membership that members at all times conduct themselves in a reasonable manner at meetings or in premises used by the Association.
Any member may be excluded for breach of this condition, or for any other conduct contravening the objects of the Association, by a majority of those present and voting at any Committee or General Meeting. Any member so excluded shall have a right
of appeal to the following General Meeting.

7. SUBSCRIPTIONS
All Members shall pay such subscriptions as shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting. (The payment of any such subscriptions shall be entered on a membership card to be provided by the Association).

Any subscriptions or other monies raised by or on behalf of the Association shall only be applied in furtherance of the objects of the Association.

8. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Committee elected at each Annual General Meeting, which shall consist of a Chairperson, Treasurer, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and not less than four other members or associate members. No two or more officers shall be elected from the same household, and no officer shall hold office for more than three consecutive years. The composition of the Committee shall as far as possible represent the multiracial character of the estate.

9. Elected Councillors of the Landlord authority shall not be eligible for election as officers of the Association, nor shall they represent the Association in its dealings with the Council or any other body.

10. ELECTION OR REMOVAL OF OFFICERS OR COMMITTEE
Members may only be carried out by a General Meeting of the Association. The Committee may temporarily fill any vacancy arising among the officers of the Association from its other members until the next General Meeting of members.

11. COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Committee shall meet as necessary and not less than ten times in each year. Committee Meetings shall be open to any member of the Association wishing to attend who may speak but not vote.

12. GENERAL MEETINGS
Not less than four of the committee’s meetings shall MEETINGS be General Meetings of the Association open to all members to speak and vote. The decisions of General Meetings of the Association shall be binding on the Committee. All decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of full (tenant) members present and voting.
All members shall be given not less than fourteen days’ notice of any General Meeting.

13. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Committee shall call an Annual General Meeting of the Association each year in the month of …………..
Not less than 28 days’ notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members and all those eligible for membership, together with a form of application for membership.
At this meeting – the Committee shall present an annual report of the Association;
– sub-committees shall present an annual report and accounts of their activities;
– the Committee shall present the audited accounts of the Association for the previous
year.
– the Officers, Committee and Auditor for the next year shall be elected.
any proposals submitted to the Secretary in writing not less than seven days in advance of the meeting shall be discussed.

14. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting at the request of a majority of the Committee; or on receipt of a written petition by not less than 15 Members of the Association giving reasons for their request. The Secretary shall give not less than seven
days’ notice of the holding of a Special General Meeting, which shall take place within 21 days of the receipt of the request or petition.

15. QUORUM
The quorum for Committee Meetings of the Association shall be one-third of its elected membership, or 4 members, whichever is the greater.
The quorum for all General Meetings shall be one-third of the membership or 15 members whichever is the less.

16. NOTICE OF MEETINGS
Notice of all meetings where required shall be sent to each member’s dwelling and shall include the date, time and place of the meeting and an Agenda of matters to be discussed.

17. SUB-COMMITTEES
The Committee may appoint such sub-committees as may be required to carry out the activities of the Association. Such sub-committee shall be directly
accountable to the Committee. The Committee shall
agree in advance the terms of reference of any subcommittee,
which may then act and apply any finance raised by itself or on its behalf only within those terms.
The Chairperson and Treasurer of the Association shall be ex-officio members of any sub-committee.

18. Where any sub-committee is to continue in existence beyond the Annual General Meeting following its appointment, its members shall submit themselves for re-election at that meeting and annually thereafter.

19. All sub-committees shall keep proper accounts of income and expenditure, and a proper record of all meetings, and shall report on them or deliver them up as required by the Committee or General Meeting.

20. The Committee or General Meeting may dissolve any sub-committee whereupon the accounts, records and assets, financial and otherwise of the sub-committee shall pass into the hands of the committee.

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

21. THE CHAIR (or in his/her absence the Vice-Chair or other Committee Member) shall
conduct the meetings of the Association.

22. THE TREASURER shall open and maintain a banking account in the name of the Association. All cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and one of two other Committee members nominated by the Committee as signatories. The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of income and expenditure and report on them or deliver them up as required by the Committee or General Meeting. Such accounts shall be audited by a qualified accountant or a non-member of the Association appointed by the membership at the Annual General meeting.

23. THE SECRETARY shall be responsible for the convening of all meetings and the giving of the prescribed notice to members. S/he shall ensure that a proper record is kept of all meetings of the Association its Committee and sub-committees in the form of minutes and shall deliver up such records as required by the Committee or General Meeting. The
Secretary shall permit the minutes to be examined on receipt of not less than 7 days notice by any two members of the Association. S/he shall maintain a register of Members of the Association.

24. Any member(s) or Officer(s) delegated to represent the Association in consultation with any other body shall act on the instructions of the Association and shall report back to the following Committee or General Meeting, whichever is the sooner. Only Full Members of the Association shall be delegated to consult with the local authority on matters of housing
management.

25. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Any proposal to alter this Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary of the Association not less than 28 days before the General meeting at which it is to be discussed. Not less than 14 days notice shall be given of such a meeting, together with the wording of the proposed alteration(s). Any alteration shall require the approval of two-thirds of those present and voting at the meeting.

26. DISSOLUTION
If the Committee, or if a Committee no longer exists, any ten members of the Association, shall decide that the Association should be dissolved, they shall give at least 14 days notice to all those eligible for membership of a meeting at which the matter shall be discussed. For the sole purpose of dissolution a quorum need not apply, and the Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of those present.
The assets, financial and otherwise, remaining when the Association has satisfied its liabilities, shall be applied for such purposes of benefit to the community as the meeting
shall decide.

THIS CONSTITUTION WAS AGREED AT A GENERAL MEETING OF

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

HELD ON …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
SIGNED ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

CHAIR
SIGNED ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

SECRETARY