Constitution of the Egham Residents' Association

For a PDF version of this, see ERA_Constition as of February 2025

The PDF copy should be considered the master copy - the following is provided for convenience.

For a Word document copy of the previous version of this, see ERA_Constition as of March 2024

CONSTITUTION OF THE EGHAM RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

1 Title

The Association shall be called the “Egham Residents’ Association”.

2 Aims and Objectives

• 2.1 To improve and preserve amenities and facilities within the geographical area of Egham Town and to consider all matters of interest to the residents.
• 2.2 The Association shall not align itself with any Political Party, (other than Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group for electoral purposes) or religious groups, for other than in 2.1
• 2.3 To nominate and support, when considered appropriate and desirable, the election of Councillors to the Borough and County Councils or the body/bodies that succeed these in the event of a local government re-organisation such as the introduction of a new Unitary Authority. See Councillors; Terms of Reference [Section 8])
• 2.4 To inform the electorate of Egham of local matters which may concern them. (See Communication with Association Membership [Section 9])

3 Membership

• 3.1 Voting members of the Association shall consist of residents of the Egham Town Ward in the Borough of Runnymede (or the ward(s) that include(s) the town of Egham should current ward boundaries be changed by a local government re-organisation such as the introduction of a new Unitary Authority) (“The Ward”), who will become members upon payment of the specified annual subscription. Membership can be declined, and any subscription refunded in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Committee.
• 3.2 Non-residents of The Ward, but with a close connection to Egham, may be admitted as non-voting members at the discretion of the Committee.

4 Subscriptions

• 4.1 The annual subscription shall be a figure determined by each Annual General Meeting.
• 4.2 The annual subscription is payable at the time of joining the Association and subsequent subscriptions shall be due on 1st January each year.
• 4.3 The subscription shall cover one adult member (See 5.7). Separate subscriptions will be required from other adults, in the same household, wishing to join the Association. Senior Citizens will be eligible for membership at a reduced subscription rate. A mid- year subscription rate and a household subscription rate may be adopted at the discretion of the Committee.

5 General Meetings

• 5.1 At least one month’s notice will be given of the time and venue of General Meetings. The agenda for General Meetings will be circulated at the same time and will include provision for Any Other Business so that business not stated elsewhere may be discussed.
• 5.2 An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be held by the decision of the Committee, or at the written request of 40 of the current membership. This written request will be addressed to the Association’s Secretary and will state the business to be discussed.
• 5.3 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held as soon as conveniently possible after February 1st. The AGM will elect the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Planning Officer and Webmaster to serve for the next year.
• 5.4 No officer will be eligible for re-election unless he/she has attended two thirds of the previous year’s Committee meetings (unless due to illness or with the consent of the AGM)
• 5.5 The Association’s Constitution may only be altered at a general meeting and then only with a two-thirds majority of those Association voting members attending the meeting. Ten days’ notice shall be required for such an amendment.
• 5.6 The quorum of a general meeting shall be 30 or 5% of the current voting membership, whichever is the smaller.
• 5.7 A voting member of the Association shall be any member who fulfils the criteria for voting member given in sections 3.1 and 3.2 above. (Postal votes can be available at the discretion of the Committee)
• 5.8 All decisions (except that for the selection of candidates for Council elections [see 8.2] or affecting the Constitution and termination of the Association [see 10]) will be agreed by a simple majority, voted in by a show of hands of voting members unless a secret ballot is demanded by a majority of voting members present.

6 Committee

• 6.1 The Committee will consist of up to twenty members including the officers. All such members will have full voting rights.
• 6.2 No Committee member shall be an active officer engaged in the affairs of any political party, other than Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group.
• 6.3 A quorum of the Committee shall be five Committee members, and decisions made by the Committee shall be by simple majority of those present.
• 6.4 Committee members can be voted off if they have not attended three consecutive meetings without good reason or have not submitted their apologies.
• 6.5 Committee members must declare any interest they may have in the topic under discussion and the Committee will decide if they need to forfeit their right to vote on such topic.
• 6.6 The Committee may:
  • (a) Fill any vacancy until the next AGM.
  • (b) Co-opt additional members.
  • (c) Upon prior notice to and with the consent of the Secretary invite any person they see fit to attend any meeting.
  • (d) Appoint sub-Committees to deal, on the Association’s behalf, with specific subjects, including the co-opting of additional members pursuant to 6.6(b) above
• 6.7 The Committee shall cause minutes to be taken of all meetings of the Association and carry out the business of the Association in accordance with the policy agreed at a general meeting.
• 6.8 The Committee shall hold a minimum of nine meetings per year and one within a month of any General Meeting.
• 6.9 A special Committee meeting may be called at the request of three Committee members.
• 6.10 No officer or member of the Committee except the Chair or Secretary shall make an official statement to the press.* 6.11 Nominations for election to the Committee must be sent in writing together with the name of the proposer and seconder (who shall both be ERA members, but only one of which may be an existing Committee member) to the Secretary to reach him or her at least ten days before the annual General Meeting at which the election is to take place. Retiring Members from the Committee shall be eligible for re-election.
• 6.12 Any member newly nominated to the Committee shall be co-opted to the Committee for a probationary period of 3 months. Thereafter the confirmation of the member’s appointment to the Committee shall be by a majority decision of the Committee.

7 Association Officers

• 7.1 The Officers of the Association shall be Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Planning Officer and Webmaster and other officers as the Committee may wish to appoint. No Committee member shall fill more than one such position, except on a temporary basis to fill a vacancy.
• 7.2 The Chair shall be responsible for the work of the Association. He/she shall preside over meetings and be responsible for their conduct including having power of adjournment. The Chair shall have a casting vote but no other vote. (This applies to all meetings). One of the other Officers shall be appointed to stand in for the Chair if any prolonged period of absence occurs.
• 7.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for the administrative work of the Association and will act under the general direction and authority of the Committee. He/she may also act under the direction of and by the authority of a special resolution of a General Meeting of the Association.
• 7.4 The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining a bank account in the name of Egham Residents Association and receiving all monies and paying all Accounts agreed by the Committee. The Treasurer shall act under the general direction of the Committee, including any statutory requirements relating to membership of Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group, and prepare an annual statement of receipts and payments to 31st December each year, which shall be audited by a suitable person selected annually for that purpose. The Accounts will then be presented to the next AGM for adoption.
• 7.5 The Membership Secretary shall be responsible for administration work in relation to the membership of the Association and shall act under the general direction of the Committee and shall also serve as the Association’s Data Protection Officer.
• 7.6 The Webmaster shall be responsible for the design & maintenance of the Association’s web pages & shall act under the general direction of the Committee. The Webmaster may also look after the Associations Social Media feeds, or the Committee may appoint a separate Committee member to look after Social Media.
• 7.7 The Planning Officer shall be responsible for scrutinising planning applications made for the local area, proposing to the Committee suitable responses, and where decided, submitting letters of objection and/or support in co-ordination with the Chair.
• 7.8 All payments over £40 shall be authorised/signed by at least two of the Secretary, Treasurer or Chair. Payments of £40 or under can be authorised/signed by any one of the Secretary, Treasurer or Chair. Only payments of £40 and under can be made by cash (excepting on the night cash payments made for Barn Dance services).

8 Councillors: Terms of Reference

• 8.1 Any decision to give official support to a candidate for election to the Borough or County Councils or the body/bodies that succeed these in the event of a local government re-organisation such as the introduction of a new Unitary Authority will be taken by a general meeting of the Association. In the event of a by-election any decision will be taken by a General Meeting or the Committee.
• 8.2 The choice of candidates will be made as in 8.1. Anyone wishing to be selected should arrange for his/her nominations (signed by a sponsor and seconder) to be submitted to the Secretary two weeks before the meeting at which the candidacy is to be discussed. The potential candidates will be expected to address the meeting and to answer questions to the best of his/her ability. Where more than one nomination is received, the Committee will meet with the candidates beforehand, and the Chair may express the Committee’s preference for one or more of the candidates at the meeting, before the candidates must then be selected by a vote of those present.
• 8.3 Councillors or candidates, nominated and officially supported by the Association, must not be officers or active members of a political party other than Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group.
• 8.4 Councillors elected with the official support of the Association would be a representative of the electorate and not a delegate of the Association. He/she will, however, always be mindful of Association Policy and must frequently consult and report to the Association.
• 8.5 The Association will be free to withdraw its support from a Councillor or Candidate if it is thought by the Committee that he/she is acting contrary to the Association’s interests.

9 Communication with Association Membership

• 9.1 The Association will circulate a Newsletter to the membership.
• 9.2 Normally a minimum of four of these Newsletters will be circulated in any one year. One must be distributed within two months of a General Meeting.
• 9.3 The Committee will arrange Public Meetings, when considered appropriate, on topics of local interest and concern. [These Public Meetings are not the same as a General Meeting and so the rules for the conduct of such meetings do not apply. The privileges of General Meetings are also not available.]
• 9.4 The Committee may take any other steps as it sees fit to inform the electorate of The Ward and surrounding wards.

10 Termination of the Association

• 10.1 The Association may be dissolved if a resolution in respect of this is passed by a two thirds majority, voting by secret ballot, of the Association’s voting membership, at a General Meeting.
• 10.2 One months’ notice must be given of any such resolution and the meeting at which it is to be discussed.
• 10.3 Subject to any specific directions of any resolution (passed as in 10.1) the Committee shall, after payment or collection of any debts of/or to the Association, pay any remaining funds to a purpose(s) as is/are agreed will contribute to the amenities/facilities of The Ward.

February, 2025

Notes : Clauses amended:

• 3.2, 8.1 (October 1985)
• 5.6 (October 1987)
• 2.1,2.4,3.1,3.2 (October 1999)
• 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2,4.3, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6,6.2, 6.3, 6.5, 7.4, 8.3, 9.2. (October 2002)
• 2.1,2.3,3.1,3.2,4.3,5.1,5.3,5.8,5.9,6.1,6.4,6.5,6.6,6.11,6.12,7.1,7.2,7.5,7.6,7.7,9.1,9.2,10.2 (January 2019)
• 7.7 (March 2024)
• 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.3, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 6.3, 6.10, 6.11, 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5, 9.1, 9.4, 10.1, 10.3 (February 2025)