BNW Constitution, Issue 7.
1. STATUS OF THE WATCH
The organisation shall be known as the BROADSTONE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH (the Watch).
The Watch is an unincorporated membership organisation.
2. AIMS OF THE WATCH.
The aim of BROADSTONE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH is to bring residents together to help create a strong, active community where crime and anti social behaviour are less likely to occur. We will do this through sharing information and providing education for our members about home, road and personal safety, supporting the police in the prevention and investigation of crime/anti social behaviour and through partnerships with other organisations to build an environment where nobody feels afraid, isolated or vulnerable. The Watch liaises with other organisations that have similar aims, sharing resources, offering advice and, potentially, providing financial support.
3. MEMBERSHIP.
Membership shall be open to all occupants of domestic and commercial properties within the Broadstone postal district (BH18) and certain adjacent streets at the discretion of the Committee.
4. STRUCTURE.
The area covered by the Watch shall be divided into Sectors identified by a distinguishing colour and each Sector shall in turn be subdivided into a number of Areas of convenient size, each Area being under the supervision of one or more Co-ordinators. Each Area shall comprise a number of Groups, each under the leadership of a Contact. Each Group shall consist of a number of domestic and/or commercial properties adjacent to that of the Contact, usually in one road or part of a road.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS.
The Watch requires members to pay an annual subscription of £1 and their continuing membership is dependent on this. These subscriptions go towards the running expenses of the Watch and any donations that it may make in support of community initiatives. The amount of the subscription is recommended periodically by the Committee and any change is approved at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
6. NEWSLETTER
The Watch aims to produce a monthly Newsletter of crime statistics and other relevant topics. This will be distributed to all Member properties (as defined in 3 & 5. above).
7. COMMITTEE.
The Watch shall be managed by a Committee which shall be elected annually at the AGM.
The Committee shall consist of seven Officers – Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Membership Secretary and Media Officer. The Membership Officer’s principal activity is the keeping of the Membership Records. The Media Officer organises and maintains the outward facing media tools such as the Website and Social Media platforms. The Committee also has 8 elected Co-ordinators, at least one from each Sector. A Coordinator in this membership category may share this role with that of a Committee Officer. A member of the Watch wishing to stand for any office of the Committee at the AGM may do so by notifying the Secretary either before the AGM or during the AGM itself.
A quorum of the Committee shall consist of 6 members. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members to serve in any capacity, and any co-opted members should be notified to the Members at the next AGM. All Co-ordinators have the right to attend and speak at Committee Meetings but only members of the Committee have the right to vote. A member of the local Police Team also has the right to attend, and is very important as an essential input to the meeting and indeed the whole operation of the Watch.
8. MEETINGS.
Meetings of the Committee shall be held at least once per quarter. Area and Group meetings shall be held as frequently as Co-ordinators and Contacts think fit. Each member of the Committee shall have one vote only. Motions shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and voting. In the event of a tied vote, motions shall be deemed to be lost.
An AGM shall be held in May of each year. Not less than 21 days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all members of the holding of the Meeting. All members have the right to vote.
9. BANK ACCOUNT.
One or more accounts shall be opened and maintained with Barclays Bank, Broadstone Branch or such other bank or Financial Institution as the Committee shall decide, for the purpose of holding funds belonging to the Watch. All withdrawals from the account(s) shall be signed by any two of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary. Surplus funds shall be held in an interest-bearing account
10. THE FUNDS
The funds of the Watch shall be used as the Committee considers to be in the best interests of the Watch. As a first priority, shall be the publication and distribution of the Watch’s monthly Newsletter and the running expenses of the organisation. Surplus funds may, with the Committee’s approval, be donated to any organisation and/or project whose objectives are consistent with the Aims of the Watch.
11. FINANCIAL YEAR AND ACCOUNTS.
The Financial Year of the Watch shall run from 1 April to 31 March annually. An Account showing the income and expenditure of the Watch for the year shall be prepared by the Treasurer and examined by a competent, independent person and presented to the AGM for approval.
12. WINDING UP OF WATCH.
In the event of the Watch ceasing to function, all remaining funds after payment of all amounts due shall be donated to a charity to be decided by the Committee.
13. AMENDMENTS.
Any amendments to this Constitution shall be approved at an AGM or at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for this purpose. At least 21 days’ Notice shall be given to all members of any proposed amendments and a majority in favour of at least two-thirds of those voting is required.
14. EXPENSES
Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed to Committee members and others who work for the Watch, if requested.
ISSUE HISTORY
(See previous versions for earlier Issue History).
Issue 7, approved at the AGM 19/5/2022.
An additional 3 sentences added in Para 8 to clarify Committee Voting. This, being a significant change, was published giving the requisite 21 days notice in the April 2022 Newsletter. Two trivial changes in Para 7, Committee, will also be put before the AGM. These are 1) A change in the IT Officer’s title to “Media Officer”, [in two places] and 2) A change to say that a member of the Watch wishing to stand for any Office of the Committee at the AGM may do so by notifying the Secretary either before the AGM or during the AGM itself.