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North Southsea Neighbourhood Forum Constitution

Last updated: 23 August 2006 13:59

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The name of the Neighbourhood Forum will be the 'North Southsea Neighbourhood Forum'.

To benefit North Southsea by promoting a discussion between local residents and the City Council and other appropriate organisations on issues of concern locally and improvements to the area's environment, appearance and/or amenities.

All people living in the area outlined on the attached map are automatically members of the Forum.
The Portsmouth City Councillors for any ward wholly or partially within the area covered by the Forum (i.e. Charles Dickens and St. Thomas Ward), together with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council will be honorary members without voting rights.

The Forum will meet at least twice a year. Meetings will be called by the Chair, by the Committee, or by any 10 members passing a signed request to the Secretary. An agenda, stating the subjects to be discussed at the meeting will be displayed locally and circulated to every household in the neighbourhood at least 7 days before the meeting.
If for any reason the agenda fails to be delivered to any individual household as required above, this will not invalidate the meeting.
Meetings will be open to everyone living in the neighbourhood. Any decisions will be taken by a show of hands majority vote of those present. No decisions shall be taken if there are fewer than 20 residents present.

There will be a Chair and a Secretary of the Forum, elected from amongst the members annually at the first meeting after 1st May. The Chair's responsibility will be to call at least two meetings of the Forum per year, to agree the agenda and to Chair the meetings. The Secretary will receive requests for meetings from the Chair and/or members, arrange for the circulation of the agendas and minute the meetings.

The Neighbourhood Forum will appoint a Committee, who will take responsibility for communications between the Neighbourhood Forum and local residents, for the distribution of agendas and other material, and reporting their views as appropriate.
The Committee will be elected at each Annual General Meeting.
The Chair, Secretary and Committee members may together comprise a Committee to assist the efficient running of the Neighbourhood Forum. Meetings of the Committee may be held as agreed by its members. However, the role of the committee will be solely to suggest items for discussion and prepare the agenda for meetings of the Forum, and to resolve any administrative issues concerning the running of the Forum.
The Committee shall elect sub-committees from within itself to deal with specific issues.
While the committee will make every effort to consult the forum on all matters, the committee and sub-committees shall have the authority to represent the views of the forum in matters of emergency when it is not possible to take these matters to full meetings of the Neighbourhood Forum. Before taking any action the committee will contact as many residents as is feasible and report all actions back to the next meeting.
The Neighbourhood Forum meeting shall have the power to remove the Chair, Secretary or any Committee member from office by a majority vote.

This constitution, and/or the area covered by the Forum, can only be changed by a 2/3rds majority vote of members present at a meeting of the Forum. The agenda for such a meeting must have been circulated at least 14 days before the meeting, and included notice of the proposed change.