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Roseacre Awareness Group – Constitution from 25th April 2019
NAME OF ORGANISATION
The name of the organisation shall be Roseacre Awareness Group, hereafter known as RAG.
RAG is a fully-constituted, not-for-profit, community organisation.
- AIMS
The aims and objectives of the organisation are:
- to engage with planning applications, public inquiries and any other statutory processes to protect the parish of Treales, Roseacre & Wharles and surrounding areas against any exploration of oil and gas Exploration and or possible Exploitation/Extraction
- to bring together residents of the parish [and their supporters] to actively campaign against any form of exploratory drilling and related/subsequent oil and gas activity throughout all of Lancashire
- to work in partnership with like-minded organisations in order to protect and enhance the local environment and community ensuring that any proposed development is sustainable and appropriate for the area
By:
Researching the issues associated with all the processes involved with unconventional Oil/Gas Exploration (and, if required, possible Exploitation and Extraction) and to provide independent peer- reviewed evidence in a variety of fora concerning proposed sites in the Parish and the general processes involved.
Making information available to supporters and local residents when appropriate.
Carrying out anything else to achieve the organisation’s aims.
- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
to campaign effectively and responsibly against any form, of ONSHORE oil and gas exploration using untested technologies in our Parish and further afield.
- to liaise and work in partnership with all like-minded organisations to retain and work closely with a variety of professional advisors and experts
- to promote the activities of the organisation via a range of suitable media including the RAG website; new and old media
- to raise funds to enable the organisation to carry out its work effectively and efficiently
- to conduct, initiate and commission research relevant to its aims and objectives
- to coordinate and manage all the various activities of its supporters in a professional manner
- to recruit volunteers as and when required – generalists and specialists
- to obtain the services of experts as necessary
- SUPPORTERS
RAG is open to all residents of the Parish of Treales, Roseacre & Wharles and supporters from further afield who share the aims of the organisation, over the age of 16 regardless of age; sex; nationality; political allegiance and religion. This is open to those not resident in the immediate area but to anyone with a shared interest in these issues.
There is no membership sign up, but all supporters are encouraged to register to the RAG mailing list.
All communications will be via the RAG mailing list and, where possible, through the parish press and inFocus community magazine. Supporters are also encouraged to follow the RAG FB page at https://www.facebook.com/roseacreawarenessgroup/ and the RAG website at http://www.ragfrack.co.uk/.
- COMMITTEE
The Committee of RAG undertakes to carry out the associated work of RAG and comprises the following officers:
- Chairperson – Responsible for overseeing the effective running of the organisation and chairing meetings.
- Secretary – Responsible for producing agendas and minutes of meetings, distribution of materials, agendas and minutes to Committee members, maintaining and updating the mailing list of supporters and offering general support to the other Officers.
- Treasurer – Responsible for keeping an accurate record of all monies collected and spent by the organisation, and providing an annual report to the Committee at the AGM
Additional roles may be created as and when the Committee sees fit in order to carry out a range of additional activities. People with specific skills can be co-opted. Not more than 7 other supporters will form the Committee in addition carrying out a range of general activities as offered and/or requested by the Chair.
The Committee shall be elected on an annual basis by a ballot of supporters at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is held each year in January or at another time if appropriate. At least two thirds of those present must support the nomination for that person to be selected. The Committee will then elect its officers.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
An AGM will be held in January each year, unless required otherwise, and the process for electing supporters to serve on the Committee will be communicated via the RAG website, not less than four weeks before the due date of the AGM.
The AGM agenda will be communicated via the RAG website.
In the event of an urgent matter needing to be discussed and possible changes suggested to the Constitution, an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) can be called by supporters and a unanimous decision by the Committee.
- COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Committee meetings will be held regularly and for these meetings to be quorate, no less than 6 members of the Committee must be present. In the absence of the Chair a person should be selected from those present to chair the meeting.
- FINANCE
The Secretary and Treasurer are the appointed trustees of the organisation’s funds and the Treasurer will agree with the Committee, all the arrangements for the security of RAG’s assets, including bank accounts.
Management accounts will be maintained with all financial transactions made in an open and transparent manner. The Treasurer will report on the financial accounts regularly.
Any expenditure needs to be agreed but the Treasurer will have authority to spend money at short notice if required having the approval of the Chair and Secretary.
A statement of Accounts will be prepared and presented at the AGM. The accounts should be subject to an independent review by a competent person who is not a member of the RAG Committee.
As and when the organisation is dissolved, any assets of the organisation will be disposed in a manner to a group with similar aims once all debts and liabilities have been paid off.
- CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUION AND DISSOLUTION OF THE ORGANISATION
Changes to the Constitution can only be made at an AGM or EGM and must be submitted in writing to the Secretary not less than 21 days before the date of the meeting.
Any changes to the Constitution must be agreed by a majority of two thirds of the supporters present at the meeting.
Any proposals to dissolve RAG must be made in writing not less than 21 days before the date of the AGM and must be agreed by a majority of two thirds of the supporters present at the meeting.
Witnesses to the Constitution
Signed: …………………………….
Name: …………………………….
Date: ……………………………………
Chairperson
Signed: …………………………….
Name: …………………………….
Date: ……………………………………..
Secretary
Signed: …………………………….
Name: …………………………….
Date: …………………………………………
Treasurer
ROLES AND REMITS
The Chairperson
The Chairperson has responsibility for making sure meetings run smoothly. This includes making sure everything is kept to an agreed agenda, maintaining order, and helping the group reach decisions. The Secretary should prepare and distribute the agenda IN DRAFT before the meeting. Committee members should have been given the opportunity to have items included on the agenda for discussion. If there are any items which have not been included in the agenda, they should be heard under “any other business” or deferred to a later meeting if more appropriate.
The Chairperson needs to ensure that everyone wishing to contribute is given the opportunity to do so whilst making sure that disruptive individuals do not dominate the discussion. Other ways to maintain order include ensuring the discussion remains relevant, making sure all items on the agenda are covered, and that the meeting finishes on time.
The Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for organising meetings, preparing and distributing agendas, informing Committee members of meeting dates, and keeping an up to date list of supporters. The Secretary should also produce a brief record of what was discussed at meetings and of decisions made (in the form of minutes or Action Points). These will be signed off at the next Committee meeting.
The Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for keeping financial records, maintaining a bank account, keeping receipts, preparing end of year accounts and presenting these to the annual general meeting. The accounts should be subject to an independent review by a competent person not a member of the RAG Committee. It is the Treasurer’s responsibility to present these to the AGM.
The Treasurer will also need to account for how the money has been used. The Treasurer keeps a record of all income and expenditure and may be expected to produce an annual budget, and to report if expenditure varies from what was expected.
Other Committee Members
Members of the RAG Committee, who are not officers, have an important role to play. They contribute to discussion at meetings, may assist officers in their roles, and have important voting powers.