The Forum Constitution

MILTON NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM CONSTITUTION

Name

The name of the Neighbourhood Forum will be “Milton Neighbourhood Forum”

Objects

The Forum is a non-political organisation for the benefit of Milton by promoting a discussion between local residents, the City Council and other appropriate organisations about issue of concern locally and improvements to the area’s environment, appearance and/or amenities.

Membership

All people living in the area designated as the Forum area are automatically members of the Forum.  In addition, Portsmouth City Councillors for any Ward wholly or partly within the area covered by the Forum are members (i.e., Milton and Baffins Wards).

Meetings

The Forum should meet at least twice per year, Meetings will be called by the Chair, by the Committee, or by any 10 members passing a signed request to the secretary or Lead Officer. An agenda, stating the subjects to be discussed at the meeting will be displayed locally and circulated to every household in the Forum area 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.  Decisions may be taken by a majority vote of those present by a show of hands. No decisions shall be taken if there are less than 20 residents present. 

Officers

There will be a Chair, Vice chair, Secretary, and Treasurer (if appropriate) plus a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 forum representatives to serve on the committee to be nominated by Forum Members.  The term of office shall be 2 years from the date of election with outgoing officers able to offer themselves for re-selection. S

The Chairs’ responsibility will be to call at least 2 meetings for 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 to minute the meetings.

The Vice-chair shall deputise for the Chair of Secretary in their absence.  

Forum representatives:

Members of the Neighbourhood forum are eligible for re-election as Forum Representatives, who will act together to carry out the functions of the Committee

The Committee

The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Forum Representatives 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.  The role of the Committee will be to obtain input from the neighbourhood, to prioritise issues and to take action on them as appropriate, feeding back such action to the neighbourhood via the Forum.  The Committee shall also be responsible for suggesting items for discussion and preparation of the agenda for forum meetings. 

The Committee shall have the authority to represent its views as being those of the Neighbourhood forum and to make decisions on matters of concern to Milton if urgency does not allow the full Forum to be consulted.  Such decisions shall be reported to the next full Forum Meeting. 

The Committee must have a quorum of 6 members of the Committee for a meeting to proceed.  Minutes will be taken and copies circulated to all Committee Members and Ward Councillors within 21 days of the meeting having taken placed (including Full Forum Meetings).

Persons other than Officers, Councillors, and the Lead Officer may be invited by the Chair, Vice Chair or Secretary to attend Committee Meetings and take part in relevant discussions.  Such persons will not have voting rights if the issue necessitates a decision being taken. 

In the absence of the Chair or Secretary at a Committee meeting, the Officers shall elect a Chair and Minute Secretary for that particular meeting.  The secretary may nominate a “stand-in” secretary who shall be a member of the Committee as and when required.

The Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Forum Representatives will be expected to attend committee meetings regularly.  When they are unable to attend, Forum Representatives should tender apologies in advance of the meeting.  Elected Officers who fail to attend two consecutive Committee meetings without advance notification will be considered as having resigned and a replacement sought at the next Forum Meeting. 

A Forum Member who wishes to raise a particular issue with the Committee must give notice to the Secretary, who will add the item(s) to the agenda of the next Committee Meeting.  The Forum Member shall have the right to attend the Committee Meeting and particulate in the discussion of that topic.

The neighbourhood Forum shall have the power to remove the Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary or Forum Representative from office by a majority vote.

Functions

The functions of the Neighbourhood forum are: –

  • to discuss matters of interest and concern to the Milton district;
  • to discuss these with the City Council and other agencies and organisations and to represent the views of local people to those bodies.
  • To raise issues where action to improve the environment, appearance and/or amenity of the area and to receive progress reports on action taken;
  • to comment on any proposal before the City Council which affects the local neighbourhood;
  • to make bids to, and assist, the City Council in prioritizing schemes in the Milton area;
  • to provide feedback on City Council services and to advise City Council on development of its corporate priorities and service plans.

Changes to the Constitution

The constitution and/or area covered by the forum can only be changed by a 2/3rds majority present at a meeting of the Forum.  The agenda for such a meeting must be circulated at least 14 days before the meeting and must include notice of proposed change(s).

Dissolution of the Forum

If upon the winding-up or dissolution of the Forum there remain, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any assets whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to, or distributed among, the members if the Forum, but shall be given or transferred to some other chartable institution or institutions within the area having objectives similar to those of the Forum (including the requirement to prohibit the distribution of such assets between the members).

The decision about which charitable institution should receive any such transferred assets shall be determined by the members of the Forum on, or before, the time of dissolution.