Stop-The-Shaft Group Inaugural Meeting

Are you interested in joining the local pressure group?

The group has been working in an informal way since November 2010. However those closely involved feel that it would be best to formalise the group under a constitution and with officers.

An inaugural meeting will be held at Ranelagh Sailing Club, The Embankment, Putney at 19:30 on Monday, 4th April.  All those wishing to become members of the Group are invited to attend. 

Draft Constitution

Purpose

The Putney & Barnes Stop-The-Shaft Campaign Group (the Group) shall campaign to stop Thames Water constructing the Main Shaft and otherwise using the green space of Barn Elms playing fields for the purposes of the Thames Tunnel scheme.

Membership

Any person who supports the aim of the Group shall be eligible for membership. A membership list shall be maintained by the Secretary. When decisions are taken by vote all members present at a meeting shall be eligible to vote. The quorum for a vote shall be the officers plus 5 members.

Funds

There shall be no subscription.

Funds shall be collected from the members and public as necessary and expedient. Funds shall be received from other bodies who share our interests as available.

Funds shall be disbursed only by agreement of the committee and only for the direct purposes of pursuing our aims.

Any funds remaining when the Group decides to wind itself up shall be passed to the Putney Society and the Barnes Community Society

Committee

The members shall elect members to fill the following posts:

Chair

Secretary

Treasurer

Campaign secretary

Press officer

Campaign Co-ordinator

Events Co-ordinator

Publications and Distributions officer

Technical officer

Celebrities Liaison officer

Horne Way representative

Kenilworth Court representative

A deputy may also be elected for each post

The committee may appoint up to three co-opted members

These officers shall have to following duties:

The Chair shall chair meetings and will have a casting vote in addition to his own vote when a vote is equal for and against. The Chair shall represent the Group at public meetings and to other bodies.

The Secretary shall

• maintain a membership list;
• keep a record of all actions of the Group;
• inform all members of the dates of meetings and events;
• Keep a record of meetings.

The Treasurer shall

• maintain an account of all monies received and disbursed by the Group;
• publish a monthly account and send it to all members by E-mail.

The Campaign Secretary shall

• implement the decisions of the Group with the assistance of the Press officer and Campaign Co-ordinator..

The Press officer shall

• maintain liaison with national, local and special interest media;
• prepare press releases.

The Campaign Co-ordinator shall

• maintain liaison with other campaign groups with similar objectives;
• keep records of events and meetings with other groups;
• asssist the Campaign Secretary is keeping the members informed of all Group activities.

The Events Co-ordinator shall

• make plans for events such as marches and demonstrations;
• Act as social secretary within the Group.

The Celebrities Officer shall

• identify local and London-wide celebrities sympathetic to our cause and keep a list of them;
• inform celebrities of our plans and actions;
• invite celebrities to attend at suitable events.

The Technical officer shall

• keep abreast of the technical aspects of the Thames Tunnel project and inform the group;
• attend technical meetings with other bodies.

The Horne Way and Kenilworth Court representatives shall bring the views of their respective areas to the Group

Meetings

Meetings of the committee shall be held as decided from time to time. All members shall be notified of committee meetings and shall have the right to attend and speak when asked to by the Chair. The quorum for committee meetings shall be 10 members including non committee members.

An inaugural, and bi-annual general meetings shall be held to which all members shall be invited at four weeks notice. Elections shall take place at general meetings.  The quorum for general meetings shall be 50% of the total membership.

Elections

Nominations shall be submitted to the secretary with a signature of the nominee stating that he/she is willing to stand and supporting signatures by two members. Such nominations must be with the Secretary 24 hours before the meeting at which elections are held. The Secretary shall prepare a list of nominees for distribution at the meeting before the elections take place.

If there is more than one nomination for a particular post an election shall be held using written slips and privacy of voting. Tellers shall be elected by show of hands, who shall report the results of elections to the meeting.