Church Lench Village Hall Constitution

Purpose

To hold and maintain the Village Hall as an amenity for the benefit of the local community, and to organise and encourage social and recreational events for the enjoyment of community members and as a means of raising funds for the upkeep of the Hall.

Introduction

On seventh of April, 1933 a plot of land was conveyed to the community of Church Lench  by Archibald Powell  of Church Farm for the sum of £5.   The community was defined as the Parish of Church Lench and its immediate vicinity, and was represented by a group of some fourteen local residents who agreed to act as a Council of Management, hereinafter called the Management Committee.   The use of the land and its subsequent development was defined as physical and mental recreation, social and moral and intellectual development for the benefit of the inhabitants of the community.

The first Village Hall that was built on the land existed until 2006 when the current Hall replaced it.    In line with the purposes outlined above, it is now used for social and recreational purposes, together with meetings of committees and use as a voting station for local and national elections.   Examples of regular users are Lenches Pre-School, W.I., Parish Council meetings and of course the Management Committee.

The Church Lench Village Hall has charitable status.

There is no membership of the Village Hall itself.   All activities and meetings are by arrangement with and subject to the approval of the Management Committee.  

The Committee may refuse an application to use the Hall if it is believed detrimental to the building itself or to the community.

The Trustees  

There are four Trustees whose role is one of oversight, primarily with regard to the maintenance of the assets, within the spirit of the original conveyance /Trust document.

Management Committee (also referred to as the Church Lench Village Hall Committee)

1.   Objectives  

-          To maintain the fabric of the building inside and out.

-          To promote and plan the use of the Hall for the benefit of the community in line with the Purpose defined above.

-          To charge appropriate and agreed fees and rental to organisations, groups or individuals using the Hall.

-          To seek to generate income to match or exceed outgoings in order to maintain a sound financial position.

2.   Management      

-          The Committee will comprise not less than 8 members, with a maximum of 12.

-          The Officers will comprise Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and Bookings Secretary.

-          The Committee may co-opt onto the Committee up to 2 additional members in an advisory and non-voting capacity to meet particular needs and for necessary duration.

-          The Committee will meet regularly as required.   One meeting will be the AGM, which will be open to the public, and one will be for the preparation of the annual plan.

-          Committee members will have one vote on matters arising, with the Chairperson having the casting vote in the event of a tie.

-          At least 6 members must be present for a Committee Meeting to take place.   Any change to the Constitution will however require a minimum of two thirds of members.

-          The Committee will have the power to remove any member of the Committee for good and proper reason.

-          Committee members will be elected for one year and may submit themselves for re-election for a further term at the end of this time.   If a Committee member resigns at any time during the year, a replacement member will be sought and elected as soon as possible.


3.   Duties of the Officers.

The duties of the Chairperson will be to

-          chair meetings of the Committee

-          represent the Committee at functions or meetings of other groups that the Committee is invited to attend

-          nominate another Committee member to stand in their stead if they will not be available for any meeting

-          act as spokesperson for the Committee when necessary

The duties of the Secretary will be to

-          maintain the Committee membership list

-          together with the Chairperson, prepare the agenda for Committee meetings and circulate it to all concerned in good time together with any relevant papers

-          take and keep minutes of all meetings and circulate them together with relevant papers to Committee members and Trustees

The duties of the Treasurer will be to

-          supervise the financial affairs of the Committee

-          keep, in conjunction with an agreed external Accountant, proper accounts that show all monies received and paid out during the Committee’s financial year.

-          present annual accounts, audited by the external Accountant, to the Committee for approval and follow up any matters arising          

The duties of the Booking Secretary will be to

-          take the bookings for the Hall

-          maintain the events diary

-          post and update a list of forthcoming events in the Hall for general information   

The duties of other Committee members will be to

-          attend and participate in meetings

-          help in projects within their area of expertise to assist in the running and maintenance of the Hall, monitoring such projects to ensure they are completed  as intended and within budget and  reporting back to the Committee on progress or if any problems arise.

4.   Finance

-          all monies received shall be applied to further the aims set out under Purpose above and for no other purpose

-          any bank accounts opened shall be in the name of the Church Lench Village Hall

-          cheques issued will be signed by the Treasurer and one other member of the Committee who will  be authorised  by the bank to sign

-          any cash payments for minor items will be made by the Treasurer and a receipt obtained

-          the Treasurer will ensure that the accounts are audited or independently examined each year

-          the Committee may agree the payment of reasonable expenses to a member carrying out agreed duties on the Committee’s behalf

-          the Committee will attempt to build and hold a reserve account for use, together with other specific fund raising activities, when deterioration of or damage to the building or other assets result in the need to fund larger outgoings.

Annual General Meeting

-          the agenda will be circulated to Committee members, and to the Trustees for information, at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting.   The notice of the meeting and agenda will be posted on public noticeboard(s)

-          the meeting will be open to the public

-          the business of the AGM will include reports on the activities during the year from the Chairperson and  the Secretary, and any local organisations or other users of the Village Hall on a regular basis who are invited to report

-          the Treasurer will present the accounts for the year with an accompanying  report.   The accounts will be subjected to a vote of approval, with a simple majority of those attending being sufficient

-          re-election of existing members and election of new committee members where applicable will take place

-          any other business will allow contributions from members of the public.

Special General Meetings

A Special General Meeting may be called by the Chairperson to discuss an urgent matter arising.   Maximum notice will be given and an agenda will be issued as quickly as possible and circulated to Committee members, the Trustees, and if thought necessary or advisable to public noticeboards.