YARN CONSTITUTION

1.   The Name.
The group will be called Yeadon And Rawdon Neighbourhood Watch Association (Hereto after called ‘The Association’)

2.   Aims.
The aims of the association are to promote the good citizenship and greater public participation in the prevention and solution of crime in the West Yorkshire Police area generally and more specifically in Yeadon, Rawdon and the surrounding area.

3.   Powers.
In furtherance of these aims The Association may;
  1. Promote and encourage the growth of Neighbourhood Watch within Yeadon and Rawdon and the surrounding areas not currently organized into watches.

  2. Administer, co-ordinate and support the Neighbourhood Watch Schemes within Yeadon and Rawdon, and act as a link between them and the local Police where necessary.

  3. Actively encourage the creation of watches within Yeadon and Rawdon that are not currently organized into watches.

  4. Contact and liase with other local Neighbourhood Watch Association with the aim of sharing information of mutual interest.

  5. Actively encourage the creation of other local Neighbourhood Watch Associations in areas adjacent to Yeadon and Rawdon that do not have one.

  6. Contact and liase with other organizations in the region, which are concerned with crime prevention and the welfare of victims of crime with the aim of sharing information of mutual interest.

  7. Raising funds from any person, organization or corporate bodies provided that the Association will not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds for its primary charitable objectives.

  8. Undertake, execute, manage or assist any charitable trust, which may lawfully be undertaken, executed or assisted by the Association.

  9. Do such other lawful things as are necessary to promote the above aims.

  10. The Association will be non-party in politics, non-sectarian in religion, nor discriminatory in race, gender or ability.


4.   Schemes.
  1. Each scheme will comprise of approximately 30 adjacent households.

  2. Each scheme will have a name and a number. The name being normally based on the street or area it covers and the number being given by the Association.

  3. All schemes within the area shall have a person acting on behalf of the scheme and will be known as the scheme co-ordinator. They may have one or more nominated deputies.

  4. A new scheme will only be started after a meeting of potential scheme members, run by members of the Association’s Committee with the Police in attendance, and at which the potential members agree to a co-ordinator and support the principles of Neighbourhood Watch.

5.   Membership.
Each member of each household within each Neighbourhood Watch scheme within Yeadon and Rawdon, is a member of The Association.

6.   Executive Committee.
  1. An Executive Committee (Herein after referred to as the Committee) will comprise of elected officers who must be members of the Association prior to election.

  2. The Committee will have responsibility for the administration and management, including policy and finance of The Association in order to achieve the aims of The Association.

  3. All posts on the Committee are honorary.

  4. If a member of the Committee resigns or is for some other reason, unable to fulfil the post, the Committee should decide which one of them should fill the post until an Annual or Extraordinary Meeting can be held. The nominated person then holds that post until the end the above meeting and will be eligible for election at that meeting.


7.   Officers of the Association.

Members of the Committee
  • Chairperson
  • Vice Chairperson
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Minutes Secretary
  • Watch Secretary
  • Co-ordinator Support
  • News Letter Co-ordinator
  • News Letter Distribution Co-ordinator
  • News Letter Printing Co-ordinator
Associate Members of the Committee
  • Invited representative of the local Community Policing Team
  • The Neighbourhood Watch Officer for the Police covering Yeadon and Rawdon.


8.   Nomination and Election of Officers.
  1. Members of the Committee can only be voted into office at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting. Other officers of the association can be voted into office at any general meeting.

  2. Only Watch Co-ordinators or their nominated representative can nominate for election, and vote for, officers of the Association.

  3. Nominations for Members of the Committee must be made be members of the Association and must be in the hands of the Secretary at least three days before the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.

  4. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election will be decided by simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.

  5. In the case of equality of votes, the Chairperson will have a second casting vote.

  6. In the event of only one person being nominated for a post, then that person will be declared elected.

  7. An accidental failure to elect someone to an office or an accidental defect in election, appointment, co-option or qualification of any anyone elected to an office, will not invalidate the proceedings of the Committee.


9.   The Authority of the Committee.
  1. The Committee has the power to enter into contracts for the purposes of the Association on behalf of the members of the Association.

  2. The Committee may form sub-Committee to enable it to conduct its affairs more effectively.

  3. A sub-Committee can only be formed at a meeting of the Committee and will comprise of at least three people and is totally responsible to the Committee for its actions.

  4. The members of the Committee are entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the Association for all expenses and other liabilities, properly incurred by them in the management of the affairs of the Association. This indemnity will not extend to liabilities arising from wilful and individual fraud, wrongdoing or wrongful omission on the part of the members sought to be liable.

10.   Patrons.
The Committee may elect any person as a patron of the Association for such a period as they think fit and such a person will be entitled to all privileges of membership except that they will not be entitled to vote at meetings nor serve as officers of the Committee.

11.   Meetings.
  1. General meetings will be held at least four times a year. One of these meetings will be the Annual General Meeting to which all members will be invited to attend, and for which fourteen days clear notice through the voice-mail / email system. The meeting will also be advertised in the local press.

  2. The Annual General Meeting will be held in the first six months of each calendar year and not more than fifteen months after the preceding Annual General Meeting.

  3. The business of the Annual General Meeting will include: -

    • The election of officers and committee members.

    • The appointment of an auditor or auditors.

    • The consideration of an annual report of the work done during the year and of the audited accounts.

    • Where considered necessary, consideration of and voting on proposals to alter this constitution.

  4. The chairperson of the Committee may at any time at his/her discretion call a Special General Meeting of the members of the Association.

  5. The secretary will, within 28 days of receiving a written request to do so (signed by no less than fifteen co-ordinators and a given reason for the request), call a Special General Meeting of the members of the Association.

12.   Conduct of Meetings.
  1. Conduct of Meetings

    A quorum for the commencement of Association Meetings and for voting on any proposals in those meetings, are as follows:

    for

    • An Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting, 15 members: 3 to be Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer or their designated representatives plus 12 other Co-ordinators,

    • A General Meeting, General Meeting, 6 members: 2 to be Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer or their designated representatives plus 4 other Co-ordinators,

    • A Committee Meeting, 4 members: 2 to be Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer or their designated representatives plus 2 other committee members.

  2. Voting

    Meetings will be chaired and all voting will be carried out by a simple show of hands. A “one person – one vote” will apply, except that in the case of an equality of votes, the Chairperson will have a second casting vote.

  3. Minutes

    All meetings will be recorded and minutes kept of proceedings.

  4. Standing Orders

    The Committee may make such rules for the conduct of its business and that of The Association as it may deem necessary, and will have the power to repeal and amend such rules, as it from time to time consider necessary. Such rules, repeals and amendments will have effect until set aside by the Committee or at a General Meeting.

13.   Finance.
  1. The Treasurer will keep proper accounts of the finances of the Association.

  2. The accounts will also be made available to any member of the Association or other person having good reason to inspect them provided such notice is given in writing to the Committee with 7 days notice.

  3. A bank account will be opened in the name of the Association and the Committee will authorise, in writing, any two out of three persons, one being the Treasurer and the other two Committee Members to sign cheques on behalf of The Association All cheques must be signed by two of the authorized signatures.

  4. The committee will have the power to authorise payment of expenses to ant officer or member consequent upon services rendered to the Association.

  5. The Committee will have the power to authorise remuneration to any employee of The Association; provided that such an employee is not a member of the Committee.

    14.   Charity.

    If The Association becomes a Charity, the Committee shall comply with there obligations under the Charities act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the following: -

    • The keeping of accounting records for the Charity;

    • The preparation of annual statements of accounts for the Charity;

    • The auditing or independent examination of the statement of accounts for the Charity;

    • The transmission of the statement of account of the charity to the Commissioners.

15.   Alteration to the Constitution.

Any alterations to this constitution will receive the assent of not less than two-thirds of the co-ordinators of The Association present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting provided such notice of any such alteration will have been received by the Secretary in writing not less than 21 clear days before the meeting at which the alteration is proposed.

At least 14 days notice of such a meeting will be made available through the voice-mail / email system and notice will appear in the local press.

No alteration to Clause 2 or 15 will be made until approval in writing has been obtained from any authority having charitable jurisdiction over The Association, and no alteration will be made which would have the effect of causing The Association to cease to be a charity at law, at any time The Association has Charity status.

16.   Dissolution of the Association.

If the Committee as a whole, by a simple majority, decide at any time that on the grounds of expense or otherwise, it is necessary to dissolve The Association, it will call a meeting of all co-ordinators of the Association who have the power to vote, of which meeting not less than 21 days notice will be given through the voice-mail / email system and notice will appear in the local press.

If such a decision will be confirmed by two-thirds of majority of those present and voting at the meeting, the committee will have the power to dispose of any assets held by or on behalf of The Association.

Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debt and liabilities shall be given or transferred to other local Neighbourhood Watch Associations and or the West Yorkshire Neighbourhood Watch Associations at the discretion of The Committee.

©   YARN Committee 2003