CVRA Constitution
(As approved by the 1978 AGM and amended by subsequent AGM’s)
1. TITLE. The name of the Association shall be “The Croham Valley Residents’ Association”.
2. OBJECTS. The objects of the Association shall be:-
(i) To protect and advance the interests of the residents within the Association area, particularly in respect of the environment, transport, traffic and local Government services.
(ii) To ascertain the views of residents on any matter likely to affect their interests and, where considered desirable, to lay these views before the appropriate authority.
(III) To promote and engage with the communal interests of the Area and the Residents.
3. POLICY. The Association shall be non-political in policy.
4. AREA. The area covered by the Association shall embrace Ballards and the Croham Valley and any proximate areas which the Committee from time to time deems appropriate within the London Borough of Croydon.
5. MEMBERSHIP. Any person aged 18 or over in a household within the Association area as defined in Rule 4 shall be eligible for membership of the Association. A Society, Club, School or similar organisation whose headquarters are within the bounds of the Association area as defined in Rule 4 may be accepted as a member of the Association by the Executive Committee subject to representatives of such Society, Club, School or similar organisation being limited to three of their members each having the power to vote at General Meetings of the Association.
6. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION. The Association’s household membership subscription shall be determined at the Annual General Meeting, and become due on the following April. Payment of such subscription shall entitle all members of a household over 18 years of age to speak and vote at General Meetings of the Association.
7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30th November in each year on a date set by the Executive Committee and at this meeting the Chairman of the Association shall present a report covering the work of the Association during the past twelve months.
8. NOTICE OF MEETINGS. Notice of all General Meetings and Public Meetings shall be given by the Honorary Secretary to all members, together with the Agenda for such meetings, at least fourteen clear days before the date set for the meeting. For the avoidance of doubt the giving of a notice (which may be by electronic communication or delivered to premises by post or otherwise) to one member of a household is to be deemed notice to the whole household or organisation.
9. ACCOUNTS. Accounts of the Association for the twelve months ending 31st July duly audited, shall be presented by the Honorary Treasurer at each Annual General Meeting.
10. AUDITORS. One or two honorary auditors or independent examiners shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting.
11. OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. There shall be a President and not more than four Vice-Presidents of the Association who shall be members of the Association and who shall be elected (see Rule 15) at the Annual General Meeting for a period of twelve months. The President and Vice-Presidents may, if willing, be nominated for re-election for a further term of twelve months. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be honorary non-voting members of the Association Executive Committee.
There shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary of the Association who shall be members of the Association and shall be elected (see Rule 15) at each Annual General Meeting and shall be ex officio members of the Association Executive Committee. Nominations for the officers of the Association shall be made, with the consent of the nominee, in writing and be in the hands of the Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer before the start of the Annual General Meeting. In the absence of there being an Honorary Treasurer or Honorary Secretary, the Chair shall act in such capacity.
12. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS. Subject to Rule 8, an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association may be called:-
(a) at the discretion of the Executive Committee at any time, or
(b) on receipt by the Honorary Secretary of a request in writing signed by at least 10% of members; such meetings to be called by the Executive Committee for a date within eight weeks of the receipt of the request.
13. AMENDMENTS TO ASSOCIATION RULES. Amendments to the rules of the Association shall be made only at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting for which the Agenda expressly includes an item proposing a rule amendment and setting out the precise terms of the proposed amendment. Any member of the Association may propose a rule amendment providing that the proposed amendment is sent, in writing, to the Honorary Secretary, or, failing him/her, to the Chairman and received by him/her in the case of an Annual General Meeting by the 30th June of the year of the relevant Annual General Meeting and in the case of an Extraordinary General Meeting, before the Agenda for the Extraordinary General Meeting is sent out.
14. DISSOLUTION. The Association maybe dissolved only as a result of a resolution approved by two-thirds of the members present at a General Meeting for which twenty-eight clear days’ notice has been sent to members and whose agenda includes the item “Dissolution of the Association”. Notwithstanding the wording of such a resolution, the dissolution of the Association shall not take effect until the Association’s funds have been disposed of. The first claim on those funds shall be the Association’s creditors. The General Meeting may decide by simple majority of those present and voting how the balance of the funds shall be expended. In the absence of such a decision providing for the expending of the balance of the funds, the Executive Committee shall decide.
15. VOTING. The direction of the Association’s business shall be by simple majority of those present and voting except where otherwise provided for in the Rules. Voting shall be by show of hands including the election of the President, Vice-Presidents, Officers of the Association and members of the Executive Committee.
16. CASTING VOTE. The chairman presiding at any Association meeting shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie. In the absence of the Chair of the Association the person who is elected to chair the particular meeting has the casting vote in the event of a tie.
17. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
(a) The day-to-day business of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Committee.
(b) In addition to the Association Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary who shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee (see Rule 11) not more than nine other members of this Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (see Rule 15), for a period of twelve months.
(c) Nominations for membership of the Executive Committee, duly proposed and seconded, and with the consent of the nominee, shall be in writing and shall be given to the Honorary Secretary or, failing him/her, to the Chairman before the start of the Annual General Meeting.
(d) The quorum for the Executive Committee shall be four members in addition to the chairman.
(e) In the event of a vacancy among the officers of the Association or members of the Executive Committee occurring during the twelve months following an Annual General Meeting, the Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint Association members to fill such a vacancy.
The Executive Committee shall also be empowered to co-opt up to three additional members of the Association should any special problem arise which calls for expertise not considered to be available among the elected members of the Committee. Such co-opted members shall not have the right to vote at meetings of the Committee.
(f) The Executive Committee shall meet at least every other month.
(g) The Executive Committee shall have the power to discuss and act upon any matter consistent with Rule 2 and not otherwise provided for in the Rules.
(h) The maintenance of a bank or similar account shall be subject to the authorisation of the Executive Committee.
(i) Any one item of expenditure in excess of 8% of the previous year’s total subscriptions must be authorised by a minute of the Executive Committee, with the exception of the cost of printing the Newsletter.
(j) The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees from among its members for special purposes as may be deemed necessary.
18. OPEN MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. All members of the Association may be present at “Open” meetings of the Executive Committee which shall not exceed four in number in any one year. Members attending such “Open” meetings shall not be permitted to discuss items on the agenda except under “Any other business” and shall not have the right to vote.
19. PROCEDURE. A General Meeting and the Executive Committee shall each determine its own procedure, which shall conform to the Association’s Rules.
Revised at the AGMs 2012 (AAR), 2013 (AAR), 2016 (EG), 2017 (EG), 2018 (JG) and 2022 (JG).
Revised at the AGMs 2012 (AAR), 2013 (AAR), 2016 (EG), 2017 (EG), 2018 (JG) and 2022 (JG).