1. NAME:
The name shall be “Southend & District Pensioners Campaign” (hereinafter referred to as “The Campaign”)
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
a. The primary object is to promote the welfare and interests of pensioners and to act as a valuable information resource for older people’s organisations, within the extended Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Castle Point and Rochford District.
b. To include and involve all pensioners without discrimination to gender, age, race, religion, disability or political or sexual orientation.
c. To promote policies beneficial to retired and older people.
d. To encourage the development of educational and other opportunities to enable older people to contribute to community activities.
e. To engage with other groups and organisations and to promote and encourage partnership development and partnership working in all mutually beneficial areas of community activity.
3. MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANISATION
a. “The Campaign” is an autonomous and affiliated branch of the National Pensioners Convention and is a non party political organisation.
b. Membership is open to all pensioners upon payment of the annual membership fee of £12 per year or such other sum, as “The Campaign” shall decide. Associated membership is open to any person who wishes to support the Aims and Objectives as set out in clause 2 above.
c. Organisations may affiliate for £20.00 per year; organisation members may attend our members meetings and nominate one member to attend our Executive Meeting.
4. ADMINISTRATION
a. “The Campaign” will be administered by a Committee consisting of the Executive Officers, holding delegated powers, who are the Chairperson, Secretary, Vice Chairperson and Treasurer and other Committee Members, all of whom shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting of “The Campaign’s” membership, subject to a maximum of 10 members.
b. Any communications issued on behalf of the “The Campaign” by Executive Officers will be, in the first instance, be issued via the Hon. Secretary, or checked by one other Officer to ensure compliance with “The Campaign” aims and objectives.
c. A Committee Quorum shall consist of three members of the Committee.
d. The Committee shall be the decision making body of “The Campaign” and shall meet monthly unless otherwise decided by a General Meeting. It shall also be responsible for implementing policies decided, and for preparing proposals for consideration by the membership, on all matters concerning the welfare of pensioners.
e. The Committee shall have the power to act on any urgent matters arising between meetings of the membership. All decisions and actions will be reported back to the membership for ratification.
f. The Committee may appoint any such other officers from amongst its members as it may be considered necessary for the effective carrying out of the work of “The Campaign”.
g. Members of the Committee who do not attend three (3) consecutive meetings without offering an apology, unless under exceptional circumstances, shall be deemed to have resigned and receive no further business papers.
h. Meetings of the membership shall be held on the third Wednesday in the month, as decided by The Committee.
i.. Membership data base shall be used solely for the business of “the Campaign” subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act and updated by the GDPR policy document.
j. The Annual General Meeting shall be held within 18 months of the previous AGM. The AGM will deal with nominations and voting for all members of The Committee. The AGM will receive and discuss a report of The Campaign’s activities during the preceding year.
k Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be delivered to the membership at least 21 days prior to the date of the AGM.
l. Voting at all meetings, unless otherwise stated in the Constitution, shall be by a show of hands and by a majority vote of those present.
5. FINANCES
a. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining proper account of “The Campaigns”‘ finances, including a bank or building society account in the name of “The Campaign”. Two of the authorised signatories are required to sign cheques.
b. Accounts will be independently inspected annually by an individual appointed by The Committee.
c. All matters affecting “The Campaign’s finances will be decided by The Committee”.
6. INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
Where any item of the Constitution requires interpretation or where the Constitution is silent, The Committee will make a decision. The decision will be discussed and ratified at the next General Meeting of Membership.
7. AFFILIATION AND DISAFFILIATION
Voting at a meeting of The Committee on matters of affiliation or disaffiliation shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present and may be appealed at the next membership meeting where a majority vote only will be required for a decision.
8. DISSOLUTION OF THE CAMPAIGN
a. If at any time, dissolution is called for by not less than two thirds of the Affiliates and Sponsors, or of the members of The Committee, The Committee shall convene a special meeting of the membership within three months of notification. A two-thirds majority will be required for dissolution to be decided upon.
b. In the event of dissolution being decided, any assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities will be given to the National Pensioners Convention or, in the event that the National Pensioners Convention should have ceased to operate, some other organisation with the most similar or comparable Aims and Objectives.
Amended February 2022 at EGM