Community Boards' Terms of Reference

To enable local people to influence the quality of life for their community.

2.1  Act as champions of the community, especially through membership of the Havant Community Partnership (HCP) Board.

 

2.2  Each Community Board will remain a member of the HCP and report to the HCP Board.

 

2.3   Ensure that the community is actively involved in the decision-making processes for the planning and provision of local services.

 

2.4   Be the consultation mechanism for the Havant Community Partnership in the delivery and ongoing review of the Sustainable Community Strategy, representing local views and highlighting issues to improve quality of life for the local community.

 

2.5   Liaise with other groups and agencies engaged in local community-based activities.

 

2.6   Establish permanent and/or “task and finish” sub-groups as required to undertake specific activities, receive reports from the sub-groups and monitor progress with activities.

 

2.7   Meet at least every two months, prior to meetings of the HCP Board.

 

2.8   Liaise with HCP partners and other public, private and voluntary sector organisations as necessary to achieve the Community Board’s objectives.

3.1   The Community Board will consist of a maximum of 15 voting members who live, work or learn in the Community Board’s area. Membership will include at least 50% local residents and one local Ward Councillor from Havant Borough Council; and should be a reasonable representation of the population the Community Board serves, bearing in mind age, gender, disability, ethnic minority and faith. The Ward Councillor provides a link between the Community Board and Havant Borough Council and a means of seeking community views.

 

At the discretion of the Community Board, additional members may be co-opted as required but will have no voting rights.

 

3.2   The HCP Board will, in the event of a Community Board becoming unrepresentative, reserve the right to intervene to restore a balance of representation.

 

3.3   An Annual General Meeting (AGM) (for which at least 30 days written notice will be given) will be held, commencing in Spring 2006, at which the members of the Community Board will be nominated and elected. The meeting will receive reports from the current Chairperson. The officers of the Community Board (Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson) will be elected at the first meeting of the Board after the AGM .

 

3.4   Ideally, the Chairman of the Community Board should be independent of the council ie not a Ward Councillor.

 

3.5   Once elected at the AGM , Community Board members will be appointed for a maximum of 3 years, with one third of the membership (ie 5 members) standing down each year.

 

3.6   Any Community Board member who does not attend three consecutive Community Board Meetings will normally cease to be a member and will not be eligible for re-election at the AGM . (This to be at the discretion of the Chairman and subsequent ratification by the Community Board).

 

3.7   In the event of a Community Board vacancy arising during the year, the vacancy will be advertised and candidates elected to the Community Board by the existing Community Board members.

 

3.8   At least 7 days written notice will be given of other meetings.

 

3.9   Members of the public attending the meetings will be required to register their attendance if they wish to receive correspondence arising from the meeting.

 

3.10  No meeting will commence until a quorum (at least four members, of which two must be residents) is present. If a quorum is not present within half an hour of the published starting time the meeting will be cancelled.

 

3.11  If the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson cannot attend a meeting the members present will elect a resident member to take the chair for the meeting.

 

3.12  Each member will have one vote. In the event of a tie the Chairperson will have a casting vote.

 

3.13  Agenda items, reports and papers relating to meetings will be distributed to Community Board members at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

 

3.14  The Community Boards’ Support Officer (or in his/her absence, another nominated Community Board member) will record action notes from each meeting and distribute copies to members within 21 days of the meeting.

 

3.15  Members must declare any material direct or indirect interest they may have in respect of any agenda item(s) and withdraw from discussions and voting in respect of the item(s) if requested to do so by the Chairperson.

 

3.16  The Community Board will not discriminate on grounds of race, faith, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age in its membership, election of officers, conduct of its business or in any other way.

 

3.17  Allegations of misconduct by individual members will be investigated by the Havant Community Partnership’s Community Board representative and appropriate officers of the Community Board. If the allegations prove to be correct the individual’s membership will be suspended or dismissed. Members of the Community Board may nominate a substitute to replace the suspended or dismissed member.

 

3.18  The Community Board will nominate a representative to sit on the Havant Community Partnership Board.

 

3.19  A maximum of 15 minutes of each Community Board meeting will be set aside for residents (non-board members) to raise any issues for the local community.

 

3.20  All Community Board meetings will be held at locations within the Community Board’s area and will be open to members of the public to attend as observers. However, the Chairman has the right to hold extra meetings in private should the need arise (for example, in the case of any situation as in 3.16 above).