Pasted from emails dated 14/02/2024

Constitution 

1. Name
2. The name of the association is Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd (Registered Personal Society 6360R with the Financial Conduct Authority)
   1. Objective
3. The objective of the Association is to:

      Promote and manage the use of Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd in order to enhance the all-round gardening experience of plot holders for the residents within the County and District of South Gloucestershire  

1. Membership

     The Association will consist of the following classes of members:  Full Membership

1. Full Membership –Only available to a person who has entered into an agreement to rent a plot or part of a plot from the association and who is over the age of 18.  A member of the Association will be every person who has entered into an agreement with Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd for the letting of an allotment plot and whose current rental is not in arrears.
2. Full members have the right to vote at all association members meetings that are open to all members.  A member who rents more than one plot will not be entitled to more than one vote.

1. Only ‘Full' members can stand for election to the Management Committee at an Annual General Meeting

1. There will only be one full member allowed per household. The husband, wife, partner or children of the member will be part of this rental and will not have to sign up for affiliate membership. At the time of signing the tenancy agreement for full membership an administration fee as set for that year will be payable.  A full membership fee will be payable by the plot holder annually to the association.  The annual full membership fee will include the rent set per perch for the plot for that year and in addition it will include a proportion of the Water Rates per plot for that year and any other costs deemed appropriate by the Committee

Affiliate Membership**

1. Affiliate membership - Is available to anyone that wishes to help work a plot

(Helpers) with the main plot holder other than from the same household as defined under Full Membership.  An annual fee is payable for affiliate membership each year to be agreed at the AGM  

1. Helpers to members renting a plot(s) will automatically qualify as affiliate members if they wish to apply.  Affiliate members will be required to pay an affiliate member’s rate and will not have any voting rights at meetings of all the members.

1. Any helpers will not be permitted to attend meetings unless they have become affiliate members and have paid the affiliate membership fee in full prior to the meeting.  No helper of a plot holder will be allowed on site unless the helper is an affiliate member.  Affiliated members having paid their affiliate membership fee are allowed free access on their own to the allotment site.

1. Affiliate members are entitled to attend all meetings that are open to all association members.  Affiliate members can take part in discussions but cannot vote at such meetings.  Affiliate members will receive all circulars, newsletters, bulletins generally circulated to the association’s membership. Affiliate members will be given preference should the full member vacate the plot that they are both working on for said plot.

Honorary Members 

1. Honorary Members – This will consist of those members who have Full Membership and who have rented a plot for at least 50 years and as Honorary Members and will retain voting rights and pay no further rent on their plots after the 50th year of rental until they vacate their plot

1. Powers and Duties of The Committee
2. A Management Committee will conduct the affairs of the Association. It shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and optionally Lead Steward, Shop Manager and up to three other general members. All members of the Committee must be members of Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd. 
3. An executive committee shall consist of the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer 
4. The Committee must retire at the Annual General Meeting and will be eligible for re-election. No Committee Member will be able to stay in office after 5 years continuous service subject to an appropriate competent person taking over the job responsibilities. Should a person not be available then that person may continue in their role subject to Committee agreement. If they do step down after 5 years they may stand for election the following year
5. The Committee may fill any casual vacancies when necessary and such members will hold office until the next AGM. A quorum will be five members.
6. The Committee will hold an ordinary meeting at least twice a year.
7. The Committee will not comprise of more than one member from an individual plot holder’s family
8. The Committee may delegate particular tasks to a volunteer member of Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd, but any such delegate will not be a member of the committee.
9. The Committee will be responsible for:

• Conducting negotiations with the South Gloucestershire Council for the use of Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd
• Entering into an allotment site letting agreement with the Council for Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd – “the lease”.
• Ensuring compliance with the terms of the lease with the Council.
• The letting of individual plots, the setting and collection of rents and any other levies which may be necessary from time to time.
• Ensuring compliance with the Tenancy Agreement and the Allotment Rules.
  1. The Secretary or Treasurer may authorise payments for works or materials necessary for the maintenance of both sites, subject to obtaining approval at a Committee Meeting before incurring any major expenditure.  Major expenditure means a sum of £1,000 or more or such other figure as shall be agreed by the Committee although with any expenditure over £500 the Secretary and Treasurer must be able to provide evidence they have discussed it. The Shop Manager may authorise payments for stock for the Shop of up to £1,000 but any expenditure over £500 must be agreed by the Treasurer or Secretary.

1. General Meetings
   1. The Annual General Meeting will be held no later than 31st March each year unless extraordinary circumstances demand a notified delay for the year
2. A quorum shall be twelve members for any general meeting.
3. At the Annual General Meeting:
   • The Chairman’s report for the previous year ending 31st December shall be presented and submitted for approval
   • The Treasurer's report will be submitted including accounts for approval.
     1. Special General Meetings may be called by the Committee or whenever a written resolution for such a meeting is signed by 5 members is delivered to the Secretary.
     2. Members shall have fourteen days’ notice, in writing, of all general meetings.

1. Decisions at Committee and General Meetings
   1. Committee business will be decided by a majority of those present.  In the event of a tie, the Chairperson shall have the casting vote.
   2. At General meetings, resolutions will be passed by a majority of voting members present.  In the event of a tie, the Chairperson shall have the casting vote. 

1. Bank Account
   1. The Committee shall open and maintain a bank account in the name of the Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd.  The signatories shall be the Treasurer, the Chairperson and the Secretary but may also include the Shop Manager and all cheques must be signed by at least two signatories. 

1. Allotment Rules for members
   1. The Rules are designed to enhance the gardening experience of all members of the Association. It is a condition of the South Gloucestershire Tenancy Agreement that they are complied with by the members.  Every member will be given a copy of the Constitution and the Rules together with a copy of their individual Letting Agreement.

    9.  Amendment to the Constitution and Rules

1. The Constitution and Rules may be varied from time to time by the resolution of the members at a General Meeting.  However, no change may be proposed for consideration which would be contrary to clause 4.7(ii) of the Constitution relating to compliance with the terms of the tenancy agreement with the South Gloucestershire Council.
2. Any full member who wishes to propose a motion or change to rules must send their proposal in writing to the committee at least 28 days prior to the AGM for inclusion in the Agenda.

  10. Termination of the Association. 10.1    On cessation of the Association, for whatever reason, any monies remaining after payment of all expenses, outstanding debts and claims, shall be distributed equally amongst the current Members who have held plot rental Agreements for at least one year, and whose rental is not in arrears.  12th April 2021    Minutes of the  Annual General Meeting  Staple Hill & District Allotments Ltd 23rd February 2023 at Lincombe Barn.    A standing silence in respect of our late shop Manager Laura Sears 1   Welcome to the members and conduct of business 2   Apologies for absence      John Palmer, Geoff Stephens, John Lockwood, Steve Howard, Graham Underwood,       Martin Philips, Janne Britton, Phil Britton Jim Gibbs 3   Minutes of last AGM 24th March 2022   Agreed and signed by the chair 4   Matters arising      Confirmation regarding cameras being erected on the Downend site, it was pointed out      that by law we must have a sign stating that CCT V cameras are operating on site 5   The Chair, Reg Bleaden thanked his fellow committee members and spoke about the       enjoyment and friendship of having an allotment over many years and presenting the Best        Plot award last year. 6.   Treasurer’s report        All the costing figures were read out and are available by applying to         ssallotmentfinance@gmail.com  Details will be registered with FCA in accordance with        usual practice         Kevin confirmed the income from allotment rents and the allotment shop was positive        during the past year resulting in an opportunity for us to be able to tackle some of the         necessary work on both sites. The poor state of both entrances means new tarmac work.        SGC have already refused permission for us to do this ourselves on the Soundwell site and         confirmed they would not do it either                  The small area by gate entrance at Downend apparently is owned by “unknown”. We have           tried to locate the owner without success so far.          Several questions were raised regarding the Trip Hazard/Health & Safety status           particularly at the Downend site.           Whether SGC would be responsible should this arise.? SGC do own the Soundwell site            entrance land but this is not the case at Downend           It was agreed that the member concerns would be followed through and reported on at                 a later stage via MailChimp. 8/9    Proposed rent for 2023/2024 Lease Renewal SGC       – these items followed on from 6 as a money matter          Rent for year 2023/2024 cannot be set until SGC finance department confirm their           expectations. It has been proposed they may collect the rent once each year instead of           twice this may save some work for the treasurer and SGC.          It has also been suggested by SGC that the lease which is due for renewal in March 2023          be amended.          That they withdraw the pensioner discount but allowing for this in the new proposed rent.          Kevin feels that it may still be possible to offer a reduced % for pensioners but can          only be sorted when SGC confirm          When this information is available the Committee with meet to discuss the outcomes            Followed by a Special Members Meeting similar to AGM but just one item about the Lease/             rents. 7         Elections of Officers and Committee members             All existing committee were re-elected plus Linda Farley as a new Committee member             Proposed by Roger Fry Seconded by Chris May             All three existing Stewards were re-elected             Proposed by Roger Fry Seconded by Alan Hulbert 10       Allotment Shop                   Members were asked to consider offering their time helping in the shop. 4 hours            a month Saturdays and Sundays      11        Rules re allotment bonfires             An interesting general discussion took place with many ideas including having a              community fire instead of single ones under the control of the steward/ having a              compost station monitored by an available steward. It was noted that fewer fires have              been used on the sites this season.             It was agreed and voted for that we would continue with the current three day              system as in the current allotment rules. 12        Any other business             Current status of Allotment Website-Not available due to Malware on the site, agreed              this will be investigated as soon as possible              A plot holder requested an explanation of the term “affiliated membership” used in the               current allotment rules. It was confirmed this applied to the past when we did not know              the names of every person working a plot when they were not registered as the              correct plot holder. That same plot holder asked if it was acceptable to allow a               chosen helper on the plot on their own and be given the gate access code.              It was confirmed this was acceptable but the registered plot holder is responsible              for everything on that plot              A plot holder requested clarification about an existing plot holder who would like to rent               an extra plot.                 It was confirmed that the plot holder would go onto the wait list but first refusal would              go to the person who is already on the list              The meeting closed at 8.15pm