Residents' Association Guide

A guide to setting up and running a Residents’ Association

What is a Residents' Association?

A Residents' Association is made up of people who live within the same area, street or building such as a block of flats or a supported living scheme.

It can improve the community you live in; access funding and it is also a great way to meet neighbours by encouraging community involvement in social activities. It can bring people together to raise issues of concern regarding their homes and their community.

Why do we need a Residents' Association?

Forming a Residents' Association has many other benefits too! Here are a few more examples:

Create a positive and supportive community by meeting and helping other people

It opens doors to different sources of funding for your community You can organise community events and day trips Keep people informed of what is going on in their community

In theory, no community necessarily needs a Residents' Association. However, it is one of the most effective ways of making your voices heard. For example, if you needed to raise a concern to ClwydAlyn or your local council, being part of a Residents' Association will give you a greater voice to do this.

Next Steps

If you have generated enough interest in your community, it’s time to plan your first meeting!

You will need to try and arrange the meeting at a time and date that suits the majority of those who are interested. Find a suitable meeting place such as a local community centre, or a communal area within a ClwydAlyn scheme.

Spread the word! Let people know when and where the meeting is being held. The best way would be by creating a small poster/leaflet so that everyone has the same information. Post them through letterboxes, on notice boards or share them on social media.

Remember – the venue for your first and any additional meetings, will need to be accessible to all. If you are struggling to find a location, please ask us and we can help!

Holding your first public meeting

Prepare – You will need an agenda, a chairperson and someone to take notes at your first meeting. The note taker will be responsible for recording any decisions made during the meeting. Invite your Housing Officer to the meetings, so that we can make sure we’re working with you to get any issues resolved Talk - discuss any issues residents are concerned about. Agree on what the aims of the Residents' Association will be Decide – Decide on whether you have enough commitment from others to form a Residents' Association with a formal constitution

How is a Residents' Association run?

Running a Residents' Association takes commitment –but the rewards can be great!

If you have got to the stage where it has been agreed to set up a Residents' Association – this is what you will need

A name for the group

Whether you will have a formal constitution or not. By NOT having a formal constitution, this can limit your options in terms of funding as most grants specify that resident groups must have a formal constitution. We have prepared templates and guides to help you. Committee members will be needed – more about this below! The aims and objectives of your Resident Committee

What is a Constitution?

A constitution is the formal document created by your Residents' Association which states the aims and objectives of the Association, how the group will work towards those aims and how the group will be run. Making your Residents' Association formally constituted will open a wide variety of funding opportunities!

We have a template constitution included in the booklet

The Residents' Committee and Their Roles

There are 3 essential roles needed to form a committee. The Chair, The Secretary and the The Treasurer. You can also choose to have a Vice Chair. These members must be voted in at your first public meeting

The Chair – their role is to make sure that all meetings and events run smoothly The will need to ensure that all business is discussed at every meeting – everyone’s views are heard – clear and fair decisions are reached. The Chair will also act as the leader of the group. Electing a Vice Chair is useful so that they can step in when the Chair is unavailable.

The Secretary – Their role will be to record minutes of each meeting – let people know when and where the meetings are being held – prepare the agendas for the meetings with help from the Chair or Vice Chair – writing and receiving letters on the Residents' Associations behalf – keeping a record of members, important phone numbers and information

The Treasurer – This is the person with the overall responsibility for the Associations finances. Their duties will include – opening the bank account – paying in any money received and keeping a record of this and issuing receipts – keeping a record of money spend – paying bills or invoices – keeping petty cash and monitoring day to day spending – keeping and account book of all monies in and out – preparing statements for the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

General Members – the committee will also have a certain number of general members agreed upon by each individual Residents' Association.

Annual General Meeting – AGM

Your constitution should state which month you will hold your AGM

The purpose of an AGM will be to look back at all the work the association has done over the last year and the current accounts.

Usually, all members of the committee will resign at the AGM and a new committee will be elected All committee members are allowed to put themselves forward for re-election.

General Meetings

Your constitution should also state how many general meetings your association will hold each year. General meetings are open to all members of the association to attend. You can also hold special general meetings if they are requested by a certain number of members.

Please note – during general meetings, you can discuss areas of concern, areas needing improvement or improvements to our housing services. You should not discuss individual housing issues during these meetings such as individual housing repairs or your rent account.

Useful Information

Below you will find hints and tips on how to successfully run your Residents Association

Setting up a bank account

Many high street banks offer bank accounts suitable for a Residents Association. It’s best to shop around and see who offers the lowest rates.

A signed copy of the constitution

A letter from ClwydAlyn confirming the Residents Association

To open an account, you will need 2 signatories, however this could be more of less depending on the bank you choose All signatories will need to go along to the chosen bank to open the account You must also take with you: has been set up and the names of the committee members

A copy of the minutes from the previous meeting that included the discussion of opening the bank account. This must also include the agreed maximum amount that can be drawn by cheque and the names of the signatories.

Insurance

Funding

When your Residents Association is up and running – this will enable you to access many types of funding.

ClwydAlyn will keep you update with funding opportunities. It is also a good idea to speak to other ClwydAlyn Resident associations to find out if they have accessed funding in the past.

ClwydAlyn will also offer a start-up fund of £....... to newly formed Associations

Insurance

Your association will not need insurance, however, if you plan to hold events or outings, your association will need to look in to obtaining Public Liability Insurance

Association Members

There is no limit on the number of members you have! Your group can be as small or as large as your like. But remember, you will need the 3 or 4 key committee members. Members can be anyone who lives in the area covered by ClwydAlyn. For example, if you live in a Sheltered Housing scheme on an estate with other ClwydAlyn properties, those tenants could also become part of the group, especially if the group is looking into wider social and environmental issues.

What if

we

don’t want to form a Formal Resident Association?

If you decide a formal resident association is not for your community but you would still like to form a group to discuss issues and organise events, you can look to form an informal Community Group. You will not need to elect committee members or sign a constitution, but you will still be able to organise resident meetings to bring the community together. Please bear in mind, that without a formal group and association, this will limit your access to funding as most applications will ask to see a copy of your constitution as part of the approval process.

What our residents say about their Residents Association

David PerkinsChair of SHUG

Sheltered Housing Umbrella Group (SHUG) is a constituted group of schemes brought together with a common objective: To enhance the lives of our residents.

As we have a constitution, this enables us to apply for funding through various sources such as Community Fund (National Lottery), Local councils and even your local supermarket. You can apply for a anything from a couple of hundred up to ten thousand.

Funding can be for anything from a day out to the seaside, a trip to the Theatre or to enhance your communal areas with furniture, carpets, computers, whatever makes your lives better!

Please don't think because there are only a handful of you, it’s not for you. As long as you form your group and put together constitution stating how your group will run, you can do it.

I have a lot of experience with Funding Applications so if you wish to apply and need help/advice, I am willing to offer my support. Good Luck!

Having a Tenants Association can make where you live a better place to be, solve issues, bring people together and improve the social side of life. With a Constitution you can apply for a start up grant and qualify you to apply for community grants to improve things in your area.

Barbara Lewis

Example of Draft Constitution

Name of group: (To be decided)

Aims

:

• To promote the interests of all residents living in/on and to assist in maintaining good relations between all members of the community

• To raise funds for projects to improve the quality of life for all who live on/ in…………...

• The Association shall be non-political

Membership:

• Membership shall be open to all residents of/in ……………………

• All members shall have an equal vote – one vote per household

• All members should actively seek to represent the various needs of the estate and must not discriminate on the grounds of nationality, political opinion, race, religious opinion, sex, sexuality, disability or age

• Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a reasonable manner when attending meetings or any other function in connection with the Group

• Records will be kept of all meetings and made available to all members

The committee:

• A committee shall be elected to carry out the business of the Association

• The committee shall be made up of a Secretary, Chair, Treasurer and three general members

• The committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting

• Officers shall carry out the duties given to them by General Meetings

• The committee shall meet once a month and no less than 10 times a year

• Minutes of committee meetings shall be available to all members

• Vacancies arising during the year can be filled by an election at a general meeting The committee may fill any vacancies arising amongst officers of the committee until the next Annual General Meeting

• All money raised by or on behalf of the Association is to be used only to further the aims of the Association

• The Treasurer shall open a bank account in the name of the Association, and keep records of all money that the group spends and receives

• Cheque signatories will be nominated by the committee, one to be the Treasurer. There shall be three signatories, all of whom must represent different households

• All cheques and instructions to the Association’s bankers shall require two of the agreed signatures. These should not be from the same household

• The Treasurer shall submit a copy of the accounts to Clwydalyn at the end of each financial year

• The accounts shall be made available to members at the AGM

Annual general meetings:

• There shall be an Annual General Meeting held every …………… at which the committee shall report on its work, present a statement of accounts and resign

• The AGM shall elect the officers and committee for the next year

• The AGM shall vote on recommendations and any amendments to the constitution

• The secretary will notify all members of the date of the meeting not less than 14 days before the AGM

Other general meetings:

• There will be a general meeting open to all members every two months

• A Special General Meeting open to all members will be held if ten or more members submit a request for such a meeting to the Secretary. The Secretary shall arrange for the meeting to take place within 14 days

• The Secretary will publicise all general meetings at least five days in advance

Quorum:

• No General Meeting or Annual General Meeting shall take place if less than 10% of members are present

• No committee meeting shall take place if less than two thirds of the committee are present

Changes to the constitution:

• The constitution can only be altered at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose

• Changes to the constitution must be agreed by two thirds of the members present at the meeting

Voting:

• Any member may make a proposal. In order for it to be voted on by other members it must be seconded, or supported, by another member

• Only members present at the meeting may vote

• Each household is only allowed one vote

• No member shall exercise more than one vote

• In the event of an equal vote, the Chair shall have the casting vote

Dissolution:

• The Association may only be dissolved at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose and must be advertised fourteen days before the meeting

• A proposal to dissolve the Association shall take effect only if agreed by two thirds of the members present at the meeting

• Any remaining grant funding shall be returned to the funding source

• Any assets (financial or otherwise) remaining after the payment of all debts and liabilities shall be given to charitable purposes according to the wishes of the members of the meeting