Updated and Approved at Annual General Meeting: 14th January 2021
1) Name
a) The name of the Newsletter shall be: the Rettendon and Battlesbridge Newsletter (hereinafter referred to as the “Newsletter”).
b) The name on the top of the printed newsletter may be changed to Rettendon and Battlesbridge News and Views, but will refer to the same Newsletter as above.
c) The name may be concatenated to RetBatNews for purposes of email address, and for ease of writing (e.g. to reduce the size of the name for fitting on forms, etc.). This concatenated name will still refer to the same Newsletter as above.
2) Address
a) The address of the newsletter will be that of the Treasurer officer.
b) The email address for the production of the newsletter will be RetBatNews@gmail.com
c) The email address of the Treasurer will be RBNtreas@gmail.com .
d) The website for copies of the newsletter is https://e-voice.org.uk/retbatnews/
3) Objects and Content
a) The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information and news and views to the residents of Rettendon Parish.
b) It is for all residents of the Parish of Rettendon and those associated with Rettendon, past and present.
c) It benefits the community by providing a way of advertising the events in the Parish. These include, but are not exclusive to, Church services and events, events of groups and societies associated with the Parish, committee meetings of the various groups, local business events, and charity events.
d) It is intended to fund the newsletter by advertising, fundraising, and/or donations.
e) The newsletter is a non-profit making organisation with volunteers to do the work.
f) The work consists of production of the newsletter, printing and distribution. There is a separate document detailing this production.
g) The Newsletter is provided free of charge to all households in the Parish, and by post and email to others related to the Parish.
h) The annual turnover at present is less than £2,000, though this may increase if the number of Newsletters has to increase, e.g. if there are more households in the Parish.
i) There shall be a minimum of 10 issues per year of the Newsletter, provided that sufficient funds are available.
j) The Newsletter shall be run by volunteers to collect items, produce the copy for printing, collect and distribute the Newsletter.
k) Content may include controversial issues, but there will be a right-to-reply within 48 hours given to those identified with converse views.
4) Committee
a) The Committee shall consist of 5 voting members. There will be at least 2 officers as detailed below.
b) The Committee shall have at least two meetings a year.
c) There will be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) within 60 days of the end of the financial year (see below).
d) A committee member will become eligible for re-election each year at the AGM, and can remain a member until such time as they wish to stand down.
e) Parish residents, and those associated with the Parish, may offer their services to the committee for administration of the newsletter to ensure clear and transparent running of the newsletter. Any resident offering such can be made a non-voting member of the committee if approved by a majority of the voting committee members.
f) The committee will elect any new member when a position becomes vacant. Suggestions for the committee should come from the committee members themselves and be selected by a majority vote. Non-voting members should be considered first.
g) The committee shall not prevent the Newsletter from being produced unless there are issues which cannot be resolved otherwise, e.g. not enough funds.
5) Officers
a) The minimum number of officers shall be 2: the Secretary and the Treasurer, who will be the signatories for the bank account. The Secretary’s title may be interchanged with Compiler, Collator or Editor, all titles shall refer to the person who places the contents of the newsletter in position on the pages and thereby produces the Newsletter, as detailed in the production document.
b) Another signatory for the bank account may be added to the account for the provision of the Newsletter. The signatory may or may not be a member of the committee.
c) An advertising agent may be added to bring in the advertising from the local businesses to pay for the Newsletter. The agent may or may not be a member of the committee.
6) Finance
a) The newsletter shall be self-supporting. It shall not be allowed to go into the red, or be indebted to any company except the printers who may allow a certain time for any invoice to be paid.
b) The income shall be from advertising, fundraising, and/or donations.
c) The main outgoings shall be for the printing of the Newsletter and Public Liability Insurance.
d) Reasonable expenses for ancillaries, e.g. petrol and postage, may be claimed by the volunteers as long as it does not exceed the finances for the newsletter to be produced and printed for the requisite number of copies per year.
e) Donations will be accepted provided the donor does not expect content to be altered in their favour.
7) Financial Year
The Financial Year shall start on 1st December and end on 30th November.
8) Accounts
The Treasurer shall be responsible for receiving and keeping all monies on behalf of the Newsletter and for making all payments on behalf of the Newsletter. He/she shall keep proper accounts of the monies received and paid by the Newsletter and produce annual accounts which will be independently examined and presented at the AGM.
9) Bank Account
All money received by the Newsletter shall be paid into the Bank Account promptly. Payments shall normally be by online BACS payments, or cheques, drawn on the Newsletter’s Bank Account and authorised by the Treasurer.
10) Auditor
An Independent Examiner shall be appointed to audit the accounts of the Newsletter and provide a report at the end of the Financial Year. The Independent Examiner shall have the right to call for all minutes, records, accounts and vouchers necessary for the performance of their duties and to any necessary explanation from any Officers of the Newsletter.
11) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
a) No personal data will be given out unless instructed under GDPR, i.e. by law. This will include donors, distributors and email recipients.
b) BCC will be used for email distribution where possible.
12) Amendment to the Constitution
Any amendment to the Constitution can only be made by the full Committee and approved by a four-fifths majority.
13) Dissolution
a) The Newsletter shall be dissolved only if there is a survey organised by the Committee of the residents and readers of the Newsletter and a two-thirds majority of those who return the survey vote in favour of the Newsletter ceasing to exist.
b) Any monies still held in the Bank Account shall be returned, as far as is able, to the businesses or individuals who provided same. Any monies not accounted for in this way shall be passed to the charities of the Parish of Rettendon, e.g. the churches, for the benefit of the residents of the Parish of Rettendon.