Meeting adopts constitution

Hackney Unite met on 20 October, and with representatives of faith, community and trade union groups present a constitution was adopted. The group will now be called: Hackney Unites: a coalition for social justice.

We have an ambitious program of events planned. More to follow shortly.

Hackney coalition for social justice

A number of groups in Hackney are coming together to form a coalition to challenge social exclusion and promote social justice.

Forthcoming projects include:

Working with national campaigns to expose the racism of the BNP in advance of the 2010 local government elections.

Planning a community conference in Hackney where we can chare ideas and celebrate our communities.

Planning a workers advice centre where trade unionists, community groups and lawyers provide advice on how to challenge unlawful and poor employment practices.

If you want to know more then contact: john.page45@btinternet.com

The coalition plans to have both group and individual membership and a draft constitution is reproduced below:

Hackney Coalition for Social Justice

DRAFT CONSTITUTION

OBJECTS

• To promote the social inclusion of people living or working in Hackney from socially disadvantaged and minority ethnic backgrounds by offering opportunities to participate in social, cultural, educational, training and decision-making activities.

• To challenge racism and other ideologies of exclusion and division.

• To promote social cohesion and co-operation between communities in Hackney.

• To work collaboratively, share information and learn from each other’s experiences in delivering a range of services to the community in order to identify good practice and enhance our service-delivery.

• To promote active involvement in the democratic process (without promoting any single political grouping).

• To promote physical and mental well-being.

• To contribute to tackling social exclusion through the provision of advice and training, (believing that the socially excluded need not be passive victims, but can be agents of social change and democratic renewal).

MEMBERSHIP

The Hackney Coalition for Social Justice will accept both group and individual memberships.

Group membership

The founding group members of HCSJ are …

These associations are Full Group Members.

The Management Committee will consider applications to become Associate Group Members from other associations representing Hackney people whose objectives are sympathetic to our own.

Applications by Associate Group Members to become Full Group Members will be considered by the Management Committee.

Individual membership

Individuals may become members by payment of a membership fee. This fee will be at a figure to be agreed by the management committee, but should be set at a rate which does not exclude those on low incomes.

Members of the management committee will also be individual members of HCSJ.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Management Committee shall consist of one nominee from each of the Full Group Member associations.

The Management Committee will elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and such other officers it deems appropriate.

Officers shall be appointed at the first meeting of the MC following the Annual General Meeting,

Should the Chairman and Vice Chairman be absent from any meeting, the members shall appoint one of themselves as Chairman.

Officers will retire and new elections will be held annually.

No members of the MC shall acquire any interest in property belongings to HCSJ.

Any member of the MC may resign by giving notice to the Secretary

Any member of the MC who is a professional person engaged in a profession may charge and may be paid all the usual charges for business done by him or her (provided that at no time shall a majority of the members of the MC benefit under this provision).

A member of the MC shall withdraw from any meeting at which his/ her own remuneration is under discussion or in relation to any matters which give rise to an actual or potential conflict of interest.

The role of the Management Committee is to provide control and stewardship of HCSJ’s activities, finances and the general conditions of the organisation. It should implement the policy decisions agreed at meetings of individual members.

MEETINGS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE MC

The MC shall hold an Annual General Meeting and at least three Ordinary Meetings each year by providing at least 7 days notice in writing.

An Extraordinary Meeting may be called at any time by a majority of the officers.

The MC may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution.

The MC may co-opt up to 2 persons

Every matter shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the MC present and voting on the question but in case of equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

A meeting will be quorate if 50% + 1 of the MC members are present.

General meetings of individual members

HCSJ seeks to be a membership led and an active membership organisation. The key policy forum will therefore be formal meetings of individual members. These meetings will organise membership activity, and discuss and agree policy and priorities.

POWERS of the Management Committee

The Management Committee may exercise the following powers:

• the power to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions within all relevant requirements of the law.

• the power to buy, take on lease or in exchange any property in order to further the objects of the Consortium and to maintain and equip it for use.

• the power to sell, lease or dispose of all or any part of HCSJ’S property.

• the power to employ staff (who shall not be members of the MC) for the proper pursuit of HCSJ’s objects and to make provision for the payment of salaries.

• the power to suspend or expel any member who is in breach of the rules of the Organisation. Any suspended or expelled member may seek an appeal of the decision.

• the power to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities to exchange information and advice.

• the power to do all lawful things in order to further HCSJ’S objects.

RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE

The funds of HCSJ, including all donations and contributions shall be paid into an account operated by the Management Committee in the name of HCSJ. All cheques drawn on the account must be signed by two of the following officers: the Chair, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.

HCSJ funds shall be applied only in furthering the objects.

ACCOUNTS

The Management Committee shall comply with the charities Act 1992 with regard to:

the keeping of accounting records, and

the preparation of annual statements of account.

ALTERATION TO THE CONSTITUTION

Except for the clause on dissolution, the constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the Management Committee at any meeting of the Management Committee.

DISSOLUTION

The Management Committee may propose to dissolve HCSJ by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the Management Committee at any meeting of the Management Committee provided that all Management Committee members have received notice of the meeting and a copy of the resolution 21 days in advance.

Such a resolution must then be put to a general meeting of the individual members, where it must be agreed by a simple majority of those present.

After the payment of all liabilities any assets shall be distributed equally between the Full Group Members of HCSJ.

Latest leaflet

Hope not hate have published the 'Democracy day' leaflet below, which we hope to distribute at train and tube stations throughout Hackney on Tuesday June 2nd. We want to ensure our communities vote on June 4th and prevent the BNP gaining a European seat on the basis of a low turnout (they need just 8% of the total vote across London to win a seat).

If you can help, either in the morning, or early evening, please contact John Page: John.page45@btinternet.com






























We still have a small number of the tabloid papers and several thousand of our 'Vote to keep the BNP' out leaflets available.

Leaflet for distribution in advance of polling day

We need help distributing the leaflets below door-to-door in advance of polling day on 4 June.

If you have access to a printer and can print off enough for your street, then please do. However, please let us know which street or block you are doing (so that we can avoid duplication). We also have some printed copies if you need them. Contact hackneyunites@btinternet.com.

Leaflet for Saturday 23

Below is the leaflet for our candi-dating event this Saturday 23 May.

Please encourage people to attend

Hackney Hope not Hate tabloid (extracts)

Below are reproductions of three of the pages from the Hackney United/Hope not Hate tabloid. We have 50,000 of these to distribute across the borough in the run up to the 4 June European Elections. You can help us keep Hackney BNP free, and contribute to a wider discussion about the issues that matter to Hackney's communities. If you can distribute some of these in your street, or through your trade union branch, social club, community organisation or place of worship please let us know.

Campaign Meeting - Tuesday, 5 May

Next Tuesday, 5 May, as part of the Hackney community campaign to keep the BNP from wining a seat in the European Parliament, we take delivery of 50,000 tabloid newspapers produced in association with the national ‘Hope not Hate’ campaign.

The front page, and the centre pages are personalised to Hackney. We have the Dalston Peace Mural on the front, and a full page of diverse ‘Hackney voices’ urging people to work together as a community and to participate in the election so as to keep the BNP out.

We need your help getting these newspapers through people’s doors.

If you have not done anything for this campaign yet, now is the time to help us deliver these across the borough.

If you have already helped us, then please excuse us for asking again, but this is the last ‘big push’ before the June election.

We will be organising distribution at a campaign meeting on Tuesday at 7pm at the Trinity Centre Trinity Centre, Beechwood Road, E8 3DY. (for a map visit http://www.opendi.co.uk/london/1712427.html).

We will have a couple of speakers, but the main task on Tuesday will be to get people together to plan distribution on a ward-by-ward basis. If you have a car, there is free parking from 7pm, and it may be useful to bring a vehicle to transport the bundles of papers.

If you can attend, please let us know.

If you cannot attend, but want to help out, even if it is just by distributing the newspaper to one or two streets, then please email john.page45@btinternet.com.

Finally, if you can arrange for some of the papers to be distributed through your faith organisation, tenants or community group, political organisation or trade union then please let me know (thank you to Hackney Unison who are taking 3,000 to mail out to their entire membership).

We must get this simple message out to our communities. The EU elections are run on a proportional voting system. If the BNP get just 8% of the vote, they will win a seat in Europe representing London.

We can stop that by simply ensuring that everyone who opposes the BNP votes on June 4th.

Please invite friends, family and colleagues to help out.

What we have in Hackney is worth defending. With your help we can do it.