Constitution of the Hillfields URBAN Partnership Group 

Name

The group is to be called the Hillfields URBAN Partnership Group, abbreviated to UPG.

Terms of Reference

The UPG is established to secure the efficient and effective use of grant under the European Union’s URBAN Community Initiative. It will do this particularly by carrying out the following roles.

·         to ensure that there is widespread community involvement and support for the UPG and to provide evidence of this;

·         to specify clear and transparent arrangements for financial management and administration including, where appropriate, the nomination of a specific individual to be responsible for the management of public funds provided to it and for reporting to the UPG and liasing with the URBAN Management Committee;

·         to draw up the URBAN Action Plan;

·         to discuss and secure the agreement of the Urban Management Committee to the URBAN Action Plan;

·         to implement the URBAN Action Plan;

·         to secure matching funding for the URBAN Action Plan;

·         to provide to the UMC a six monthly interim financial report;

·         to provide to the UMC an annual report describing the implementation of the programme to date, the outputs achieved and expenditure actually incurred;

·         to propose arrangements for the promotion and publicity of the programme;

·         the development of  capacity building actions to enable the local community to contribute to the development of the area; and

·         to consider project applications which have been assessed and appraised in accordance with the agreed criteria and to endorse those for which an offer of grant is made.

Membership

The membership of the UPG is as follows:

·         6 Community / voluntary sector representatives (nominated by WATCH);

·         2 representatives of Coventry City Council (one of which shall be a Ward Councillor);

·         2 representatives of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise (one of which is to be from the training side and one from enterprise);

·         1 representative of Higher Education;

·         1 representative of Further Education;

·         2 co-opted places.

The group will be chaired by one of the local partners.

The Head of Regeneration Resources, the Hillfields Area Co-ordinator and the Hillfields Partnership Manager will be invited to UPG meetings to act as advisers, but will not have voting rights.

Meetings

a)      The UPG will meet at least 6 times a year;

b)      Wherever possible the UPG will meet in the Programme Area;

c)      Agendas for meetings will be agreed by the Chair in advance;

d)      At least 20 working days formal notice of meetings will normally be given. However the Chair may convene meetings at shorter notice or request a response by written procedure in the event of unavoidably urgent business;

e)      Papers will normally be issued at least 5 working days before the meeting. Where this is not possible or where there are other exceptional circumstances the Chair may waive this requirement;

f)        Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of the UPG.

Voting

The UPG's decisions on matters coming before it shall be achieved by consensus wherever possible. In the event of a vote, each member of the UPG shall have one vote. Co-opted members will have full voting rights. In the event of an equality of votes on any issue the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may cast.

Quorum

The Quorum at UPG meetings shall be five (including at least one nominee of Coventry City Council as the Accountable Body).

Declarations of interest

If a member has an interest in any item of business under consideration at a UPG meeting (whether in a personal capacity or as a member of any organisation that he or she is a nominated representative of or employed by or serves on the Board of) then that member shall declare any such interest  before the consideration of that item by the UPG.

Where such an interest is of a pecuniary nature the member declaring it shall not take part in the consideration or discussion of the item or vote on any matter with respect to it.

Accountability

The UPG will act in accordance with established principles of reasonableness and fairness. In acting as the accountable body Coventry City Council will be act in accordance with European regulations, Local Government laws and its own Standing Orders and Corporate Standards.

Review of Constitution

This constitution may be reviewed at any time and in any event will be reviewed on 31^st March 1999 and thereafter at annual intervals. On any vote to change the constitution a majority of two thirds of those present and voting is required.

[This constitution was adopted at a meeting of the URBAN Partnership Group on 2 June 1998 and revised on 29 June 1998.]

ANNEX THREE

Membership of the Hillfields URBAN Partnership Group

 (as at 29 June 1998)

 Bibliography & Reference

Evaluation of the Hillfields URBAN Programme