Labour Cycles | Constitution

1. Name

The name of the organisation shall be “Labour Cycles”.

2. Aims

Labour Cycles’ is a community of Labour members committed to ensuring active travel is the for the many, not the few.

To this end, we aim to:

a) ensure that Labour Party national, regional and local manifestos include, and Labour in power, delivers on:

An increased share of the transport budget for cycling infrastructure
A commitment to space for cycling with high quality protected tracks and junctions on major roads and modal filters as appropriate on quieter roads
Improvements in road design standards to enable everyday cycling and walking for all
Ambitious targets for cycling modal share
Political leadership to enable national, regional and local government to enable and promote modal shift.

b) To enable greater use of cycling for day to day active travel, leisure and health and ensuring it is possible for all ( including women, BAME, children, older people and people with disabilities) through infrastructure, training and promotion of networks.

d) To ensure that the needs of children and young people (accompanied and unaccompanied) are prioritized in the way we allocate road space; including the promotion of playstreets, and road design that allows children to cycle or scoot to school.

e) To provide information and policy on cycling network infrastructure, active travel, road-planning, road-violence reduction, road justice and other issues as requested to the Labour Party, elected representatives and members within resource constraints and as agreed by Management Committee.

f) To demonstrate the relationship between cycling infrastructure and active travel goals, social justice, the environment and improvements to the local economies.

g) To affiliate to the Labour party.

h) To carry out work approved by the AGM and /or the Management Committee in furtherance of the aims and objects of Labour Cycles.

3 Membership

Membership shall be open to any person or organisation who supports the Aims of Labour Cycles and is a paid-up member of the Labour party.

a) Membership of Labour Cycles shall commence upon acceptance by the Treasurer of the appropriate subscription and completed application form.
b) Membership shall entitle the member to receive Labour Cycles’s newsletters and other benefits as the Management Committee shall determine.

4 Affiliated Organisations

Labour Cycles accepts as Affiliated Organisations national, regional, and local Socialist, trade union, co-operative and community organisations.

Affiliated organisations may submit resolutions and a representative from each organisation present at the Annual General Meeting will be entitled to one vote.

5 Termination of Membership

a) Any member wishing to resign from Labour Cycles shall give notice in writing to the secretary.
b) Any member or affiliated organisation whose subscription is seven months in arrears following reminders at three months and six months shall be deemed to have lapsed.
c) Any member who fails to conform to the Constitution of Labour Cycles shall cease to be a member of Labour Cycles.
d) The Council of Labour Cycles may terminate the membership or affiliation of any person or body who by their conduct brings Labour Cycles into disrepute. Any such decision shall require agreement of two thirds of the members of the Management Committee present at the meeting when it is decided.

6. Subscriptions

a) The minimum annual individual and joint subscription rates shall be £25 Waged and £15 unwaged. Changes to these rates can be determined by the Annual Meeting. The Annual meeting may approve reduced subscriptions for people with low income or low wealth.
b) Affiliated organisations shall be liable to pay a subscription of £50 or more (if decided by the Annual Meeting)
c) Membership/association normally runs from the month of joining and is renewable annually in that month.
d) All Labour Party members paying to attend the inaugural meeting of Labour Cycles in Manchester on the 3rd February 2018 shall be considered to have paid their first 6 months subscription.

7 Finance

The Honorary Treasurer shall collect all money due to Labour Cycles and shall be the custodian thereof. Labour Cycles’s financial year shall be from 1 January to 31 December. No member or Branch shall incur expense on behalf of Labour Cycles except with the written authority of the Treasurer.

8 Auditors

The accounts of Labour Cycles shall be audited each year. The named Treasurer shall produce for inspection by the Auditors all books and papers necessary for the complete examination of the accounts. The Auditor shall be elected at the AGM. The Auditor appointed by election at the AGM shall make a report to the AGM and give their opinion as to the accounts which are to be audited independently of any officers or staff.

9 Governance

a) The policy of Labour Cycles shall be determined at the inaugural and thereafter the Annual General Meeting of members.
b) The day-to-day running of Labour Cycles shall be vested in the Management Committee who will be responsible for the execution of the decisions made at Annual and Special Meetings of the members.
c) The Management Committee may set up such sub-committees as are considered desirable from time to time, receives reports from those sub-committees, and appoints delegates to represent Labour Cycles nationally.
d) Management Committee acts in accord with the objects of the Constitution and with policy as laid down by Annual and Special meetings.

e)The Honorary Officers are responsible for the administration of the financial affairs and property of Labour Cycles and for the appointment and any management of staff. They submit an Annual Report to the Annual Meeting. Between Management Committee meetings they are responsible for the running of Labour Cycles and must report on significant decisions to Management Committee.

10 Management Committee

a) The Management Committee shall consist of upto ten directly elected members,
d) The Management Committee shall elect principal Honorary Officers (Chair, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary) and functional officers at the first meeting after the AGM. The Management Committee may co-opt a maximum of 5 non-voting members in addition to elected members to fill functional positions.
e) The Management Committee shall normally meet quarterly, either online or face to face.
f) The Management Committee shall at its discretion make provision for expenses of members attending Management Committee meetings.
g) The quorum for the Management Committee shall be five, which shall include two honorary officers.
h) Any member of Labour Cycles may attend meetings of the Management Committee. Such member may join in the discussion at the discretion of the Chair, but has no vote.
i) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be taken by majority vote of those present.
j) Any member of the Council who without good reason or apology fails to attend two successive meetings shall be deemed to have resigned.

11 Elections

a) Honorary Officers and members of Management Committee shall be elected by ballot prior to or at the AGM.
b) All individual and associated members who are fully paid up by 31 December of the year prior to the AGM shall be entitled to make nominations for Officers and members of the Management Committee.
c) Nominations shall be invited with the formal notification of the AGM.
d) Ballots if required shall be sent out with the Agenda together with a brief statement by and biographical details of candidates and should be returned by the AGM, and results of the elections will be announced at the AGM.
e) Management Committee shall approve the arrangements for any ballot which is necessary, which will include scrutiny of the votes cast and verification of the results of any ballot.
f) The AGM may accept nominations from the floor and conduct an election if insufficient nominations are received before the AGM.
g) The new Management Committee shall come into office immediately after the AGM.
h) The Management Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancies that may occur among the officers or members.

12 Sub-Committees

The Management Committee may set up sub-committees for specific purposes as and when required. Any Sub-Committee may only be dissolved by a majority vote of the Management Committee, unless its term has expired and not extended.

13 Branches

a) Any group of not less than twelve members may be recognised by Central Council as a branch of Labour Cycles. The Central Council shall have the power to define the area covered by any branch.
b) Branches are required to notify Labour Cycles of their AGM and of the names and addresses of their officers and to supply an annual financial statement.
c) If the business of a branch is not conducted in accordance with the constitution the Officers of Labour Cycles may take over the conduct of a branches affairs and its funds.

14 Scotland, Wales and English Regions

a) Branches may combine on an ad hoc basis to coordinate campaigns within their area. Labour Cycles may designate any suitable geographical area as a Region if it sees fit. Where it is possible for branches within a Region to meet together for the purpose of electing a delegate and submitting a resolution to the Labour Party Regional Annual Meeting, they should be encouraged to do so. Labour Cycles may call meetings or conduct ballots of all members in a region as it sees fit.
b) Scotland and Wales are nation countries within the United Kingdom. They shall have autonomy for policy and campaigning on those matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. Such policy and campaigning shall not conflict with the objectives of the Labour Cycles set out in paragraph 2. They shall be known as Labour Cycles Scotland and Labour Cycles Wales. Each shall hold an annual meeting at which members, branches and affiliates may attend and submit motions on devolved matters and elect a governing committee. Labour Cycles Scotland and Labour Cycles Wales shall affiliate to the Scottish and Welsh Labour Parties respectively.

16 Annual General Meeting

a) The Annual General Meeting shall take place every year. Notice of the date and a request for resolutions and nominations to the Management Committee shall be circulated to every member and associated organisations not less than four weeks before the AGM.
b) It shall be open to any member or Affiliated Organisation to move a resolution or make nominations (those moved or made by members require seconding by another member), provided that these be received by the Honorary Secretary not less than two weeks before the AGM.
c) An Agenda of business to be transacted at the AGM, the Annual Report of the Management Committee, ballot papers where required and an Audited Statement of the financial position of Labour Cycles shall be forwarded to each member if they indicate that they wish to receive these items not less than one week before the date of the AGM.
d) Emergency resolutions may be accepted with the agreement of the AGM.

17 Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting shall be called for the purpose of considering any particular resolution (a) on the decision of the Management Committee, or (b) at the request in writing of not less than 30 members setting forth the terms of the resolution for consideration. Not less than two weeks’ notice of any Special General meeting must be sent to all members.

18 Procedure at the Meetings of Labour Cycles

a) The Chair shall be taken by the Chair, or a Vice-Chair, or failing these, by a member elected by the meeting. The Chairperson shall on any question have a casting vote in addition to the vote to which s/he is otherwise entitled.
b) At Annual General Meetings or Special General meetings every member and one delegate from an affiliated organisation personally present at the meeting shall have a vote.
c) Voting shall be by show of hands unless a ballot of members be approved in any particular case. An electronic or postal Vote shall only be allowed if (a) a resolution has not obtained a three-quarters majority at a meeting, and (b) at least one quarter of those present at the meeting agree to a electronic or postal Vote.

19 Affiliations

Labour Cycles may affiliate to other bodies.

20 Dissolution

In the event that Labour Cycles decides to dissolve itself the assets of Labour Cycles shall be passed to any organisation whose objects are consistent with the objects listed above.

21 Alteration to Rules

These rules or any of them can only be amended by a vote of two thirds of the members at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, after at least three weeks notice has been given.