Code of Conduct

1.      Personal conduct

1.1      Members should not bring the association into disrepute
1.2     Always operate within the rules laid down by the Constitution
1.3     Appreciate and respect differences – in knowledge, background, ability to speak in public, etc. Never discriminate on any ground against any other member of the Association.
1.4      1.1 Not seek to obtain any personal benefit or advantage, or expect to receive more favourable treatment by staff, because of membership of the Association.
1.5      1.1 Not speak or write on behalf of the Association without the prior agreement of the Association. Make any correspondence sent on behalf of the Association available to all members of the Association.
1.6      Members should observe collective responsibility for committee decisions
1.7      Use the normal procedures for reporting repairs, complaints, etc.

2.      Conduct of meetings

2.1      Arrive punctually to enable meetings to start promptly.
2.2      Switch off mobile phones during the meeting.
2.3      Come prepared by reading all the relevant papers beforehand and bring them with you to the meeting.
2.4      Be courteous to each other at all times and not use offensive, provocative, discriminatory or racist language. Individuals should be praised ‘in public’ and criticised ‘in private’.
2.5      Follow the agenda and keep to time.
2.6      Work with other members constructively to arrive at the best possible solution to the matter under discussion.
2.7      Keep contributions brief and to the point.
2.8      Listen to each other and allow each other the opportunity to speak and comment. Respect the views of others and their right to speak. Avoid jargon or explain what it means.
2.9      Co-operate with the Chairman in dealing with the business.
2.10     Raise a hand to speak and go through the Chairman who will encourage all members to participate. The Chairman’s ruling on who may or may not speak and on other ‘points of order’ will be final. At the end of each item, the
2.11     Chairman will remind the meeting of the decision that has been agreed.
2.12     Remember that you are representing the views of, and are accountable to, your community or your residents’ Association.
2.13     Remember that the purpose of the meeting is to benefit residents generally and not specific individuals.
2.14     Do not use threatening behaviour, violence, obscene language or racist/sexist behaviour or threats or otherwise disrupt meetings of the Association.

3.      Disclosing and declaring interests and conflicts of interest

3.1      Disclose any interest, whether personal or on behalf of any other group they belong to, which might possibly affect or influence their approach to the matter under discussion.
3.2      Offer to withdraw from the meeting where a conflict of interest is clear and substantial, and refrain from voting if invited to remain.

4.      Confidentiality

4.1      Members should respect the confidentiality of personal information about individuals, whether present or not, and refrain from mentioning specific cases which may cause embarrassment or identification of an individual.
4.2      Any information or items of a confidential nature must not be disclosed to anyone else apart from members of the Association in order to allow the business of the meeting to take place.

5.      Political affiliation

5.1      Individual members may be affiliated to or be members of a political party, but they may not represent a political party in their role as a member of the Association.

6.      Breaches of the Code

6.1      If things are getting heated, a five minute time out can be called for at the discretion of the Chairman.
6.2      If a member of the committee or Association, or a visitor, fails to abide by the Code, the Chairman may warn them that if they break the code again they may be asked to leave the meeting.
6.3      The Chairman may give the person concerned two further warnings ( a maximum of three warnings in any one meeting and /or three consecutive meetings ).
6.4      If the person continues to ignore these Rules and refuses to leave the meeting after being warned by the Chairman then the Chairman has the power to close the meeting.
6.5      A complaint that a Committee member has failed to abide by the Code of Conduct despite receiving three warnings, or has committed an act that is considered to be gross misconduct, should be tabled at a committee meeting called for this purpose only. All parties must be notified in writing in advance and care must be taken to ensure that all concerned parties are given a fair hearing. On the findings of this hearing, the Committee can suspend a member subject to ratification of the next General Meeting. If the General Meeting do ratify the suspension then the member may be excluded from applying for a committee position for one year.
6.6      Members who fail to attend three consecutive general or committee meetings without a written apology or good reason will automatically be removed as a member of the committee.

7.      Committee members must observe this Code of Conduct whenever they:

7.1      Are acting in your role as a Committee member.
7.2      Are representing the Association.
7.3      Are carrying out the work of the Association or acting on its behalf.

This Code of Conduct was adopted by the Lebanon Gardens & Lebanon Street Residents’ Association.