Our Constitution

Constitution of Friends of Westbury Library 

1. Name
The name of the group shall be Friends of Westbury Library.

2. Aims and Objectives
Friends of Westbury Library is an independent group dedicated to the promotion and support of the Library Service in Westbury and throughout Bristol through:

• Acting as a link between the Library Service and the wider community and attending events to ensure a Library Service presence at, for example, community forums and other local meetings
• Fundraising and receiving contributions where appropriate to finance the group’s work, eg. the purchase of additional items of furniture or equipment and supporting the introduction of new areas of service for library users.
• Supporting events and activities in the Library, such as talks by Authors, and National Library Week events and including, where possible, additional events beyond those planned and delivered by the Library Service.
• Providing volunteer support (within agreed guidelines) and encouraging the recruitment of volunteers for the different roles offered by the Library Service.

3. Activities and Publicity
Activities planned by the group and any related publicity material will be discussed beforehand with the Library Service.

4. Membership

• Membership shall be open to anyone, aged 18 or over, who is interested in helping the group to achieve its aims and is willing to abide by the rules of the group.
• All members shall have a copy of the Constitution.
• Every member shall have one vote at general meetings.
• The group’s committee may, by unanimous vote, and for good reasons, terminate the membership of any individual. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the committee, accompanied by a friend, before a decision is made.

5. Management / Members

• There should be a Management Committee comprising Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary and not less than two other group members. Members of the Management Committee shall be re-elected at the group’s AGM.
• The Management Committee should meet at least twice a year and have not less than four group members present before any voting can take place, which will be by show of hands on a majority basis.

6. Meetings

• The group shall meet at least twice each year. The quorum for a meeting shall be four.
• The committee shall be accountable to all members at all times.
• All meetings will be minuted and minutes made available to any interested party from the library.
• Dates for all meetings will be published and available in the library.

The business of the AGM shall include:

• Receiving a report from the Chairperson of the group’s activities over the year.
• Receiving a report and presentation of the last financial year’s accounts from the Treasurer on the finances of the group.
• Electing a new Management Committee and 
• Considering any other matter as may be appropriate at such a meeting.

The Library Service will hold an annual meeting for Friends Groups, to share good practice and highlight the achievements of groups.

7. Financial Arrangements
The Committee will make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs, to include:

• Maintenance of a dedicated bank account.
• Receipt and payment of all monies on behalf of the group. 
• Preparation and audit of an annual statement of accounts.

8. Alteration of the Constitution / Dissolution
Proposals for amendments to this constitution or dissolution must be delivered to the secretary in writing. The secretary in conjunction with the Management Committee shall then decide on the date of a meeting of the membership to discuss such proposals, giving at least four weeks (28 days) clear notice.