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The Friends of Tower Hamlets Recycling Network Memorandum and Articles of Association (Draft)
Application Form
What is the Friends Network
It is an autonomous association of volunteers who live in Estates in the Borough of Tower Hamlets and whose primary aim is to assist the recycling and other environmental activities and attitudes of their neighbors, friends, relatives and other residents who live or work on their street. Member’s activities are mainly based on the streets where they reside or work but they can work at ward or neighborhood level and if the occasion arises at borough level. The activities can range from promoting the green box system of recycling to other issues such as composting, environmental awareness and education or other green issues.
How does the Network Function
Volunteers who become members can cover any Estate of up to a hundred dwellings. In some cases they might find it more helpful to function as a street committee of 2 or more people. Estates/Blocks with more than 100 dwellings (every flat counts as a separate dwelling) can have more Friends to cover every additional 100 or so dwellings.
At the ward level one of the volunteers from the streets in the ward ca act as a link person. The same applies to the neighborhood/Local Area Partnership level that brings several wards together. In the long run it is hoped that a steering group will be setup from the neighborhood link Friends. Until that happens an ad-hoc steering group will be formed to support the Network and street volunteers.
There are about 70,000 households in the borough and the friends network is eventually expected to contain about 1,000 estate Friends with some 70 of these doubling up as ward level contacts/links and a further 15 of these ward contacts doubling up again as Neighborhood contacts/links. Half of these again will form the steering group until the AGM replaces this function of selecting steering group members.
The link activities and functions of the network are secondary and informal and for all practical purposes, estate friends function autonomously within the broad objectives of environmental promotion.
Why is there a need for a Friends of Recycling Network?
The recycling rate of Tower Hamlets is one of the lowest in the country. At present (August 2003) it stands at 2.8%, which makes the Borough the 465th lowest recycling borough out of 500, such boroughs in the country (according to resource magazine August 2003). The Government has set out a statutory target of 25% by 2010 and 50% (Including composting) by 2015. This is a tremendous task and cannot be met without full public participation. The funding of recycling activities is such that there will not be enough resources to mobilize public participation without resort to the goodwill of environmentally friendly residents.
Above all else, recycling is one of those activities in which people take part because they feel good about doing it and any activity that doesn’t take into consideration this sense of goodness will not meet its objectives.
No one is a more effective source of advice and encouragement than the people who live on the street and have care and concern about their local environment and their fellow residents. Nobody can know local residents better than the people who live locally. No one else has a better opportunity or motivation and a sense of what works better than people who live on the street.
What sort of activities do estate friends undertake?
Friends can make suggestions on the improvements necessary to the green box recycling system and its operation, its technology and staffing.
They could do this through direct contact with THCRC operations office, by talking to the estate collectors on their estate, by getting in touch with the collection supervisors in their neighborhood or by contacting the steering group of the Friends Network.
Friends can promote the green box recycling system by encouraging others who live and work on their estates to take part or to improve their participation. They could also pass information about the service to other people.
Friends can start other environmental projects that are broadly in line with the aims of the recycling, reuse or waste reduction and minimization aims of the environmental movement.
Friends can raise funds or carry out activities and events that could support recycling and environmental initiatives. The funds can be held locally or with the treasurer of the network steering group.
Friends can carry out informative, educational or promotional activities of their own that are broadly in line with the aims and objectives of the environmental network.
Friends can start a Friends Newsletter for their street focusing on recycling and other environmental issues.
Friends can use occasions of a formal or informal nature where they meet other residents socially or otherwise to discuss the scheme and to promote it and to set a good example or to communicate good practice.
What can Friends expect from Tower Hamlets CRC?
They can expect all their suggestions about service improvement to be taken seriously and receive an adequate response within a reasonable time period. They can expect a written response or direct contact for their written communication.
They can expect to receive information about the service regularly. This will happen through a quarterly newsletter, which we are hoping to put out about the network. It will also happen through the THCRC website WWW.thcrc.co.uk when fully developed.
They can expect a regular and competent service that will avoid the mistakes of the past about reliability and promoting a caring approach focused on addressing public concerns.
They can expect support and back up such as an outreach worker for the friends network when funding is available and administrative backup from the THCRC office.
They can expect all contact details of the relevant operational staff (collectors, supervisors, management) to be available to them and to receive a call back within a reasonable time scale from such contacts.
They can expect to receive details of other friends in nearby estates for networking purposes and to co-ordinate joint projects of mutual concern.
They can expect to be consulted about further improvements to the collection system and any future plans.
They can expect to receive an annual report about the performance of the recycling operation.
What is expected of members of the friends network?
To carry out promotional activities on their street as they deem fit.
To try and promote inclusion of all residents in their Friends Network activities.
To be members of the Friends Network for a period of three months or more.
To try and respond to appeals for support or assistance in raising participation among residents.
To try and respond to communication from the THCRC project office.
To provide feedback about the activities and assessments of the Friends Network on your estate annually to the Steering Group or the THCRC project office.
To encourage residents to look after the safety of their green boxes and to promote proper use of the boxes.
To encourage residents to ensure the recycling of the right type of materials and to provide relevant leaflets if necessary.
Membership
There are several routes to membership. You could be nominated by other members or approached directly by outreach workers. You could also volunteers personally. A membership form and Articles and memorandum of association will be sent to you together with some background material. Once your application is received a briefing pack about the level of recycling on your estate will be sent to you. This will happen very soon after applying. You could also receive details about which dwellings/blocks require support and encouragement on recycling.
Termination of membership
You can resign your membership any time and membership will be free. Ideally we would like you to suggest alternative members. The steering Group could also replace a member in exceptional circumstances where conflict of interest may be identified with the promotion of broad environmental objectives or the ethos of the Friends Network. Such members will have the opportunity to present their case to the full steering Group. An appeals panel composed of lay members will be setup by the AGM to consider any appeals.
Steering Group of the Friends Network
The function of the group will be to co-ordinate and provide direction to the network
It will also represent the network in its dealings with external bodies and with THCRC
The Group Members will be chosen by neighborhood link members and eventually by the AGM.
Group Members will have a treasurer, a chairperson, a membership co-coordinator, and a campaign coordinator. These members will act as an executive for emergency situations.
The steering group will have regular meetings as necessary.
The Group will produce an annual report to the AGM and audited accounts as well as a regular newsletter.
Half of the Group members will constitute as a quorum.
The Group will open and maintain an account for the Network and the chairperson and treasurer will be co-signatories.
THCRC will provide secretarial and office support to the steering Group.
The Group can make provisional changes to the Memorandum and articles of Association of the Network subject to approval by the AGM.
AGM
Will receive and approve annual report and accounts and select the steering Group.
RWH and the Steering Group will have the opportunity to thank the street friends by organizing a Gala for the members. The AGM will be in June/July every year.
RWH will deposit an annual report of the service performance with the AGM.
Auditors
The Steering Group will select Auditors from among lay members. They will need to be approved by the AGM.
Memorandum and articles of association and any changes to it will be agreed by majority of members at the AGM
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