Our Lady and the English Martyrs Community Council Formation Working Group

Minutes of the meeting on Tuesday 16 September

Present:

Stephen Matthews

Father Peter Leeming

Kay Dodsworth

Antoinette Askin

Bernard Townshend

Di Redmond

Osyth Hawke

Apologies

Joel Fernandez

Prayer

Minutes of the last meeting:

- agreed, with adaptation of proposed Standing Orders (see below)

A timetable for elections to the community council:

- We changed the date for the Community Meeting to review our recommendations to Tuesday 7 October, 7:30pm.

- We extended the proposed timescale for registration to vote through to Monday 17 November.

- We added a third Sunday for parish notices seeking Community Approval; in addition to Sundays 28 September and 5 October, we added 12 October (after the Community Meeting).

Standing Orders

- we recommend Standing Orders rather than a Constitution for the Community Council, as these may be more easily adapted to reflect the learning gained through trying to live with them in the first year of the Community Council.

Reviewing the Standing Orders that this Working Party has complied, we altered the following:

- On co-option of voting members

Amend 3.2.2: “The President of the Community Council shouldco-opt members” to “The President of the Community Council may co-opt members”

- On open meetings of the Community Council

Add 4.2.2: “The Quorum of a Community Meeting will be 50 members”.

- On Confidentiality

Clarified 4.7.1. Who may lift the confidentiality clause so statements are recorded.

- On amendments to the Standing Orders

Remove 7.1: Reference to the Constitution

- On dissolution of the Community Council

Add policy statement from diocesan policies, and amend “reconstituted within two months of any suspension” to “reconstituted within twelve months…”. This is to allow a suitable period of reflection and recollection, and opportunity for the right of recourse.

We added the following points:

4.6.1 and 4.6.2. On publishing the agenda of meetings.

7. Amendments to the Standing Orders

Promoting our recommendations to the Community

> Stephen will script a notice to be read at Mass

> Stephen will write a notice for the parish bulletin

> Stephen will draft a voting slip to approve the Standing Orders and Register to Vote

To speak at Mass, giving notice seeking community approval of our recommendations:

6:00pm
(vigil) / 8:00am (said) / 9:30am (family) / 10:45am (sung) / 5:00pm (youth) / 6:15pm (Latin)
28 September / Osyth / Stephen / Stephen / Stephen / Di / Stephen
5 October / Kay / Kay / Kay / Di
12 October / Kay / Stephen / Stephen / Stephen / Di / Stephen

> Joel, could you cover 9:30 and 10:45 on Sunday 5 October please?

> Father Peter will ask Father Pat Cleary, as our Dean, to be our election adjudicator.