It’s Our City! is holding our Annual General Meeting, online, from 7pm to 8pm on 11th August 2021.
If you have previously signed up as a formal member of It’s Our City!, you should have already received an email from us about the AGM. Although our AGM is open to the public, only formal members of It’s Our City! are able to vote at the AGM.
The AGM will be held online using Zoom. To get the Zoom link, and for more info, please register on the Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/its-our-city-agm-tickets…
The AGM will focus on the formal business of It’s Our City! and we are considering an important constitutional change.
Woll Newall (Chair, It’s Our City!)
IT’S OUR CITY!
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
7-8pm, Wednesday 11th August
Please note: this meeting will be online on zoom.
AGENDA
1. Welcome and acknowledgement of governance campaign achievement
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the last AGM 28.1.20 – [link to minutes https://itsoursheffield.co.uk/…/IOC-AGM-minutes-26…]
4. Chair’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report – [link to annual accounts https://itsoursheffield.co.uk/…/07/2021-Accounts.pdf]
6. Change of Constitution Proposal (see below)
7. Election of Coordinating Group (This item will not be required if the constitutional change if approved.)
ALL WELCOME BUT ONLY FORMAL MEMBERS OF IT’S OUR CITY! ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE.
Information for members on change of constitution proposal
It is the membership body who decide on constitutional changes, for which there must be a 2/3 majority.
The Secretary has received a proposal involving a change to the constitution and this has been received 28 days in advance of the AGM as required.
The proposal is from Woll Newall, Anne Barr, Ruth Hubbard, Shelley Cockayne, Joe Kabat, Ian Willshaw (and is also supported by other members of the Coordinating Group), as follows:
1. To formally deconstitute It’s Our City! as a legal entity (as an unincorporated association). This will return It’s Our City! to an informal network (as existed prior to August 2018). The informal network will continue to operate in line with the aims and objectives (mission) of It’s Our City!, and can re-constitute in the future if this is seen as appropriate.
2. That members of the existing Coordinating Group make the necessary arrangements for this transition over the following weeks/months. This will likely include the following:
(i) Secure admins for the existing facebook group that can continue to exist under the existing mission statement (see below)
(ii) Arrange to transfer the hosting of the website to free alternative hosting service for a minimum of one additional year beyond the current hosting arrangements and, in this, to maintain the possibility of adding further material to the website that are relevant follow-ups to campaign work undertaken.
(iii) Buy the current domain name for a further suitable period so that access to the website is maintained under the same name (itsoursheffield.co.uk)
(iv) Ceasing financial activity in the name of It’s Our City! as a legally constituted association.
(v) Intellectual Property: the It’s Our City! logo is the IP of Joe Kabat but its use is encouraged in relation to the dissemination, promotion and follow up activities of campaign work undertaken by It’s Our City! and for any new activities and campaigns that might be undertaken under the existing mission. The logo should not be used for other purposes.
(vi) Intellectual Property: the It’s Our City! name is formally the IP of Ruth Hubbard but its use is encouraged by all in relation to the dissemination, promotion and follow up activities of campaign work undertaken by It’s Our City! and for any new activities and campaigns that might be undertaken under the existing mission.
(vii) Intellectual Property: the contents of the website is the IP of the writers (individually or jointly) of the different items. Its use is encouraged by others, with acknowledgement e.g. for campaign, research and quoting purposes.
Brief background to the proposal
It has been very useful to have a constituted organisation over the full period of the major and successful change of governance campaign in Sheffield, particularly to retain accountability to a wider body and for formal legal status. The mission and provisions in our constitution have also served to protect us as a wholly citizen and community-led organisation from hostility from some quarters who have regularly tried to claim we were something that we were not e.g. linked to particular political parties – this was never the case!
However, having a constituted organisation involves significant maintenance work (and legal obligations). The possibility of further campaigns will not be constrained by a return to an informal community network (largely communicating via our Facebook group), and It’s Our City! can also be re-constituted should this be appropriate or needed for further activities/campaigns.
NOTE: The alternative to the proposal is, instead, for members to put themselves forward for a new Coordinating Group and take up the formal work of a constituted It’s Our City! Please contact us as soon as possible if you are someone who might wish to pursue this option.
It’s Our City! mission statement
It’s Our City! is a community-led network of citizens in Sheffield thinking, talking and working together on issues of common concern to us all. We seek to be an independent, positive and productive contributor to a vibrant local democracy, and for the well-being and resilience of our diverse communities. We ask for more from our elected representatives (Councillors and MPs), statutory authorities, and other managing and delivering services.
We know that active, informed citizens and communities are vital for a healthy local democracy. We include members of all political parties, but are mostly not in political parties – just ordinary Sheffield residents. We are committed to making common cause with each other, as neighbours and community members. We do not work on issues that harm or disrespect particular groups of people, in fact we respect, and will defend, the rights of communities that may face discrimination or marginalisation.
Our independence is vital to us – we do not seek to be ‘mobilised’ or ‘co-opted’ by political parties or party political groupings. We start with people’s concerns at a local level, listen to each other, share information and actively develop a common community voice and agendas, to work on together. We work on issues of practical concern and focus our activities to maximise impact.