Model Code of Conduct for Tenants and Residents Associations

Conduct of meetings

• Members of the association should follow the guidance of the Chair in the conduct of the meeting.

• Members must be courteous to each other at all times and allow each other to speak.

• Members must remember that the purpose of the meeting is to benefit residents generally and not specific individuals.

• Members must abide by the equal opportunities policy of the association

Conduct of the committee

• Members should not bring the association into disrepute

• Members should not speak or write on behalf of the group without the prior agreement of the group. Any correspondence sent on behalf of the group should be made available to all members of the group.

· Members of the association should at all times work within the rules laid down in the Constitution.

• Members should observe collective responsibility for committee decisions

Conflicts of Interest

Members should disclose any interest, whether personal or on behalf of any group they represent, that they consider affect or influence their approach to the matter under discussion.

Political Affiliation

Individual members may be affiliated to/or be members of a political party and as residents of the group’s area of benefit they are entitled to be on the Committee and have a vote. However they may not represent a political party in their role as a Committee Member.

Confidentiality

Members should respect all individual tenants / residents confidentiality. Information about individual tenants and residents will not be discussed at public meetings.

Breach of the Code of Conduct

• If a member of the Committee or those attending the meeting do not abide by the code of conduct they will be warned by the Chair that if they break the code again they may be asked to leave the meeting.

• The Chair may give the person concerned two further warnings ( a maximum of three warnings in any one meeting and /or three consecutive meetings ).

• If the person continues to ignore these Rules and refuses to leave the meeting after being warned by the Chair then the Chair has the power to close the meeting.

• 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.

• 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.

Committee members must observe this Code of Conduct whenever they:

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

This Code of Conduct / Rules of Procedure were adopted by ‘Anywhere’ Tenants and Residents Association at a general meeting of its members held at:-

Signed:_____________________________ Chair.

Signed: _____________________________ Secretary.

Date Agreed:___________________________.