As adopted and proposed by the Parish Council on 19th March 1979 and put to and amended and approved by the Annual Parish Meeting on 29th April 1979, on and from which date this Constitution is in effect until and unless subsequently amended.
- Purpose:
The purpose of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Council shall be to advise and consult with the Parish Priest on any matters relating to the parish, both spiritual and secular, and to put into effect (subject always to the approval of the Parish Priest) any actions required as a result of such advice and consultation. - Chairman:
The Parish Priest shall be the Chairman of the Parish Council. He may ask the Vice-Chairman to take the chair at any meeting of the council, even at meetings at which both are present. - Vice-chairman:
The Vice-chairman of the Parish Council shall be a lay man or lay woman appointed annually by the Parish Priest, but shall not continue in office for more than four years consecutively. A previous holder of the office may be re-appointed after an interval of at least one year. - Secretary:
The Secretary of the Parish Council shall be a lay man or lay woman elected annually by the Annual Parish Meeting, but shall not continue in office for more than four years consecutively. A previous holder of the office may be re-elected after an interval of at least one year. Should a vacancy occur during a year of office a new Secretary shall be appointed by the Parish Council, not necessarily from among their members, to hold office until the next Annual Parish Meeting. - Members:
In addition to the three Officers (Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary), the following shall be members of the Parish Council - Representative Members (and Standing Committees)
The Parish Council shall establish Standing Committees
a. To co-ordinate the interests of groups and organisations in the Parish with similar or common purposes;
b. To carry out management functions.
The Parish Council shall decide the Terms of Reference of each Standing Committee. It may establish or disband Standing Committees as required. Each Standing Committee shall appoint one Representative to attend Parish Council meetings for one year of office. A deputy may attend. A second Representative may attend a specific Parish Council meeting if the Standing Committee wish to present a report about which the official Representative is not fully informed. A Standing Committee shall have only one vote at any Parish Council meeting. Each Standing Committee shall report its activities to the Parish Council regularly and shall present an annual report for the Annual Parish Meeting.
- Committees (other than Standing Committees)
In addition to Standing Committees the Parish Council may set up ad hoc committees for any purpose and with any membership, provided that the Chairman of any such committee is an officer or member of the Parish Council. All such committees shall report to the Parish Council and shall have no executive powers and shall take no action unless expressly charged to do so by the Parish Council. - Parish Council Meetings:
The Parish Council shall meet at least four time each year and at least once in each calendar quarter. Failure to do this must be explained in the Annual Report. The dates of its meetings shall be decided by the Parish Council. The Parish Priest, or the Vice-Chairman and Secretary, or a minimum of five Parish Council members may require an extraordinary meeting to be called to discuss a specific matter and two weeks notice of such a meeting must be given and only the subject declared for the meeting shall be discussed.
Two weeks notice of any meeting of the Parish Council shall be displayed on the church notice board. This period of notice may be varied with the approval of two thirds of the total membership of the Parish Council. Any member of the Parish may attend any ordinary meeting of the Parish Council unless a two thirds majority of members present vote to exclude them. Non-members may not vote and may only speak by permission of the Chairman. - Annual Report:
Not less than one month before the Annual Parish Meeting the Parish Council shall approve the text of the Annual Report which shall include reports from all the Standing Committees. The Annual Report, as approved by the Parish Council, shall be signed by the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary and it shall be displayed for four weeks prior to the Annual Parish Meeting, whether or not copies are distributed to or available to parishioners, on the church notice board. - Annual Parish Meeting:
Each year between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday an Annual Parish Meeting shall be held to discuss and adopt the Annual Report, to receive and discuss a Financial Report, to elect the Secretary and Parish Council members for the ensuing year and to deal with any other business of the Parish. A notice of the Annual Parish Meeting shall be displayed on the church notice board for at least four weeks prior to the meeting. - Special Parish Meeting:
A Special Parish Meeting may be convened by the Chairman, or the Vice-Chairman and Secretary, of the Parish Council by giving two weeks notice, displayed on the church notice board and stating the purpose of the meeting. No other matter than that stated in the notice may be discussed at the meeting. This period of notice may be varied with the approval of two thirds of those present, provided that not less than thirty parishioners attend the meeting. - Quorum:
At an Annual Parish Meeting twenty people shall form a quorum. At a Parish Council meeting one third of the total membership of the Council shall form a quorum. - Entitlement to Vote:
Anyone may attend an Annual Parish Meeting. Anyone aged 15 or over who resides in the parish or who frequently attends the parish church may vote at a Parish Meeting. - Form of Voting:
At an Annual Parish Meeting voting shall be by a show of hands except in the case of elections which shall be by secret ballot. The Chairman of the Meeting shall appoint scrutineers for the counting of ballot papers. At a Parish Council meeting voting shall be by a show of hands, except when it is proposed and agreed by a simple majority that a vote shall be by secret ballot. Officially appointed Representative Members or officially appointed deputies of Representative Members shall have a vote at a Parish Council meeting, but any second Representative Member (see Clause 6) shall have no vote.
In the event of a tie the Chairman of the Meeting may have a casting vote in addition to a personal vote. - Alterations to the Constitution:
Any proposal to alter this Constitution shall be referred to the Parish Council for consideration and the Parish Council shall report its recommendations to the next ensuing Annual Parish Meeting. At an Annual Parish Meeting, any proposal by the Parish Council to alter the Constitution or not alter the Constitution shall be voted upon after adoption of the Annual Report and before any elections take place. A majority of two thirds of those present and entitled to vote shall be required for the adoption of any proposed alteration to the Constitution.
a. Priests and Sisters: any assistant priests and any parish sisters in the Parish.
b. Representative Members: as set out in clause 6 below.
c. The Head Teacher: (or the Head Teacher may nominate any full-time member of the School teaching staff in his place).
d. Elected Members: not more than ten Members, of whom half shall be elected at the Annual Parish Meeting each year to serve for two years. An elected Member may not serve for more than six years consecutively. Nominations and offers to stand for election may be made before or at the Annual Parish Meeting. Should a vacancy occur during a year of office the Parish Council shall decide whether and how the vacancy is to be filled.
Note: in this Constitution, a vacancy shall be deemed to have occurred when an officer or member tenders resignation in writing or has failed to attend three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause.