Your new constitution!!!

[UKAPS Committee]

The Society Constitution has now been ratified by Committee and is attached in the sticky UKAPS Constitution
This document forms the basis for the Society as it stands right now and lays out the way the Society and Committee will operate.
Please take the time to read the document through and then offer any feedback on this thread. We appreciate the patience shown in waiting for its publication, it was no small task.
Additionally, this document will be reviewed at the first AGM, where all Society Members are welcome to attend and suggest additions or changes in advance.

Edit - To help keep this thread succinct, a collated response to questions will be made over the weekend. While you wait, there is never a bad time for a water change 😅
Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[Onoma1]

I had a very quick look through and it seems sensible. Clearly a great deal if work went into this. Some quick thoughts / questions:

It seems to suggest that this will be an elected committee? If it is you need to insert a clause about the length of term and how elections will be held?

Thinking long term will you affiliate with the RHS or link to other horticultural societies such as the Hardy Plant Society? If you intend to do so (or their is a remote possibility) do they have any requirements for our constitution we could insert now (to future proof it)?

I guess the most significant point would be that the forum isn't the society and the society isn't the forum. The concept of a society is much wider and technology changes... Should there be a shorter constitution which just focuses of the society and then a document which outlines the terms of reference for the forum and roles and responsibilities of forum members?

You may also want to think about additional defined roles for committee members beyond the three specified. I was involved in setting up two academic professional societies (one now has 5k members) and this proved to be essential. Communications etc. You may also need provision for ad hoc working groups to organise local events with local organisers and commitee members...

I also wondered how you will ratify changes to the constitution?

Which raises the point that it isn't normal practice for a group to ratify their own constitution 🙂

I think it would have greater legitimacy by going through a process of consultation and then ratifying it after a vote or (virtual) meeting.

A final thought is will you take minutes of meetings and publish them?

Sorry if I have missed anything and congratulations on putting the document together.

 

[Little]

First off, excellent work. It’s great to see progress. Specially progress that has a focus on resolving the root cause of UKAPS recent crisis. This dispels my concerns around financial fairness.

I would suggest the committee reflect on the challenges around the use / protection of UKAPS data.
The forum has a huge volume of both personal information that needs to be safeguarded and also intellectual property.
Perhaps an addition to the constitution to reflect this duty of care would be appropriate.

 

[LFNfan]

Looks great, and nicely balanced / tractable for a small group of volunteer Committee members. Well done to the Committee and all contributors for delivering this important milestone on the ukaps journey!

I look forward to becoming a member of the Group / Society, and continuing to post and lurk on the Forum.

Minor minor thing - should para 8 first sub-bullet of first bullet read "society's" rather than 'societies'?