Forum Procedures & Policies

The Neighbourhood Forum has 4 types of members defined by the Constitution (download here).

  • Resident Member – usual place of residence in the Neighbourhood Area
  • Worker Member – usual place of employment is within the N.A.
  • Elected Official Member – a Ward Councillor, MP, London Assembly Member, whose constituency covers part of the N.A.
  • Affiliated Organisation – a community group that has an interest in the N.A. (Has a single appointed representative.)

The Forum consists of the members and must meet at least every 4 months.

Its officers are:

  • the Chair
  • the Secretary / Vice Chair
  • the Membership Secretary
  • the Treasurer

Election Procedures for Forum Officers

The Officers are elected from amongst the Resident, Worker and Elected Officer members of the Forum. The Officers serve for a period of 18 months and can be re-elected. They cannot be members of the Steering Group (although may be invited to attend meetings). Vacancies will be filled by election.

Notification of meetings and elections will be by email.

Notification of an election will be given at least 21 days before the meeting when the election is to be held. Nominations will be invited and a Forum Member must second the nomination. Nominees will be asked to provide a short written statement (of the order of 150 words) about why they wish to stand and any relevant experience.

Nominees must commit to attending the minimum of a Forum meeting every 4 months. The names of nominees and their statements will be circulated to members by email no less than 48 hours before the election. Where there is a single candidate for a post voting will be by a show of hands. If more than a single candidate voting will be by secret ballot at the meeting.

The quorum is 10% of the membership with at least 3 from each borough.

Elections for the Steering Group are described in a separate document.

The Steering Group

The Steering Group (SG) carries out the work of the Forum including preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan. It reports, through the record of its meetings, to the Forum. The Steering Group consists of 15 elected members with no more than 4 resident or worker members from each borough and no more than 1 elected official member from each borough.

SG members are elected for 18 months but can stand for re-election.

The SG must meet within 2 months of the date of its election and thereafter at least every three months.

The quorum is 7 with at least 2 from each borough.

Forum Officers cannot be Steering Group members.

The Steering Group elects one Steering Group member to be Head. The Head is responsible for calling and chairing SG meetings and is responsible for acting on behalf of the Forum and representing it externally. The Steering Group may invite Forum Officers to attend its meetings. It may set up temporary subgroups to carry out specific tasks or advise the SG on specific issues.

In addition to the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan the Steering Group may:

  • propose to the Forum amendments to the Constitution and its annex(es)
  • propose amendments to the Neighbourhood Area
  • express views on Planning Applications in compliance with the latest published Emerging Draft Neighbourhood Plan
  • propose the Forum be dissolved.

Election Procedures for the Steering Group

The Forum must have (according to the Constitution):

A Steering Group of up to 15 members: up to 5 from each of the three boroughs of which there must be no more than 1 Elected Official Member from each borough e.g Ward Councillor.

The other Steering Group members are elected from amongst the Resident and Worker members of the Forum. The Steering Group members serve for a period of 18 months and can be re-elected. Vacancies will be filled by election.

The Forum Constitution can be downloaded from: Neighbourhood Forum Constitution

Notification of meetings and elections will be by email.

Notification of an election will be given at least 21 days before the meeting when the election is to be held. Nominations will be invited and a Forum Member must second the nomination. Nominees will be asked to provide a short written statement (no more than 150 words) about why they wish to stand and any relevant experience. Nominees must normally commit to attending in full half of the regular (monthly) Steering Group meetings. The names of nominees, their seconders and their statements will be circulated to members by email no less than 48 hours before the election.

Where there is a single candidate for a post, voting will be by a show of hands. If more than a single candidate voting will be by secret ballot at the meeting.

Note: No more than one Forum Officer / Steering Group Member shall be elected from any one household or immediate family (parent; sibling; child by blood, adoption, or marriage; spouse; grandparent or grandchild). Serving Forum Officers shall not stand for election as a Steering Group Member, and vice versa.

Last updated: October 2021