1. TITLE: The Committee shall be known as the Taw Torridge Estuary Forum.
2. MEMBERSHIP: The Forum shall comprise Amenity, Activity and Conservation organisations and Parish Councils at their request; the Parish Councils to be those adjoining the estuary complex of the Taw and Torridge tidal reaches. The Forum may, from time to time, co-opt individuals having a special Contribution to make to its proceedings.
3. CHAIRMAN: The Forum will elect a Chairman annually.
4. SECRETARY/TREASURER: The Forum will elect a Secretary/Treasurer annually.
5. TERMS OF REFERENCE: The Forum shall offer advice to the appropriate Authorities on all aspects of the estuary of the Taw and Torridge and their tributaries
6. FINANCE: The Forum will set an annual subscription to defray expenses incurred by administration and other necessary costs; the subscription to be reviewed annually.
7. MEETINGS/CONDUCT OF BUSINESS: Provided there is sufficient business there will be four meetings in each year on dates and times to be fixed at the current meeting and called by the Secretary in consultation with the Chairman.
Items for inclusion on the Agenda shall be submitted to the Secretary at least fourteen days before the date on which the item is to be considered by the Forum.
The Secretary shall keep a proper record of the proceedings of the Forum.
Each member organisation will delegate one person to represent them at a meeting of the Forum.
Where an officer (i.e. Chairman or Secretary) is also the delegate of a member organisation he or she will be allowed to speak on behalf of that organisation.
Delegates of any member organisation shall have the right to speak at Forum meetings and may also be invited to attend and speak at other meetings on the Forum's behalf where they have a specialist knowledge or specific interest in the matters under consideration.
The conduct of the day to day business of the TTEF shall be invested in the hands of two subcommittees; i) Consultation & Planning. Chaired by the Chairman of the TTEF with 3 members elected from the Forum. They would meet as required to consider planning applications, consultations and environmental and other issues. ii) Admin & Finance. Chaired by the Vice Chairman of the TTEF with the Secretary and Treasurer and two members of the TTEF to meet as required to consider finance, dissemination of information and other administrative matters.
Both sub-committees may be instructed by the main TTEF Committee and would have delegated powers to deal with issues under their remit. Both must report their activities to each main TTEF meeting for ratification.
Both sub-committees shall have the power to co-opt as required.
8. QUORUM: The Quorum shall be nine members present at a convened meeting of the Forum.
9. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION: Any member wishing to propose an amendment to the Constitution shall do so in writing to the Secretary who shall give notice thereof to the members by including any details on the Agenda of the next meeting.
10. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Members of the Public have the right to attend meetings of the Forum, but they are not entitled to speak unless specifically asked to do so by the Chair. In the event that a matter under consideration is of a confidential nature, members of the Public will be asked to withdraw and the matter will be discussed "in camera". Publicity of venues and times of meetings will be left to members of the Forum.
