Chatsworth Road E5

Your chance to shape the Association and to take the market campaign forwards

Calling all market supporters! If you want a new Chatsworth Road market to become reality join us on October 13th and consider volunteering to form a new Market Committee or to help run the Association.

We need enthusiastic people to stick their hands up and form a new Market Committee dedicated to pushing the market proposals forward.

Could you help? Do you have skills, energy, passion, ideas or experience that you could contribute?

It doesn’t matter if you’ve not been involved in anything like this before. If you care about our brilliant independent local high street, and the amazingly diverse community that revolves around it, then you’ve got something to offer. And you could make a real impact on the direction this campaign takes.

If you want an update on where the market campaign is right now, including the results of our May 2009 community survey, and the Council’s position on the idea, please check out our ‘Market Report’ (see menu option, under ‘About Us’).

Could you help run the Association?
Just as important is the need to fill the posts in the Association. We’re asking for people to consider putting themselves up for election to the following four Executive Committee posts:

- Chair
- Vice-Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer

These four roles are vital for running the Association. If we’re going to successfully develop as a community organisation that aims to improve the high street for the benefit of everyone locally, we need to better manage our basic operation. The specific responsibilities allocated to each of these four voluntary posts are outlined at the end of this post.

A further six people are needed to make up the remainder of the Executive Committee, which is charged with running the Association in accordance with the constitution. The Executive Committee will consist of a mix of both traders and non-trading residents, and anyone who lives or trades locally can put themselves forward.

To view a copy of the recently agreed draft constitution go to the recent article ‘Constitution Agreed’ – feel free to post comments there with any suggested ammendments.

Why do we need a Traders & Residents Association?

A well organised & representative Association is going to provide the necessary foundation for successfully launching, and sustaining, a new market. Think of it as base camp for the market venture. But a well organised Association could also allow us to:

• - Campaign to re-open the post office as a community enterprise
• - Work to prevent further shop units being lost to residential use
• - Campaign for shop landlords to invest in buildings suffering from neglect
• - Work with the Council & local police to make the high street a safer, more enjoyable public space
• - Promote the development of a wider range of shopping & eating opportunities
• - Preserve the high street’s unique character, heritage and independence
• - Provide a voice for the local community in liaising with the Council on plans for the high street or surrounding area

Could we even aim to make Chatsworth Road the capital’s first ‘Sustainable High Street’, with its own carbon cutting programme and environmental charter?

Or perhaps work with a local college to engage young people in developing new business ideas in empty shop units or on subsidised market stalls?

Or why not transform long term shop voids into cultural workshops and places of artistic expression?

Get involved
If we get organised, the whole community can have the independent local high street it wants and needs, now and in decades to come. But to get organised, we need volunteers.

We know you’re busy, but please consider getting involved.

If you can’t make the October 13th meeting you’re still free to nominate yourself for a role, in advance, by email – please include any supporting statement that you wish to be read out to the general meeting on your behalf. Similarly, if you have any queries about what any of the roles would involve please just contact us on:

info@chatsworthroade5.co.uk

Outline of the four Executive Officer posts
(taken from the constitution)

Chair:

• - Shall be the chief presiding officer and chairperson for the Executive Committee, Committee and General meetings with a casting vote in any tie of votes only
• - Shall lead the CRTRA in all communication and business with external organisations and individuals, including monitoring the CRTRA email account
• - Shall lead the evaluation of any grievance, be they grievance by an individual trader or all traders
• - Shall attend all meetings with Hackney Council
• - Shall provide leadership and motivation
• - Shall enforce the Constitution

Vice-Chair:

• - Shall be the Chair’s alternate in his/her absence
• - Shall be responsible for organising, meetings, conferences etc.
• - Shall be responsible for contact with the press and the electronic media.
• - Shall prepare leaflets, pamphlets and other publicity material, including updating and monitoring the CRTRA website
• - Shall organise the distribution to traders of all CRTRA written communications
• - Shall attend all meetings with Hackney Council

Secretary:

• - Shall be responsible for maintaining all meeting records and minutes
• - Shall be responsible for the conduct of correspondence
• - Shall be responsible for communications with all external organisations and individuals
• - Shall attend all meetings with Hackney Council

Treasurer:

• - Shall be responsible for maintaining all budgetary records
• - Shall be responsible for maintaining the Bank Account
• - Shall be responsible for the publication of annual CRTRA statement of accounts

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.