The Young Greens note:

• Trump's actions in Venezuela, and his continued threats of the same in other areas, such as Cuba and Greenland, are explicit examples of imperialism and the kidnapping of President Maduro demonstrates a clear breach of international law.

• Trump's excuse of drug consumption as a justification for his actions in Venezuela has no standing, as the majority of drug imports into America are coming from places other than Venezuela, such as China and Mexico.

• Trump's consultation with oil companies prior to his actions in Venezuela demonstrates his true motive - oil. Trump has openly spoken about his intent to allow American oil companies to exploit Venezuelan resources for their own profit. This is neo-colonialism.

The Young Greens believe:

• The war on drugs has failed, and in order to solve the overconsumption of drugs, we need to legalise and regulate all drugs, as this is a proven way of reducing drug consumption.

• All forms of imperialism, neo-colonialism and breaches of international law are absolutely unacceptable and must be condemned worldwide.

• Trump's threatened invasion of Greenland has shown the failures of NATO as a defence alliance, and therefore we believe that we must leave NATO in favour of an alternative alliance with our European partners and others, that is focused on peace rather than increased defence spending beyond what is necessary.

The Young Greens resolve:

• To continue to loudly oppose all forms of imperialism, neo-colonialism and breaches
  of international law.

• To call for the legalisation and regulation of all drugs, and support any efforts and/or legislation which aims to bring about this change.

• To call for the UK to leave NATO in favour of an alternative alliance with our European
  partners and others, that is focused on peace rather than increased defence
  spending beyond what is necessary.

The Young Greens note:

• The Green Party strongly criticises the first past the post system, believing it is unfair and wastes votes; instead, it supports Proportional Representation through a Single Transferable Vote.

• The Nouveau Front Populaire in France, a bloc of leftists and environmentalists, worked together to prevent a landslide electoral victory by the far right.

The Young Greens believe that:

• The Green Party exists as a platform to reach beyond Westminster.

• Our members are strong organisers and activists: we regularly work with campaigns such as environmentalist groups, worker’s unions and solidarity groups, collaborating with people who may be members of other parties.

The Young Greens resolve to:

• Support permitting members of the Green Party of England and Wales to be members of other national parties which the Green Party Council approves as aligned with our values, subject to ongoing assessments.

• Request the Young Greens Executive Committee to lobby for this change.

1.Candidates are discouraged from using generative artificial intelligence

(AI) within their campaigns. This includes campaigning material, social

media posts, speeches, official communications and their candidate

statements.

2. Any material, media or communications should be made by candidates or

their supporting campaigners. Candidates who are believed to have used

generative AI in their campaigns will be asked by the ERO to remove and/or

change the material, media or communications. Any member can raise

concerns over use of AI in campaigns by candidates and it is up to the ERO

to investigate the claims.

3. The ERO may identify possible AI usage through: irregular wordings and

anomalous language, images with known traits of generative art or by other

means the ERO deem fit. The ERO may request proof that the media was

created by the candidate.

4. A record of rulings made by the ERO should be kept by the DAC with the

alleged candidate named in the record and the whistleblower left

anonymous. These records shall be made publicly available to all members.

Summary:

As Young Greens, we should be guiding the Party's choices of technology and platforms of communication towards solutions that are ethical, sustainable for the planet, and supportive of the party's ballooning membership and its ability to engage meaningfully and easily.

The Young Greens note that:

Surveillance and authoritarianism is a growing global concern as elites try to crack down on political organising, dissent and freedom of speech.

Current member-to-member communication structures within the Party can mean that organising occurs over many disconnected group chats, platforms and email exchanges.

The infrastructure for sustainable and ethical methods of communication is present and developing at pace, especially in the open-source-software space.

The dominance of Big Tech solutions in internal communications solutions presents longer-term issues for the security and sovereignty of important data, especially with companies based in an increasingly monopolistic and extractive United States.

The Young Greens believe that:

Adopting and embracing new methods of collaborating and organising is important for the Party's continued resilience.

The values of transparency, accountability and social utility deserve to be at the heart of such fundamental operations within the Party.

Vix Lowthion - as our newly-elected internal communications co-ordinator - should be supported in her vision over her two-year tenure to drive member engagement across the party, improve mechanisms of information sharing, and adopt new and radical strategies for transforming internal communications.

The Young Greens resolve to:

Vocally support - and materially so wherever possible - opportunities aimed to increase the Party's independence from Big Tech owned solutions through investment in and research into suitable and idealistic alternatives.

The Young Greens note that:

· In 2023, 2024 and 2025 there has been a significant rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in the UK with a recorded 4,296 incidents in 2023, the highest amount recorded by CST and over double the amount recorded in 2022.

· Between January and June of 2025 107 reports involved celebration of the holocaust, the glorification of its architects and/or their ideas, or the expressed desire for for the mass industrialised extermination of Jewish people to be repeated. 29% of these cases also referenced the Middle East by lamenting Hitler's failure to exterminate the entirety of the Jewish population and thereby prevent Isreal’s existence and the events in the Middle East at current.

· In this same time 51% of the 1,521 reported incidents referred to Isreal or Palestine whilst containing explicitly antisemitic comments or abuse.

The Young Greens believe that:

· Being anti-Isreal is not inherently antisemitic.

· We should fully support the people of Palestine in this conflict.

· Anti-Isreal sentiments can become inherently antisemitic and views towards Isreal may be expressed via or motivated by anti-Jewish rhetoric, stereotypes, and conspiracy theories.

· Jewish people as a whole should not become victims of hate due to the actions of Isreal.

The Young Greens resolve to:

· Ensure that anti-Isreal sentiment does not become antisemitic.

· Continue to support Palestine.

· Ensure that our guidance, statements, and policies do not create hate for one community in the aim of supporting another.

Young Greens note:

• The urgency of the climate and ecological crises, and the inequitable effects this will have for communities both across England and Wales, and globally.

• That the agricultural sector is responsible for approximately 12% of UK greenhouse gas emissions [1].

• That foods deriving from plants have substantially lower environmental impacts than those deriving from animal products. This is especially true as relates to greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, eutrophication and biodiversity loss [2].

• There is broad consensus across expert bodies (including the Climate Change Committee; the EAT-Lancet Commission; the Food Foundation [3]) that a societal transition towards a diet rich in plant foods is needed if we are to achieve our climate goals.

• More than 75% of agricultural land is used for livestock, but this provides a much smaller proportion of protein and calories. Shifting towards diets rich in plant-foods would reduce land-use pressure which would have positive implications for biodiversity [4].

• Research from the Oxford Martin School indicates that plant-based food is, on average, substantially cheaper than alternatives [5].

• The Office of Health Economics has found that a societal shift towards plant-based diets could save the NHS billions of pounds each year through reduced incidence of non-communicable disease [6].

• The World Health Organisation has proposed a shift away from animal agriculture to lower the risk of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance [7].

Young Greens believe that:

• As a collective body, it is important that we lead by example in making sustainable choices where practicable.

• Climate and ecological breakdown will have substantial negative impacts on rural and agricultural communities. It is therefore important that these communities are supported through a just transition to a more sustainable food system.

• It is important that all Young Greens events are maximally accessible in all possible dimensions, including to people with dietary commitments, allergies, or restrictions.

• When planned appropriately, plant-based food is the most sustainable and appropriate default option for meetings of the Young Greens.

Young Greens resolve to:

• Provide fully plant-based food for national Young Green events where catering is provided, with appropriate exemptions on request.

• Signpost local Young Greens groups towards resources that support them in accessing sustainable, accessible plant-based food.

• Promote public understanding of the benefits of a societal shift towards a diet rich in plant foods.

References

1. Department for Energy Security & Net Zero - 2024 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Provisional Figures

2. Nature Food - Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts

3. Climate Change Committee - The Seventh Carbon Budget; EAT-Lancet - The Planetary Health Diet; The Food Foundation - Increasing uptake of plant-rich diets

4. Our World in Data - Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture

5. The Lancet Planetary Health - The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: a modelling study

6. Office of Health Economics - The impact of higher uptake of plant-based diets in England: model-based estimates of health care resource use and health-related quality of life

7. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation - Pandemic prevention and unsustainable animal-based consumption

This is a motion to impose a moratorium on prison construction and expansion. The prison and criminal justice system is in crisis, and investing in prison expansion instead of community-based alternatives only exacerbates this crisis.

The Young Greens note that:

• Prison expansion has grown rapidly in recent years, with more planned

• Existing plans for prison expansion are significantly delayed and already costing £4 billion over budget

• Prison expansion is not increasing in line with the growth in people being sent to prison

• Despite the SDS40 Early Release Scheme in 2024, the Ministry of Justice projects the prison service will reach capacity again in early 2026

• Sending people convicted of criminal offences to prison is not proven to reduce 'offending behaviour’

• Education provisions and drug treatment services are already over-stretched and will be unable to meet prisoners’ needs under continued expansion; these provisions are essential to rehabilitation

• Prisoners are held in dehumanising conditions, with one quarter of the population held in overcrowded cells designed for single occupancy, often with open toilet facilities

• Many prisons are in poor, unsanitary, infested, unsafe and crumbling conditions, with estimated maintenance costs of £2.8 billion, yet only £520 million has been allotted for this over two years

• Self-harm, violence, and drug use in prison have increased, with overcrowded prisons experiencing higher levels of this

• The government are currently using cells that do not meet basic fire safety standards, in order to meet capacity demands

The Young Greens believe that:

• Continuing with prison expansion is an irresponsible, counter-productive and wasteful investment

• Building new prison spaces and sentencing people to serve time in prison does not and will not keep the public safer, rehabilitate more people, nor serve as an effective deterrent to criminalised behaviour

• Investments must be diverted into community-based responses to ‘offending behaviour’ with emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment

• Prison is not an appropriate or effective response to ‘offending behaviour’, as it fails to address the root causes of harm, and in many ways exacerbates the harm caused, by trapping people into cycles of criminalised behaviour

• Decarceration (taking people out of prison) and excarceration (stopping sending people to prison) are necessary directions of travel to meaningfully address the cycles of harm and criminalised behaviour in society, and suspending all prison construction and expansion is the first stage of this

The Young Greens resolve:

• To call for a moratorium on all prison construction and expansion

• To invest in community-based support and rehabilitation programmes as alternatives to custodial sentences, and as interventions before people are forced to engage in criminalised behaviour

• To refuse to dehumanise and scapegoat people convicted of criminal offences

• To address the root causes of circumstances that lead people to cause harm or engage in ‘criminal behaviour’, not impose ineffective and arbitrary punishment instead

Evidence:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmpubacc/366/report.html

The Young Greens Note:

• Social media has done irreparable harm to millions of young people across the globe.

• Social media has had some positive impacts on young people.

• As of writing, the current Labour government are thinking of consulting on a ban for social media for children under 16, similar to that in Australia.

• The social media ban in Australia restricts access to creating accounts on social media. It does not stop children from accessing content.

• It is social media companies who are punished for a breach, not individuals.

• Bans for children is a form of regulation that is used for many harmful substances and services.

• A ban on social media would be a restriction of liberties for children.

• Social media has been proven to be as addictive as things like gambling, alcohol and drugs.

The Young Greens Believe:

• The positive impacts of social media on are vastly outweighed by the impact on young people’s mental health, and the resulting effects.

• Any benefits of social media are not worth the harm it causes to people’s lives, the people around them, and the lives that are lost due to it.

• In regulations on harmful substances and services that are addictive, such as gambling, alcohol and drugs. As social media is both harmful and addictive, similar regulations should apply.

• A ban on social media would be effective on minimising its harm on children.

• A ban on social media should restrict access to creating accounts and associated actions, such as posting, liking and commenting. It should not restrict access to content.

• Any breaches of a ban should be the responsibility of social media companies and not individuals, and punishments should be given accordingly.

• Past attempts and other methods to try and make social media safer for children have failed. While a ban is not an ideal solution, it is necessary to minimise the harm caused to children by social media.

The Young Greens Resolve:

• To call for a ban on social media for children under 16, similar to that in Australia, following the beliefs this motion outlines.

• To work with the Green Party of England and Wales to develop their policies around social media to include a ban on social media for children under 16.

• To support legislation in parliament that outlines a ban on social media that follows the beliefs in this motion.

The Young Greens Note:

• An increasing number of businesses operating in the UK are removing telephone contact options and forcing cutomers to rely solely on written communication channels such as chatbots, web forms, and email.

• Access to effective communication is a fundamental component of equality, accessibility, and consumer rights.

The Young Greens Believe:

• This practice is exclusionary and discriminatory, particularly towards disabled people, elderly customers, and those with additional communication needs, including people with dyslexia and visual impairments.

• All businesses operating in the UK and providing goods or services to UK consumers should provide a publicly available customer contact telephone number.

• This telephone number should be answered by staff physically based in the United Kingdom.

• Telephone contact must be available during clearly stated UK business hours.

• Reasonable exemptions or proportionate requirements may apply to micro-enterprises, sole traders, and charities where appropriate, without undermining accessibility.

The Young Greens Resolve:

• To call for and work with the Green Party of England and Wales to adopt this policy as part of its consumer protection and disability justice platform.

• To call for Green Party representatives to advocate for legislation guaranteeing accessible, human-centred customer communication.

• To campaign publicly on the right of all UK consumers to speak to a human being when accessing services.

The Young Greens note that:

• Since the beginning of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, around 7 million people have been made refugees by the Russian Federation, with a further around four million being internally displaced. [1]

• Russia’s war on Ukraine has resulted in widespread human rights abuses, including: mass killing of civilians, deliberate ecological destruction, and forceable population transfers in occupied regions. [2]

• The relocation of children (a move not disputed by Russia) from the occupied regions of Ukraine has led to the sanction of the ICC (International Criminal Court) on Vladimir Putin, given it is indicative of Genocide under the 1948 convention. [3]

• Russia has been able to circumvent international sanctions on its oil industry via UK-based companies providing shipping and selling of gas internationally. [4]

• Ukraine's workers' movement, climate and ecological movement and other social movements have continued to wage struggles for democracy and social justice within the country, against the Ukrainian government's neoliberal policies - while supporting and participating in Ukraine's defence against Russian imperialism. Recent months have, despite wartime conditions, even seen major and successful youth-led protests against corruption and for democratic rights. [5][6]

• Various UK political parties, including Reform UK, the Conservative Party and even now the Labour Party have worked to dismantle the UK’s systems of refugee protection and access. This includes attempts at dismantling the Wales Nation of Sanctuary Scheme. [7]

• Precarious visa and asylum status creates barriers to children’s and young adults’ access to primary, secondary and higher education. [8]

The Young Greens believe that:

• It is fundamentally wrong to wage wars of territorial expansion.

• The Ukrainian people, through their elected representatives, must have final say on any peace deal; it is not the right of Britain, Russia, the USA or other nations to dictate terms in the negotiation of a long-term peace.

• Russia’s actions[see above] are an extension of imperialist control, denying the rights of self-determination to the Ukrainian people.

• International Law and Human rights should be enforced both by providing sanctuary to those fleeing War and prosecuting War Criminals.

• The UK government should close loopholes which have allowed Russia to continue supplying fossil fuels and goods seized from occupied territory to international markets.

• The UK can learn valuable lessons from Ukraine and its people, both for the strengthening of UK democratic practice internally and for the UK’s international diplomatic efforts via adapting lessons learned from the conflict to aid conflict recovery elsewhere.

• The UK and other nations have a duty to provide safe and legal routes of refuge to all people fleeing from conflict. They must also provide support to those who have secured asylum to integrate into their place of refuge.

The Young Greens resolve:

• To call on GPC and Green Party Parliamentarians to work alongside Ukrainian organisations and Trade Unions in the UK, and Green parties and left-wing parties in Ukraine and other countries (including, where possible, Russian anti-imperialist and progressive parties) to pressure the UK government into providing further aid for Ukraine.

• To call on the government protect routes of asylum into the UK and protect schemes to help asylum seekers integrate into their local areas (E.G: The Nation of Sanctuary Scheme, among others), and to work to provide visa stability and certainty in status to all refugees so they can gain access to long term study.

• To call on the government to close sanction loopholes and impose stronger sanctions on the Russian state, complicit corporate organisations and individuals.

• To call on the UK government to use frozen Russian assets to fund humanitarian supply provision and a just transition to Net-zero for Ukraine.

• To call for the twinning between UK and Ukrainian municipalities to share support, experience and expertise.

• To work with Ukrainian social movements(Climate justice, Trade Union, LGBTQ+ liberation movements, etc.) to build solidarity and to develop campaigns to combat inequality and environmental devastation at home and abroad.

• To work with the Green Ukraine Solidarity network and with Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, the left-wing, union-based UK campaign in support of Ukraine and its social movements.

References:

[1]: https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/ukraine/

[2]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/eastern-europe-and-central-asia/ukraine/report-ukraine/

[3]: https://apnews.com/article/ukrainian-children-russia-7493cb22c9086c6293c1ac7986d85ef6

[4]:https://www.intereconomics.eu/contents/year/2023/number/4/article/toughening-financial-sanctions-on-russia.html

[5]: https://baselgovernance.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Ukraine%20AC%20progress%20report_July%202025_eng.pdf

[6]: https://kyivindependent.com/veto-the-law-wartime-protests-sweep-ukraine-after-parliament-passes-bill-weakening-anti-corruption-institutions/

[7]: https://willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/outrageous-welsh-conservative-hypocrisy

[8]:Summary of “Displaced Ukrainians in the UK panel” available from [here]

The Young Greens note:

• The Hunger strikers [Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello, Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Teuta Hoxha, Muhammad Umer Khalid, Jon Cinkstrike] have demands and these demands should be met. They are: 'immediate bail, the right to a fair trial (which they say would include the release of documents related to “the ongoing witch-hunt of activists and campaigners”), ending censorship of their communications, “de-proscribing” Palestine Action, which is classed as a ‘terrorist’ group, and the shutting down of Elbit Systems'[1]

• All prisoners who undertook the Hunger strike will suffer long term damage to their physical and mental health regardless the success of their refeeding. [2]

• Mail and other communications were withheld from prisoners.

• The demands of the strikers for immediate bail, a fair trial and the deprescription of Palestine Action have yet to be granted. However, they accepted as a victory the denial of a contract for Elbit systems and the issuing of bulk packages of withheld mail. [3]

• Prisoners were not met with by ministers from the MoJ until after international outcry had been raised [3]

The Young Greens believe:

• The right to a fair trial is a fundamental human right and a practical necessity owed to all regardless of their circumstances.

• Both the accused and accuser in a criminal case have a right to a timely trial.

• There must be a natural presumption towards innocence in all criminal cases.

• The presumption of innocence favours the granting of bail within a reasonable time after arrest. Bail hearing must be held, and if the authorities wish to continue suspending an individual’s liberty, they must present evidence for judicial review in a court of law.

• Prisoners have a right to communicate with the outside world. This right to communicate includes a right to receive visitations from members of the public.

• Prisoners share the same rights to receive medical attention as any other member of the public, and those that administer prisons have a duty of care to all inmates to protect a minimum level of human dignity for them.

• The law may not deem someone guilty of an offense retrospectively.

• The principle of direct protest action is a tactic protected in cases where it prevents a greater harm and as such it is a legitimate tactic to achieve political goals.

• There is a right on behalf of the public to scrutinise the prisons system both via its elected representatives and through initiatives like public inspections of prison conditions.

The Young Greens resolve:

• To call for a bail hearing for the prisoners who have engaged with the hunger strike in protest of their excessively long detention while awaiting trial.

• To call for the Hunger strikers to be brought to a speedy trial or have their charges dismissed.

• To work with Green parliamentarians to call for an independent inquest into the actions of the prisons service and ministers in relation to the treatment of the hunger strikers.

• To call for an explanation into the arrests of protestors at HMP Bronzefield.

• To condemn the prior Conservative justice secretary’s for inflicting economic and social conditions on the justice sector that has left courts crumbling and prisoners and victims alike waiting years for justice and David Lammy for his failure to rectify these conditions.

• To condemn David Lammy for failing to respond to communications from elected representatives in Parliament.

References:

[1]:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/22/palestine-action-hunger-strikes-what-are-their-demands

[2]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy1q98qyego

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/15/did-palestine-action-hunger-strikers-achieve-their-goals

[4]Three Palestine Action protesters end their hunger strike | UK news | The Guardian

[5]Did Palestine Action hunger strikers achieve their goals? | Palestine Action | The Guardian

[6] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/palestine-action-hunger-strike-prison-b2898265.html

The Young Greens note that:

● The Starmer administration has put forward plans to scrap the jury-trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years.

● Trial by jury is a long-standing democratic institution, with roots traceable to Ancient Greece, where groups of citizens were entrusted with resolving disputes, reflecting the principle that judgement should come from one's peers.

● The foundations of the modern jury system in England and Wales were laid during the reign of King Henry II, particularly through the Assize of Clarendon 1166, which established key principles still present today, including state-initiated prosecutions and testimony given under oath.

● The Abolition of Trial by Ordeal in 1215 created a procedural necessity for determining guilt through human fact-finding, giving juries their modern role within the justice system.

● Taken together, these developments demonstrate that juries are not merely a historical relic, but a vital mechanism for impartial fact-finding, community participation, and protection against the arbitrary use of state power.

● Jury trials play a significant role in maintaining public confidence in the fairness, legitimacy, and social relevance of the justice system by entrusting ordinary citizens with responsibility for legal decision-making.

● Jury trials enable the incorporation of diverse perspectives, including local knowledge, cultural understanding, and community values, ensuring that the law is applied humanely and contextually rather than purely mechanically.

● The practice of jury equity (or jury nullification) allows juries to acquit defendants despite evidence of an offence where strict application of the law would result in an unjust outcome, particularly in cases involving political protest, whistleblowing, or exceptional mitigating circumstances.

● Recent indications from the UK Government suggest attempts to direct or limit how judges interpret the European Convention on Human Rights, highlighting the fragility of judicial independence.

● Proposals to reduce or bypass jury trials have been criticised by legal professionals, including the Law Society, as undermining the right to be judged by one’s peers.

● The Law Commission has recommended the limited removal of juries only in specific serious sexual offence cases, not the abolition of jury trials across all Crown Court cases.

●A growing cohort of judges are planning on leaving the profession in the next 5 years (39% in England and Wales). The courts service seems set to be immobilized either way due to lack of staff. Nullifying the argument given by the government that scrapping jury trials would accelerate court proceedings.

The Young Greens believe that:

● Jury trials are a cornerstone of democracy and a critical safeguard against the over-concentration of state power.

● In a political climate where many people feel increasingly disillusioned and disconnected from Parliament and executive decision-making, jury service remains one of the few ways citizens can directly and continuously participate in the operation of the state.

● Democracy must extend beyond periodic elections and include meaningful, ongoing participation in public institutions, including the justice system.

● Jury trials strengthen fairness and legitimacy by embedding community judgment within legal decision-making, ensuring outcomes reflect societal values as well as legal principles.

● Jury equity plays an important democratic role by allowing communities to resist unjust applications of the law and hold the state accountable where laws are applied disproportionately or without compassion.

● Attempts to weaken jury trials risk undermining public trust in the justice system and eroding democratic accountability.

● In the context of threats to judicial independence and human rights protections, jury trials represent a vital, direct form of democratic involvement that must be protected and defended.

The Young Greens resolve to:

● Reaffirm unequivocal support for trial by jury as a fundamental democratic right and an essential safeguard within the justice system.

● Oppose proposals that seek to significantly restrict, bypass, or abolish jury trials in cases beyond narrowly defined and evidence-based exceptions.

● Call on the Green Party of England and Wales to publicly defend the right to be judged by one’s peers and resist efforts to concentrate judicial or executive power at the expense of democratic participation.

● Advocate for the protection of judicial independence, human rights frameworks, and community involvement in the administration of justice.

● Promote public understanding of jury service as a meaningful and empowering form of democratic participation.

References

[1] Law Society – Government proposals erode the right to be judged by our own peers
Government proposals erode the right to be judged by our own peers | The Law Society

[2] Law Commission – New measures to improve sexual offences cases
New measures to improve sexual offences cases – Law Commission

[3] The Avalon Project – Assize of Clarendon, 1166
The Avalon Project : Assize of Clarendon, 1166.

[4] Harvard Law School – Law & Order in Medieval England: Abolition of Trial by Ordeal
Law & Order in Medieval England - Harvard Law School | Harvard Law School

[5] BBC – How did the courts backlogs get so bad?
How did the courts backlog get so bad? - BBC News

[6] University College London Judicial Institute – UK Judicial Attitude Survey, England & Wales Courts, Coroners and UK Tribunals
Published_2024JAS_England&Wales_UKTribunals

[7] BBC - Jury trials scrapped for crimes with sentences of less than three years. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5lxg2l0lqo

The current role description for the Wales Officer:

• Representing Welsh Young Greens on the Executive Committee and ensuring that there is communication with the Wales Green Party Leadership team and Wales Green Party Council.

• Feeding into campaigns, policy discussions, event planning and other work undertaken by the executive committee.

• Supporting the digital communications and press officers to ensure that issues impacting Welsh Young Greens are effectively represented by the Young Greens.

• Working with the Elections Officers to support Young Greens standing for election in Wales, including but not limited to Council and Senedd elections.

Change to:

• Representing the Welsh Young Greens committee and membership on the Executive Committee.

• Ensuring lines of communication between the Wales Green Party Leadership team, Wales Green Party Council, Wales Young Greens and the Young Greens Executive committee.

• Feeding into campaigns, policy discussions, event planning and other work undertaken by the executive committee, supporting where possible actions organised to take place in Wales.

• Supporting the digital communications and press officers to ensure that issues impacting Welsh Young Greens are effectively represented by the Young Greens.

• Working with the Elections Officers to support Young Greens standing for election in Wales, including but not limited to Council and Senedd elections.

• Working with the Political Education Officers to ensure that education is provided on the interplay of other issues and devolved power structures.

• Supporting the work of the Wales Young Greens wherever they request support.

Insert the following into the Young Greens record of Policy statements :

The Young Greens note:

• The rise in the far right has led to the legal right to seek and be given asylum coming under routine attack across England and Wales.

• In Wales this has led to cynical and misinformed attacks on the Nation of Sanctuary Scheme over the course of the recent bi-election in Caerphilly.

• While the Nation of Sanctuary Scheme in Wales overwhelmingly helps and supports Ukrainian refugees the rhetoric attacking the scheme has been near solely targeted members of the Global Majority.

• Left unsupported the Nation of Sanctuary scheme will be abandoned by other parties.

• The Nation of Sanctuary Scheme provides a template by which various disconnected systems of refugee can be married together, supporting both service improvement and cost reductions.

The Young Greens believe:

• The right to seek asylum and freedom from violence is a fundamental Human Right.

• People who seek or receive asylum have as much right to be integrated into the community as someone born within that community.

• The attacks made by the Far-Right on the Nation of Sanctuary and asylum processes must be opposed, both legislatively and rhetorically.

• The Nation of Sanctuary Scheme is not only morally valuable for Britain, but economically valuable as well representing a valuable investment for the tax payer.

The Young Greens resolve:

• To work with both the Green Party in England and The Green Party in Wales to defend the Nation of Sanctuary Scheme

• To support efforts to introduce a similar or improved version of the Nation of Sanctuary scheme in England.

• To continue to condemn attacks on asylum seekers as a group, and continues to condemn the misinformation around the Nation of Sanctuary Scheme being put forward by far right Groups.

The Young Greens Note That:

• "AI” in this motion refers to any technology that fits under the Britannica definition: the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.

• AI has a number of ethical challenges. This includes issues such as energy use and the related carbon emissions, the use of water for cooling, methods of obtaining training data and how it may affect our lives and methods of learning.

• AI has already become a part of everyday life, and nothing can be done to reverse that or get rid of it.

The Young Greens Believe That:

• AI has the potential to be an existential threat to humanity if not properly regulated.

• If properly regulated, AI has the potential to be an incredible force for good and further the living standards of humanity, potentially on the scale of the industrial revolution and the invention of the internet.

• Any investments into AI should be to the benefit and not to the detriment of ordinary people. This includes the environmental, economic and social impacts. Any benefits to business should be felt by employees, not CEOs or shareholders.

• AI data centres should be built to be self-powered using renewable energy as much as possible. This includes the use of solar panels, wind farms and hydro-electric power.

• All sources of water and coolant should be considered when choosing a cooling method for data centres. The environmental impact and impact on nearby resident should be prioritised. Wherever possible, this should not be sourced from drinking water.

• AI should be used as a tool to make human lives easier. It should not be used in any context to replace humans.

• Disinformation generated by AI has the potential to seriously harm democracy and personal lives. It is vital robust protections against this are developed.

• Education around AI is vital to it being understood and utilised effectively. This should begin from KS2 and be integrated into the national curriculum. Education should also be provided to anyone currently above the age of KS2 who may want it, and should be provided free of charge by the state. Education should cover but not be limited to how to use AI effectively and how to spot AI generated content, particularly in a political context.

• There has been widespread use of AI in unethical ways that needs to be regulated against. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Generating images of women without their consent that undress them based off publicly available images of them that were not intended for this purpose.
  • Deliberately biasing generative chatbots and then claiming their outputs as facts.
  • Being used to create poor or incorrect resources in an educational setting.
  • Autonomous weapons.
  • Advanced facial recognition.
  • Scientific papers being written by generative AI.

• There is a risk of the internet becoming a “dead internet”, where human-generated media is vastly outnumbered by AI-generated media. This could lead to the internet itself becoming unusable, and future AIs being trained on AI generated medial, leading to a significant decrease in the quality of AI.

• The companies and CEOs of companies should be held responsible for the impacts and harm caused by their use and/or creation of AIs.

The Young Greens Resolve:

• To call for significant and robust regulations, that ensures the use and development is ethical as outlined by the beliefs in this motion.

• To call for legal framework that holds companies and their CEOs legally responsible for the impact of AIs they develop and/or use.

• To call for all AI generated media to legally have to be disclosed in a clear and obvious manner wherever it is used.

• To call for state-funded educational programs open to all to create an “AI-literate” general populous, where people understand the pros and cons of the use of AI, how to use it ethically as outlined in the beliefs of this motion, and how to be able to differentiate between AI and human made media.

• To call for “AI-literacy” to be integrated into the national curriculum, to ensure future generations are “AI-literate”, where children understand the pros and cons of the use of AI, how to use it ethically as outlined in the beliefs of this motion, and how to be able to differentiate between AI and human made media

• To advocate for the use of AI only when it is ethically viable, as outlined in the beliefs this motion.

• To discourage the use of AI until such a time where it is ethically viable, as outline in the beliefs of this motion

• To support the arts and other industries that are affected by AI.

• To call for AI to be used as a tool by humans, and for it never to replace humans.

• To call for redundancies due to AI to be made illegal.

• To support and advocate for motions and policies submitted to the Green Party of England and Wales that promote the ethical use of AI that does not contradict the included beliefs in this motion.

• To support and advocate for wider laws that promote the ethical use of AI that does not contradict the included beliefs in this motion.

• To advocate against any motions or policies submitted to the Green Party of England and Wales that promote the use of AI that contradicts the included beliefs in this motion.

• To advocate against wider laws that promote the use of AI that contradicts the included beliefs in this motion.

Young Greens Standing Orders

A. Young Greens Convention

A.1. Scheduling

A.1.1. The Young Greens Convention shall be held once per year in the months of June, July or August.

A.1.2. The Young Greens Convention will take place for two days during a weekend.

A.2. Location

A.2.1. The Young Greens Convention shall not be held twice in the same Region Block, defined in A.2.2, consecutively.

A.2.2. Within each five-year period, as determined by DAC, the Young Greens Convention must take place within the bounds of at least three of these four Region Blocks:

A.2.2.1. The South East, and the South West.

A.2.2.2. The North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

A.2.2.3. The Midlands, and Wales.

A.2.2.4. The East, and London.

A.3. Liberation Group Sessions

A.3.1. Liberation groups will be allocated a session online within the two weeks prior to convention where they will provide a report to its membership on activities undertaken since last convention and for any other purpose the group sees fit. Liberation Groups may request a slot at convention, and the Young Greens Executive must fulfil this request.

B. Annual General Meetings

B.1. Competency of the Annual General Meeting

B.1.1. The Young Greens Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at Young Greens Annual Convention.

B.1.2. The Annual General Meeting is the highest decision-making body within the Young Greens.

B.1.3. There must be at least 25 members of the Young Greens at any General Meeting for decisions to be binding.

B.1.4. The AGM accepts/rejects/amends reports, motions, resolutions and changes to the Constitution or Standing Orders, collectively referred to as 'papers'.

B.1.5. The AGM ratifies decisions about joining or leaving partnerships and membership within other organisations/networks.

B.2. Organisation of the Annual General Meeting

B.2.1. The Annual General Meeting agenda must be structured, organised and agreed by the Executive Committee (EC) and Democracy and Accountability Committee (DAC).

B.2.2. DAC must appoint a Chair and Deputy Chair for each session of the Annual General Meeting. The Chair and Deputy Chair must not be proposers of any Papers or Amendments to the session of the Annual General Meeting that they are chairing.

B.2.3. DAC must ensure that all members respect the Constitution and Standing Orders.

B.2.4. DAC must take Annual General Meeting minutes of all official business including recording any votes, important discussions, and decisions.

B.2.5. DAC must keep a record of newly adopted/amended documents and email the Young Greens' Co-Chairs a copy of newly adopted/amended documents as well as the minutes of the Annual General Meeting.

B.2.6. DAC must inform EC to take note of any newly adopted papers.

B.2.7. A prioritisation ballot will occur, conducted by DAC, on the first day of Convention for attendees at the Annual General Meeting in order to decide the order of papers taken.

B.3. Motions & Reports

B.3.1. It shall be the role of DAC to compile submitted papers, which consist of

B.3.1.1. Changes to the Constitution or Standing Orders.

B.3.1.2. Resolutions, which note the priorities of the Executive Committee for the upcoming term.

B.3.1.3. Motions, which insert entries into the Record of Policy Statements or Record of Organisational Statements.

B.3.1.4. Reports, as outlined in B.3.2.

B.3.1.5. Emergency Motions, as outlined in B3.10.

B.3.1.6. Motions of Commendation and Motions of Censure.

B.3.2. The Annual General Meeting must take note of mandatory annual reports by the:

B.3.2.1. Executive Committee Co-Chairs.

B.3.2.2. Treasurer.

B.3.2.3. Elections Officer.

B.3.2.4. Digital Communications Officer.

B.3.2.5. Press Officer.

B.3.2.6. Campaigns Officer.

B.3.2.7. Events Officer.

B.3.2.8. International Officer.

B.3.2.9. Membership and Inclusion Officer.

B.3.2.10. Political Education and Training Officer.

B.3.2.11. Liberation Officers (from each formally constituted Liberation Group).

B.3.2.12. Under 18s Officer.

B.3.2.13. Democracy and Accountability Committee.

B.3.2.14. Green Students Committee Co-Convenors.

B.3.3. Annual reports detailed in B.3.2 must be submitted to DAC at least 2 weeks before the AGM.

B.3.4. Individual members, EC and Affiliated Young Greens Groups have the right to submit papers and amendments.

B.3.5. For all submissions, there must be a named proposer and at least 3 other co-proposers or at least one other co-proposer if submitting on behalf of an Affiliated YG Group or recognised committee.

B.3.6. Paper copies of the Constitution, Standing Orders, Record of Policy Statements and Record of Organisational Statements must be made available for members attending the General Meeting.

B.3.7. The timescale for the submission of papers and amendments shall be as follows:

B.3.7.1. At least 8 weeks before the Annual General Meeting, EC must send out a call including guidelines for submission of papers, all relevant dates and where to find papers once they are posted on the members’ website.

B.3.7.2. Submission for Papers shall close at 5pm on the Saturday exactly 4 weeks before the AGM, aside from submission for Motions of Commendation and Motions of Censure which shall close 1 week before the AGM.

B.3.7.3. Following this, DAC must post all submissions at the earliest possible moment.

B.3.7.4. At 5pm on the Saturday exactly 1 week before the AGM, submission of amendments to papers will close.

B.3.7.5. Amendments may not substantially change the intention of the paper and nor may they impact things irrelevant to the original substantive motion.

B.3.8. Exactly 5 days before the Annual General Meeting, DAC must ensure that all members are emailed (regardless of Annual General Meeting registration status) copies of all papers and amendments to both as well as the reports detailed in B3.2.

B.3.9. The only amendments which shall be accepted from the floor during the AGM are minor textual amendments (e.g. grammatical corrections) and friendly verbal amendments (i.e. where both the proposer of the original paper and the proposer of the verbal amendment agree to an amendment).

B.3.10. Emergency motions, defined as being brought due to an event occurring past the original motion deadline, will be accepted up until 17.00 on the day before the AGM.

B.3.11. The text of Emergency Motions and the accompanying list of Proposers and Supporters should be submitted electronically to DAC .

B.3.12. Emergency Motions shall be prioritised at the AGM by DAC on the basis of the number of co-proposers to each Emergency Motion.

B.4. Motion Voting Procedures

B.4.1. When debating a paper or amendment at the Annual General Meeting, the proposer will be asked by the chair to propose the motion or amendment by explaining what the paper or amendment is for and then giving a brief speech in favour of the paper.

B.4.2. Following this the chair will open debate on the paper or amendment by asking for a speech against the paper or amendment.

B.4.3. The chair may continue debate by taking speeches in favour and against the paper or amendment in pairs, so that debate remains as balanced as possible. In each pair of speeches, the speech in favour of the paper or amendment will be heard first.

B.4.4. If it is unclear if there has been sufficient debate a straw poll will be taken by raising hands with the options either for more debate or move to a vote.

B.4.5. At any point before the vote is taken, any member can ask for clarification, raise points of information or propose procedural motions (e.g. minor textural amendments, taking by parts).

B.4.6. If a paper or amendment has received lengthy debate the proposer may request a brief right of reply before the vote is taken.

B.4.7. When voting on paper proposals the possibilities are 'yes', 'no' or 'abstention'.

B.4.8. All voting on papers and amendments shall be confidential.

B.4.9. Depending on the nature of the proposal, the following types of majority may be required for a motion to be passed.

B.4.9.1. Simple majority: majority of the votes cast in person.

B.4.9.2. Two-thirds majority: two-thirds of the votes cast in person.

B.4.9.3. Absolute two-thirds majority: two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the entire membership of the body.

B.4.10. Amendments to the Constitution including accompanying Byelaws or Standing Orders will be accepted with a two-thirds majority.

B.4.11. Unless otherwise stated in the Constitution or Standing Orders, everything else will be accepted with a simple majority.

B.4.12. DAC shall be responsible for counting the votes.

B.4.13. Results of votes must be announced during the meeting.

C. Emergency General Meetings

C.1. Calling an EGM

C.1.1. An Emergency General Meeting (EGM) may be called at any time by an absolute two-thirds majority of EC, or by members double in number to the amount of members who are requisite for Emergency General Meeting quorum of the Young Greens membership petitioning DAC for an EGM.

C.2. Timescale & Procedure

C.2.1. The same procedure as for AGM paper submission, organisation and voting shall apply to an EGM following Section B Parts 2,3,4, however the timescale will be halved.

D. Winter General Meeting

D.1. Scheduling

D.1.1. There will be a Young Greens General Meeting held in the months of December, January or February.

D.2. Accountability Sessions

D.2.1. The Winter General Meeting (WGM) consists of accountability sessions for the following representatives elected in the annual ballot:

D.2.1.1. Executive Committee Co-chairs.

D.2.1.2. Treasurer.

D.2.1.3. Elections Officer.

D.2.1.4. Digital Communications Officer.

D.2.1.5. Press Officer.

D.2.1.6. Campaigns Officer.

D.2.1.7. Events Officer.

D.2.1.8. International Officer.

D.2.1.9. Membership and Inclusion Officer.

D.2.1.10. Political Education and Training Officer.

D.2.1.11. Liberation Officers.

D.2.1.12. Under 18s officer.

D.2.1.13. Green Students Committee Co-convenors.

D.2.2. The Winter General Meeting must take note of the mandatory six-month progress reports from those representatives.

D.2.3. The accountability session will take the form of a face-to-face Q&A with the membership.

D.3. Competency of the Winter General Meeting

D.3.1. There must be at least 25 members of the Young Greens at any General Meeting for decisions to be binding.

D.3.2. Motions of no confidence shall be heard during the accountability session and will pass with a two-thirds majority.

D.3.3. Motions of Censure (formal warnings) and Motions of Commendation (formal praise) shall be heard during the accountability session. Censures and Commendations and shall pass with a simple majority. The subjects(s) of Censures and Commendations shall be holders of any official post within the Young Greens, including elected and co-opted members of national, regional, and local committees, selected delegates, and staff members.

D.3.4. Every Young Green is eligible to vote at the Winter General Meeting.

D.3.5. The Winter General Meeting shall additionally hold the democratic powers of an Emergency General Meeting, with the same timescale as an Emergency General Meeting for paper submission, organisation, and voting.

E. Internal Elections

E.1. Candidacy

E.1.1. All members of the Young Greens are eligible to be candidates for roles within the Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee members and the Green Students Committee Co-Convenors providing they abide by the rules such as gender quotas, except in the case of Liberation Officers stated in E1.2.

E.1.2. Only those Young Greens who self-define as belonging to a specific Liberation group may stand to be the Liberation Officer, Co-chair or committee member candidates for election within that respective Liberation group.

E.1.2.1. Only Young Greens who are members of Wales Green Party may stand to be the Wales Officer.

E.1.3. Members who hold a position on the Democracy and Accountability Committee who stand as a candidate for any role in the Annual Ballot, other than a Democracy and Accountability Committee role, must in every case recuse themselves or be recused from all business involving Annual Ballot Internal Elections.

E.1.4. DAC Members must in every case recuse themselves or be recused from all business involving an Affiliated Group in which they hold or play an active role.

E.1.5. The Electoral Returning Officer and the Deputy shall assume the role of the Democracy and Accountability Committee in the case that all Members are recused with regards to the Annual Ballot.

E.1.6. Candidates must have two nominees, who are members of the Young Greens in accordance with Article 1 of the constitution, and may provide a candidate statement, campaign video, and social media links if they wish.

E.1.7. Members of the Young Greens may not: be a nominee for more than one of the following positions at any one time; nor hold more than one of the following posts at any one time in the Young Greens:

E.1.7.1. Any EC role.

E.1.7.2. Democracy and Accountability Committee.

E.1.7.3. Green Students Committee Co-Convenor.

E.1.8. Members of the Young Greens may put themselves forward as a job share for any of the following posts within the Young Greens annual ballot:

E.1.8.1. Treasurer.

E.1.8.2. Elections Officer.

E.1.8.3. Digital Communications Officer.

E.1.8.4. Press Officer.

E.1.8.5. Campaigns Officer.

E.1.8.6. Events Officer.

E.1.8.7. International Officer.

E.1.8.8. Membership and Inclusion Officer.

E.1.8.9. Political Education and Training Officer.

E.1.8.10. Liberation Officers (from each formally constituted Liberation Group).

E.1.8.11. Under 18s Officer.

E.1.8.12. Wales Officer

E.1.8.13. Member of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

E.1.8.14. Member of the International Committee

E.1.9. Should one part of the job share resign or be removed from their position for whatever reason, their counterpart(s) will be able to either:

E.1.9.1. Advertise to co-opt a replacement for the existing part of the job share.

E.1.9.2. Continue to carry out their role without the existing part of the job share, without replacing them.

E.1.9.3. Resign from their role.

E.1.10. No member may sit on the same body for more than 5 terms consecutively, irrespective of election or co-option.

E.1.11. No member may hold the same post for more than 3 terms, irrespective of election or co-option.

E.2. Term of Office

E.2.1. All roles shall be elected for a term of office of 1 year, not including the Handover Period, which should be completed should the officer no longer fit the requirements described in Constitution Clause 1.5.1 or 1.5.2 during their term, accepting variations as described below.

E.2.2. For all roles elected at the AGM in the annual ballot, the term of office shall run until the following year’s AGM except in the cases of resignation or removal by a vote of no confidence.

E.3. Accountability

E.3.1. A vote of no confidence shall occur for an individual role if the Democracy and Accountability Committee are petitioned by 25% of the committee or other body which the role is part of.

E.3.2. A vote of no confidence may also be called for any individual role if the Democracy and Accountability Committee are petitioned by a number of members equal to 10% of votes cast in the election for this role in the most recent elections, but never less than 25 members of the Young Greens.

E.3.3. If the role which a vote of no confidence is being petitioned for falls within the Democracy and Accountability Committee, then it shall instead be EC that is petitioned by the members of the relevant committee, body, or general membership.

E.3.4. Complete anonymity shall be maintained throughout by the committee which is petitioned, both relating to the petitioners and the vote.

E.3.5. EC voting members have a responsibility to attend EC meetings and to stay accountable:

E.3.5.1. Failure to attend four regularly scheduled meetings consecutively shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E.3.5.2. Failure to attend ten regularly scheduled meetings in total over the course of one term shall either: initiate an immediate automatic committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E.3.5.3. Failure to complete two individual quarterly reports in total over the course of one term shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E.3.5.4. Failure to complete a mandatory individual six-month progress report shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence. This clause does not apply to members of either EC or DAC who have been co-opted within one month of the report's due date.

E.3.5.5. Failure to complete a mandatory individual annual report shall result in the ERO reporting this information at the final Convention Hustings if the Candidate is standing for election again.

E.3.6. If an individual EC voting member invokes three of the actions noted in E3.5.1 through E3.5.4, but remains on EC, then DAC shall have the following options available:

E.3.6.1. Initiate immediate informal mediation to find the causes of the issues at hand and offer support and guidance on various options available.

E.3.6.2. Initiate another immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence within EC.

E.3.6.3. Initiate an online ballot, to be held within one month of the DAC decision, open to all Young Greens members where a majority of voting members may vote to remove the EC voting member.

E.4. Election Timescale

E.4.1. All processes and the election timescale described between Clauses E4.4 and E4.11 (inclusive) apply only to positions elected in the “Annual Ballot” at convention, namely Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee members.

E.4.2. Co-Chairs,Committees, or other positions in Young Greens Affiliated Groups shall be elected with a separate timescale to be decided by those respective groups.

E.4.3. At least 8 weeks before the AGM the Executive Committee must send out a call for applications to all Executive Committee positions, all Democracy and Accountability Committee positions, and Green Students Committee Co-Convenor positions. This callout must set out the rest of the timescale and how to apply.

E.4.4. Exactly 4 weeks before the AGM applications will close for all roles elected at Convention except for roles that received no applications during the initial period.

E.4.5. As close as possible to 2 weeks before the start of the AGM a live online video hustings will take place for all roles elected in the Annual Ballot, which all candidates for these roles are invited to take part in.

E.4.6. Exactly 2 weeks before the start of the AGM voting will open in accordance with Standing Order E5.3.

E.4.7. At 17.00 the day before the AGM applications will close for roles covered by E4.1 which gained no applications as of E4.5.

E.4.8. A further in-person hustings shall be held at Convention; each candidate has the right to participate in these as well as to submit a statement in advance.

E.4.9. Voting shall close during Convention between the in-person hustings detailed in E4.8 and the announcement of results (the exact time to be at the discretion of DAC). The time of this should be clearly identified on the Convention Timetable and voting platform.

E.4.10. The election of successful candidates shall be announced during Convention.

E.5. Electoral System & Gender Balancing

E.5.1. Every Young Green is eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting and associated elections where they have 1 vote, except in the case of the elections for Liberation Officers and Officers representing a Special Interest Group on the Executive Committee, where only members of those relevant groups may vote for their representative officer.

E.5.2. All positions shall all be elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system with a provision for negative voting (re-open nominations, acronym RON).

E.5.2.1. Single Transferable Vote quota for election is calculated as follows: total valid vote divided by one more than the number of seats up for election plus one (or rounded up) to avoid ties: (TVV/(seats+1)) +1.

E.5.3. Voting will take place via secret, secure online ballot arranged by an Electoral Returning Officer (ERO), appointed by the Democracy and Accountability Committee (DAC).

E.5.4. DAC, or the ERO if authorised to do so by DAC, is responsible for counting the votes.

E.5.5. The counting of votes and electing of successful candidates for the positions of Executive Committee Co-Chair and Treasurer will take place before the counting for other EC positions so that the gender balance criteria described in E5.6, E5.7, E5.8 and E5.9 can be applied.

E.5.6. The following rules will apply exclusively to the election of Co-chairs in compliance with Clause 1.1.1 of Constitution Byelaw 1.

E.5.6.1. The candidate with the highest number of first preference votes will be elected in the first round in which a candidate passes the quota required by the STV method.

E.5.6.2. If the successful candidate is not a self-defining man, the second candidate elected by the STV method will be elected to the second Co-Chair position, regardless of gender identity.

E.5.6.3. If the first successful candidate is a self-defining man, all other self-defining men will be excluded from the vote and their further preferences allocated to the remaining candidates from whom the second Co-Chair will be elected.

E.5.7. The election of Green Students Committee Co-Convenors will take place following the same rules as laid out for EC Co-Chairs in E5.6.

E.5.8. The election of members to the Democracy and Accountability Committee will be carried out such that no more than 3 of the places are taken by self-defining men with places reserved, as necessary, to ensure this.

E.5.9. The election of members to the International Committee will be carried out such that no more than 3 of the places are taken by self-defining men with places reserved, as necessary, to ensure this.

E.6. Campaigning Rules

E.6.1. Candidates for any role in Young Greens elections, and proposers of papers, are entitled to campaign and must all follow the same rules except for E6.2 which shall only apply to roles explicitly mentioned.

E.6.2. The amount spent on a campaign by a candidate in the Young Greens annual ballot (EC, Democracy and Accountability Committee, Green Students Committee Co-Convenors) must not exceed £30. This includes leaflets, online campaigning and similar expenditures the candidate has incurred as a result of being a candidate for this position within the Young Greens. It also includes expenditure incurred by the supporters of the candidate. At least 50% of all spending will be reimbursed by the Young Greens provided that receipts are given to the Young Greens Treasurer within 30 days of the close of elections - the Treasurer may query the relevance of any expenditure with the Candidate and the Electoral Returning Officer, the Electoral Returning Officer may declare any expenditure to be irrelevant to the election and thus ineligible for reimbursement, the relevant Candidate must be informed if ever this is the case and has the inalienable right to appeal to the Democracy and Accountability Committee where they shall be recused if they sit on this body or were a named Proposers of the relevant candidate. The same amount of money will be reimbursed for every candidate running for any one role. Jobshare candidates share one £30 limit as if they were one person.

E.6.3. Candidates and proposers may use the contact details of people they know personally to directly canvass for support, via their own networks, in the run up to the election but must not use administrative privileges to attain contact details inappropriately such as through access to mailing lists, nor may Candidates or Proposers unduly use their position or prospective position for a strategic advantage such as by offering incentives or through a quid pro quo.

E.6.4. Candidates and proposers may campaign online and use social media to canvas for support but only strictly in a personal capacity. All campaign materials must clearly state in legible typeface "Promoted and produced by [Candidate Name] as part of their campaign for election for [Role]. This is not an official communication from the Young Greens of England and Wales." - this rule shall always be enforced and the repeated use of misleading campaign materials after a warning will lead to disqualification.

E.6.5. Candidates and proposers may not use official Young Greens or Green Party communication channels such as administrative email and Facebook privileges. Official Young Greens channels may not amplify those running for election beyond the limited specific scope of their current role (if they hold one), nor may the Young Greens approve, endorse, or allow Candidates to be external representatives on a National or International level during the electoral period, except if: the Candidate is a duly selected representative at an international event for Green Parties or Youth Green Parties; or if the platform is specifically as part of an electoral campaign to elected office for a local, regional, national, or international position for example a local Council, regional Assembly, or Parliament. Materials produced, co-produced, or approved by candidates which are exact or highly similar in likeness to wording from candidates' statements or campaign materials may not be amplified on official Young Greens channels during the election period.

E.6.6. All Candidate Statements shall be distributed to all Young Greens Members online.

E.6.7. Campaigns must focus on the benefits of the candidate they are supporting, not the flaws of the candidates opposing them. Negative campaigning, smear campaigns, and mudslinging are not permitted. If anonymous smear campaigns take place, the Electoral Returning Officer may rerun the election until they are satisfied that the issue has been resolved. References to actions done or things said in the past by other candidates are not necessarily negative campaigning. This can often be an essential part of an accountable democracy, and these rules are not intended to prevent rigorous and in-depth campaigns from other candidates. The ERO should ensure they act in a fair and consistent manner towards all candidates when adjudicating these matters.

E.6.8. The following acts are strictly forbidden: bribery, coercion, manipulation, disregard for decisions properly made and within the remit of the Electoral Returning Officer or relevant bodies, corruption, intimidation, lying, production and/or distribution of false or misleading campaign materials, and mistreating of members.

E.6.9. Candidates or Proposers with Young Greens email addresses, admin rights, or other privileges due to their role may not use these unduly during the election period. This includes but isn't limited to: Candidates or Proposers must not canvass for support using official email channels; Candidates with Admin privileges on any Young Greens social media group must declare this to the Electoral Returning Officer within 5 days after the announcement of candidates; Admins of groups or channels who happen to be Candidates or Proposers must not approve any posts relating to the elections whatsoever, and the Electoral Returning Officer and Deputy Electoral Returning Officer must be made Admins and be given this sole power.

E.6.10. The Electoral Returning Officer may, from time to time and with the express consent of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, implement specific further regulations which do not conflict with any rules in the Constitution or Standing Orders which also do not impact the equitable and fair treatment of campaigns - time-limited further specific regulations shall not be retrospective nor retroactive and all Candidates and Proposers must be informed of the implementation of any further rules.

E.6.11. Any member, regardless of candidate status, can report a suspected breach of these rules to the Electoral Returning Officer in the case of electoral breaches, Democracy and Accountability Committee in the case of motions or electoral breaches, or, where they feel that is inappropriate, to Young Greens Staff.

E.6.12. Any suspected electoral breach of these rules shall be investigated by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee who have the following options open to them:

E.6.12.1. Suspension of a candidate from the current election, who is suspected to have breached these rules, pending investigation by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee. If the investigation cannot be completed by the AGM, the election will be re-run.

E.6.12.2. Expulsion from the current election of a candidate found to be in breach of these rules, by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee - the election shall otherwise continue as normal.

E.6.12.3. Expulsion from the current election of a candidate where it has been found that person(s) acting on their behalf have breached these rules.

E.6.12.4. Additionally, Candidates removed from the current election due to the actions of themselves or others will still be eligible to be a candidate for future elections to any position within the Young Greens. However, Candidates or Proposers who are found to be in breach shall automatically be referred to the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee which may impose further sanctions.

E.6.13. Any suspected non-electoral breaches, during an election and by a candidate, of the Young Greens Constitution, Young Greens Standing Orders, Green Party Constitution, Green Party Standing Orders, Green Party Code of Conduct or any other organisational policies of the Green Party of England and Wales and Young Greens, including anti-harassment and Safe Space policies, shall be investigated by the Democracy and Accountability Committee who shall have the following options open to them:

E.6.13.1. Suspension of a candidate from the current election, who is suspected to have breached these rules, pending investigation by the Democracy and Accountability Committee. If the investigation cannot be completed by the AGM, the election will be re- run.

E.6.13.2. Expulsion from the current election of a candidate found to have breached these rules with the election otherwise continuing as normal.

E.6.14. Following any action as described in E6.13.1 or E6.13.2, the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall refer the case to the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee for full investigation as described in Article 5 of the Constitution, from 5.6 onwards.

E.6.15. Any suspected breach of these rules in relation to the proposal of papers will be investigated by the Democracy and Accountability Committee who will have the following options open to them:

E.6.15.1. Suspension of a proposer suspected of breaking these rules may be suspended from proposing the paper pending investigation by the Democracy and Accountability Committee and an alternative proposer must be found by the remaining co-proposers.

E.6.15.2. For serious breaches of these rules, the Democracy and Accountability Committee may rule the paper or amendment Out of Order and remove it from the General Meeting agenda.

E.6.16. A person is accountable to these rules from the opening of the nominations period, however, may only announce their candidacy and begin publicly campaigning after the close of nominations.

E.7. Co-Options

E.7.1. Any vacant EC role may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC plus the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, after a call out and interviews have taken place.

E.7.2. Any vacant DAC role may be co-opted by a majority vote of DAC, after a call out has taken place.

E.7.3. If it is not possible to co-opt for DAC roles in accordance with E7.2, these roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC, after a call out has taken place.

E.7.4. Vacant Green Students Committee Co-Convenor roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of the Green Students Committee after a call out by the Green Students Committee has taken place.

E.7.5. If it is not possible to co-opt for Green Students Committee Co-Convenor roles in accordance with E7.4, these roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC plus the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, after a call out and a hustings has taken place.

E.7.6. Gender balance criteria as defined under section E5.5 through to E5.9 should also apply to any co-options.

F. Format and Exceptional Democratic Accountability Measures

F.1. Format

F.1.1. The General Meetings defined in Sections B, C, and D shall all be held as hybrid events, with democratic functions and activities exercised on a hybrid basis - where 'hybrid' refers to an event where Official Business may be accessed equally by those in-person and those online with provisions for both types of attendees.

F.2. Exceptional Democratic Accountability Measures (EDAM)

F.2.1. In exceptional circumstances in-person functions may not be possible and when this is the case these protocols shall be followed in order:

F.2.1.1. No less than three voting members of the Executive Committee shall bring forward a motion to a meeting of the Executive Committee, expressing intent and reasoning to invoke Exceptional Democratic Accountability Measures (hereafter referred to as "Exceptional Measures" or colloquially as "EDAM").

F.2.1.2. The Executive Committee shall vote on whether or not to invoke Exceptional Measures, invocation shall require a two-thirds majority.

F.2.1.3. If Exceptional Measures are invoked, then the Co-Chairs of the Executive Committee shall inform the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee of the decision, alongside documents which shall provide all reasoning and minutes of debate.

F.2.1.4. The Democracy and Accountability Committee shall thoroughly review the declaration of Exceptional Measures and shall vote on whether or not to ratify the decision, ratification shall require a simple majority of the whole Committee.

F.2.1.5. If Exceptional Measures are ratified, then the Executive Committee and the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall move to F2.2.

F.2.2. After ratification of Exceptional Measures, the Executive Committee and the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall explore solutions of all nature and produce official planning documents, all solutions must be permitted under the conditions listed in F2.3. After a maximum of two weeks or after mutual agreement, F2.3 shall be implemented.

F.2.3. Following thorough exploration, investigation, and planning, the Executive Committee shall inform the Democracy and Accountability Committee of any decision taken immediately after a vote to:

F.2.3.1. Postpone a General Meeting by up to 6 weeks after the normal period.

F.2.3.2. Hold a General Meeting and all associated functions either solely online or solely in-person in accordance with regular timescales.

F.2.3.3. Postpone a General Meeting by up to 6 weeks after the normal period and hold the event and all associated functions either solely online or solely in person.

F.2.3.4. Waive Exceptional Measures and carry out a General Meeting in the normal fashion.

F.2.4. Once the Democracy and Accountability Committee has been informed, it shall vote to ratify or reject the decision that has been made.

F.2.4.1. Should the decision be ratified by a majority, the agreed actions come into effect immediately.

F.2.4.2. Should the decision be rejected by a majority, the process shall return to either F2.2 or F2.3, at the discretion of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

F.2.5. The membership of the Young Greens of England and Wales must be informed regularly of progress at the end of each set of processes outlined in F2.1, F2.2, F2.3, and F2.4.

F.2.6. Once the date and format of a General Meeting have been announced, Exceptional Measures and the adjustments thereof may only be invoked (for the first time for said General Meeting) or amended (if already invoked for said General Meeting) in a true case of force majeure or if an election has been called for the UK Parliament or Senedd Cymru with less than ninety days notice and this is deemed to have a significant and clear effect on either: the democratic functioning of the Young Greens (in the view of the Democracy and Accountability Committee) or on the Young Greens' ability to campaign effectively in said election (in the view of the Executive Committee). Invocations and amendments to Exceptional Measures under this clause shall otherwise follow the process and rules in Article F, albeit with all time extensions in F2 clauses extended from "up to 6 weeks" to "up to 12 weeks". If an election is already underway, the Electoral Returning Officer shall be empowered to act in a proportionate manner to ensure the continuity of the election.

G. Openness and Confidentiality

G.1. Official Business

G.1.1. Official Business shall be defined as the discussion or transaction of any actions in-line with the purpose of any Particular Body within the Young Greens, and actions taken by any Particular Body or its Officers. 'Particular Bodies' and 'Particular Body' shall mean, for the purpose of this Section, the Executive Committee, the Democracy and Accountability Committee, and the Green Students Committee only.

G.2. Confidentiality of Particular Bodies

G.2.1. Official Meetings shall regularly be Open to Young Greens Members as Observers, and to any other individual invited by the Executive Committee for any specific portion of a Meeting.

G.2.2. From time to time, Official Business may be sensitive or require confidentiality, in these cases a Particular Body may invoke and enter Executive Session:

G.2.2.1. The Executive Committee may enter Executive Session by a simple majority vote of a quorate Official Meeting - the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee must be informed when this occurs and neither their the Right to Attend and Speak nor their Right to Access to Relevant Documentation is impacted.

G.2.2.2. The Democracy and Accountability Committee may enter Executive Session by a simple majority vote of a quorate Official Meeting - the Executive Committee Co-Chairs must be informed when this occurs and they have the Right to Attend and Speak and the Right to Access Relevant Documentation when this business is conducted.

G.2.2.3. The Green Students Committee may enter Executive Session by a simple majority vote of a quorate Official Meeting - the Executive Committee Co-Chairs and Democracy and Accountability Committee Chair or Co-Chairs must be informed when this occurs and they all have the Right to Attend and Speak and the Right to Access Relevant Documentation.

G.2.3. Executive Session shall apply to Official Meetings or parts of Official Meetings only - documents created for or in Executive Session, and documentation pertinent to the subject matter of the Executive Session shall be designated Executive Business and shall be classified as: "Committee Confidential: Executive Committee" or "CCEC" for the Executive Committee, "Committee Confidential: Democracy and Accountability Committee" or "CCDAC" for the Democracy and Accountability Committee, and "Committee Confidential: Green Students Committee" or "CCGSC" for the Green Students Committee - each Committee Confidential document or material shall be accessible to all Voting Members of said Committee, plus others who are explicitly given access to documentation for a justifiable reason.

G.2.4. Documentation or materials with any Committee Confidential classification for any Particular Body shall in every case be accessible to the Executive Committee Co-Chairs, the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, and the DAC Representative to the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee.

G.2.5. The Co-Chairs of the Executive Committee may, together and unanimously, with the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee classify documentation or materials as "Strictly Confidential" or "SC" for matters of the absolute highest need of confidentiality - this documentation may only be shared within this group and others who are given explicit access by unanimous agreement of these individuals. The DAC Representative of the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall also be given access to all Strictly Confidential documentation but shall not be required for votes of unanimity.

G.2.6. Confidentiality shall be used only when necessary and shall not be exploited.

G.2.7. A notice shall be published to Members whenever a Particular Body enters Executive Session or classifies documentation as Committee Confidential alongside a general reason such as "Hiring Process", or "Outcome of Complaints and Disputes Process".

G.2.8. A notice shall be published to Members whenever the Executive Committee Co-Chairs and Democracy and Accountability Committee Chair or Co-Chairs classify documentation or communications as Strictly Confidential.

G.3. Confidentiality of Complaints and Disputes

G.3.1. Article 5 of the Constitution and guidance in the Record of Organisational Statements shall dictate confidentiality of Complaints and Disputes procedures.

G.3.2. Matters of the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall be handled with the utmost confidentiality.

G.3.3. The Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall have the Right to Attend meetings and the Right to Access Relevant Documentation for all Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee Business unless Part 7 of this Section offers an exemption.

G.4. Legal Requirements and Duties of Role Holders

G.4.1. Laws on Data Protection and other laws such as on privacy shall be complied with; a valid legal case to access documentation classified in any way as Confidential shall result in access to specific documentation being granted expeditiously and within legally specified timescales to relevant individuals.

G.4.2. A person who obtains information because they are, or have been, a member of a Particular Body or the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee must not improperly use the information to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or cause detriment to the organisation or Members therein.

G.4.3. The obligation to maintain confidentiality continues to apply even after a person has left a Particular Body.

G.5. Whistleblowing and Appeals of Confidentiality

G.5.1. Whistleblowing is an important part of maintaining transparency and fairness; whistleblowers shall be protected against detrimental treatment as a result of whistleblowing.

G.5.2. Policies of the Green Party of England and Wales on the topic of Whistleblowing shall be used in conjunction with these rules, alongside Young Greens policies in the Record of Organisational Statements, as and when these are developed and implemented.

G.5.3. If any Member believes documentation classified as Committee Confidential or Strictly Confidential to be an overreach of this power, inappropriate, or unreasonably detrimental to the openness of the organisation then they may inform the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee of a potential breach. The Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall be granted full access to relevant documentation and shall conduct an investigation in a timely fashion, however without the explicit timings in Article 5 of the Constitution. The Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall have the power to reclassify documentation and its confidentiality status and publish or redact it accordingly. The Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee may only alter classification by one tier at a time (eg from Strictly Confidential to Committee Confidential but not Strictly Confidential to Open) until another request is received. The decision of the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall be final.

G.5.4. Nothing in this Section prevents any individual or Particular Body or the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee from seeking advice from Staff or a duly appointed legal representative in a personal or collective capacity to ensure that duties are maintained and rules are followed, and the seeking of such advice (including sharing necessary documentation) is firmly within the rules - however, the DAC Representative of the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall be informed when this occurs.

G.5.5. Sharing documentation with the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee to query a Confidentiality Classification (whether it be Committee Confidential or Strictly Confidential) is firmly within the rules.

G.6. Sanctions for Breaches of Confidentiality

G.6.1. An individual who shares a Committee Confidential document beyond the scope expressly permitted shall be referred to the Complaints and Disputes Committee which may issue an appropriate sanction.

G.6.2. An individual who shares a Strictly Confidential document beyond the scope expressly permitted shall be referred to the Complaints and Disputes Committee which shall formally remove the individual from their Office, and suspend their Membership for no less than 6 months and for up to 36 months.

G.6.3. As stated in Part 4, whistleblowing is protected and Members who blow the whistle on inappropriate conduct or conduct against any rules shall be immune from sanctions so long as claims are not made maliciously or in bad faith.

G.7. Exclusions

G.7.1. When information, documentation, materials, or a part of a Meeting on Official Business concerns any individual who is a Voting Member of a Particular Body, said individual shall not be required for votes, nor unanimity; the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee shall opine and rule on these cases and may, from time to time, issue further directives within the scope of the rules to ensure smooth, fair, unbiased, or unswayed proceedings; when it is a Member of the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee with a direct connection to the case, the relevant Member shall themselves not be required for votes, nor unanimity and shall be recused for that case.

Constitution

Article 1. Name, Membership and Objectives

1.1. The name of the organisation is “Young Greens of England and Wales”.

1.2. The accepted abbreviations are “Young Greens” or “YG” and in all publications this name and abbreviations shall be synonymous.

1.3. The geographical boundaries of the Young Greens are England and Wales.

1.4. The Young Greens aim to encourage young people to become active in politics and within the Green Party of England and Wales.

1.5. The Young Greens consists of all members of the Green Party of England and Wales: aged 29 years or less;

1.6. full-time and part-time students regardless of age (where a part time student is defined as a person who is studying for at least 14 hours per week ( inclusive of contact and self directed study hours) at a school, college or university, and is studying on a course with a length of 3 months or more;

1.7. Membership of the Young Greens includes voting rights to all elections in accordance with this constitution.

1.8. An individual’s membership of the Young Greens can be permanently terminated by an absolute two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee with the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee. Where the individual is a member of those committees, they will not be able to vote on or be required to approve the termination and the absolute two-thirds majority will exclude that individual.

1.9. Termination of membership can only occur if their membership is considered to be detrimental to the work of the Young Greens. Prior to that, however, the Young Greens Complaints and Disputes Procedure should have been used, as outlined in Article

Article 2. Organisation

2.1. The Young Greens is composed of individual members, committees and Affiliated Groups, whose constitutions, aims and values should be consistent with those of the Young Greens and the Green Party of England and Wales.

2.2. The Young Greens will be run by an Executive Committee, defined in Byelaw 1

2.3. There will be a Democracy and Accountability Committee with responsibility for constitutional affairs and inclusivity, as defined in Byelaw 2

2.4. There will be a Green Students Committee consisting of two Co-Convenors and five Non-Portfolio Officers, defined in Byelaw 3

2.5. The Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee will be elected at the Young Greens Annual General Meeting according to the provisions in Section E of the Standing Orders.

2.6. There will be two Safeguarding Officers with responsibility for the safeguarding and wellbeing of members, as defined in Byelaw 9.

2.7. Subcommittees may be formed by the Executive Committee, as defined in Byelaw 7.

2.8. All other groups outside of the committees defined in clauses 2.2 - 2.4 will be named Affiliated Groups, including Groups for the Regions of England, Wales, Local Groups, Liberation Groups, and Special Interest Groups.

2.9. Affiliated Group constitutions should state that they are a part of the Young Greens of England and Wales and not contradict the Young Greens constitution in any way.

2.10. For a group to be affiliated, they must be accepted by an absolute majority vote of the Executive Committee.

2.11. The Executive Committee must keep a list of affiliated groups and review it each year after Convention.

2.12. An affiliated group of the Young Greens can be disaffiliated by an absolute two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee if they are in violation of this constitution or if their membership is considered detrimental to the work of the Young Greens.

Article 3. Amendment of the Constitution

3.1. This constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority vote at a General Meeting.

3.2. The byelaws to this constitution which all have the status of parts of this constitution may be amended, created or revoked by a two-thirds majority vote at a General Meeting.

3.3. A minor change to the constitution and standing orders, for the purpose of the editing power that is held by DAC, is defined as one where the meaning of a clause, or outcome of a clause, has not been altered (although it may be clarified); and the change is for the purposes of correcting errors or inconsistencies in typography, spelling, or grammar; clarifying a meaning, or correcting the numbering of clauses.

Article 4. The Standing Orders

4.1. The Standing Orders govern all elections and democratic processes such as General Meetings within the Young Greens.

4.2. The Standing Orders must be followed at all times. They can be amended by a two-thirds majority at a General Meeting.

4.3. Where there is a perceived contradiction between the Constitution and Standing Orders, the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall rule on the correct interpretation with precedence given to the Constitution.

Article 5. Complaints and Disputes

5.1. There shall be a Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee (C&D) of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

5.2. C&D will be constituted of a permanent representative from the Democracy and Accountability Committee (hereby known as the DAC Rep), who will chair the group, as well as four volunteers from the Young Greens membership, to make five total members. Two of these four spaces should be advertised first to the Young Greens Liberation Group Co-Chairs, with priority given to Young Greens of Colour and Young Greens Women of Colour, before being opened to the wider membership if no volunteers step forward who are Liberation Group Co-Chairs. Where there are too many volunteers, selection will be made by DAC; candidates may be put on a reserve list that would be used when other members are recused (see ). Where there are too few volunteers, the remaining membership will be drawn by lots from: Co-Convenors of Groups of the Regions of England, and Wales; Green Students Committee members; and Young Green Liberation Group Co-Chairs. At least two members of C&D should not be self-defining men.

5.3. C&D should have 5 participating members for every case dealt with. A reserve list of members may be created by DAC in order to ensure that this is possible, as members may be taking leave of absence. It may also be that members have personal interests in the outcome of a case, or possess personal or professional relations, amicable or otherwise, with those involved in a case. Applications for recusal may be made by members of C&D, DAC, EC any Young Green directly involved within a case, and are submitted to DAC, and may be done so by or on the behalf of a member of C&D. A majority vote from DAC determines if a member is recused. If the DAC Rep is recused, C&D is to vote on an acting Chair for a case, who must be a member of C&D. Recusal should happen before the point of formal intervention (the implementation of Section B.3).

5.4. C&D membership will be from its initiation until the following Young Greens Convention, after which C&D will be re-formulated following Article 5.3. It is permissible to re-volunteer. Complaints and Disputes will be dealt with by a single C&D only and will not be passed on between re-formulations (except in the case of resignations). This may lead to persons carrying out C&D duties for as long as a complaint of dispute takes to judge on.

5.5. Members are to submit complaints based on breaches of the Young Greens Constitution, Young Greens Standing Orders, Green Party Constitution, Green Party Standing Orders, Green Party Code of Conduct or any other organisational policies of the Green Party of England and Wales and Young Greens, including anti-harassment and Safe Space policies.

5.6. Any complaints about another member of the Young Greens, or disputes that a member feels they need help resolving, should go in the first instance to the C&D. If for whatever reason a member does not feel comfortable approaching any C&D member, they may go to Young Greens Staff, Young Greens Membership and Inclusion Officer or to the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

5.7. In the first instance when a complaint is lodged, a member of the C&D will speak to involved parties and attempt to resolve the issue informally whilst maintaining clear records, in accordance with Article

5.8. Where any involved parties feel that hasn't worked, or where any parties refuse the informal intervention, the complaint should be made in writing. All involved parties will have equal chance to state their own case.

5.9. C&D Subcommittee will consider the complaint and make a judgement, in writing, to all parties. Judgements should include a ruling on whether there have been breaches of the Young Greens Constitution, Young Greens Standing Orders, Green Party Constitution, Green Party Standing Orders, Green Party Code of Conduct or any other organisational policies of the Green Party of England and Wales and Young Greens, including anti-harassment and Safe Space policies.

5.10. After a judgement, C&D Subcommittee will make a recommendation of action to either or both complainants. In cases where there is a need for disciplinary action, to DAC or another relevant body where appropriate. These disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to:

5.10.1. Ban from Young Greens Events/Spaces, for a period of up to 12 months

5.10.2. Suspension of Young Greens membership, for a period of up to 12 months

5.10.3. Censure from holding a position within the Young Greens, for a period of up to 12 months

5.10.4. Permanent termination of membership, as outlined in Article 1.8

5.11. Where the case is deemed to be serious enough, C&D Subcommittee may recommend a suspension for the period of the investigation and which must be agreed by the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

5.12. If the recommended action(s) following a judgement are not followed by the involved parties, C&D should make recommendations of action to the EC or DAC.

5.13. If an individual; wishes to appeal a judgement made by C&D, they may do so by communicating to DAC. The grounds for an appeal are if new evidence emerges, or if C&D broke procedure. DAC should look over the evidence presented by the appellant and may make a ruling on whether the appeals process should be initiated. In this case, appeals will be heard by a new group formulated on the same basis as C&D in but excluding C&D members that made the original judgement. This may be drawn from the list of reserve members.

5.14. There should be clear minutes and records of actions kept of all C&D meetings. These may be disclosed beyond C&D at the discretion of C&D Subcommittee, and a need for confidentiality and fair treatment must be considered. C&D are to submit reports of each case to DAC. DAC will then include a general, anonymous summary of these in their annual report.

5.15. A response to all initial complaints should be made to the initiator of the complaint within 48 hours of receiving the complaint, in which the standard process is outlined to them and how C&D intend to carry out the informal mediation.

5.16. Informal mediation should start within 5 days of a complaint or dispute being lodged.

5.17. A judgement should be made within 3 weeks of a complaint or dispute being lodged in writing following informal mediation failing or where the written statement refuses informal mediation.

5.18. Any requests for updates from any involved party should be responded to within 72 hours.

5.19. Extensions to these deadlines should be sought from DAC in extenuating circumstances

5.20. Malicious complaints made against a Young Greens member are serious and a breach of the principles outlined in the Constitution as well as the GPEW Code of Conduct. C&D Subcommittee will dismiss malicious complaints and may notify relevant parties that a malicious complaint has been made.

Article 6. The Young Greens Record of Policy Statements

6.1. There shall be a Young Greens Record of Policy Statements (hereafter YG RoPS) that contains contemporary policy statements from the Young Greens of England and Wales.

6.2. Actions from Young Green bodies should not contradict statements in the RoPS.

6.3. Statements may be submitted to the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of a motion submitted to a General Meeting. Alternatively, statements may be submitted to the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee, with the consent of DAC. All statements added between General Meetings are to be reported to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC quarterly reports.

6.4. Statements may be removed from the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of a motion submitted to a General Meeting. Alternatively, statements may be removed from the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee, with the consent of DAC. All statements removed between General Meetings are to be reported to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC monthly reports.

6.5. After five years of a statement being entered into the YG RoPS, it is considered to be in grace as recorded by EC. This means that it will be reported to be in grace to the following Young Greens General Meeting by EC, who will give members the chance to vote on whether it should stay in the YG RoPS, which requires a simple majority. This restarts the five-year placement of that statement into the YG RoPS.

6.6. The YG RoPS should be publicly available.

Article 7. The Young Greens Record of Organisational Statements

7.1. There shall be a Young Greens Record of Organisational Statements (hereafter YG RoOS) that contains organisational policies from the Young Greens of England and Wales.

7.2. Actions from Young Green bodies should not contradict statements in the RoOS.

7.3. Statements may be submitted to the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of a motion submitted to a General Meeting. Alternatively, statements may be submitted to the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of the EC, with the consent of DAC. All statements added between General Meetings are to be reported to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC quarterly reports.

7.4. Statements may be removed from the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of a motion submitted to a General Meeting. Alternatively, statements may be removed from the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of the EC, with the consent of DAC. All statements removed between General Meetings are to be reported to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC quarterly reports.

7.5. Each year DAC will review the RoOS and bring a list of statements they judge to be out of date to Convention for a vote of retention or removal.

7.6. The YG RoOS should be publicly available.

Article 8. The Young Greens Record of Structural Procedures

8.1. There shall be a Young Greens Record of Structural Procedures (hereafter YG RoSPs) that contains a record of the following:

8.1.1. All rulings of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

8.1.2. The text of all passed Motions of Censure and Commendations, alongside accompanying vote numbers and outcomes.

8.1.3. All records of successful Votes of No Confidence, and motions of the same effect, anonymous vote results, and vote outcomes - all information shall be anonymous.

8.1.4. All records of Subcommittee formations.

8.2. The Democracy and Accountability Committee may add items to the YG RoSPs.

8.3. Entries may be removed by a simple majority vote of a motion submitted to Convention. All statements added between Conventions are to be reported to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in the next quarterly DAC report.

8.4. The YG RoSPs shall be available to all Members of the Young Greens.

Article 9. Safeguarding and Safe Spaces Policy

9.1. Safeguarding is the responsibility of every Young Green. Young Greens will follow the guidance regarding safeguarding in the RoOS.

9.2. The Young Greens are committed to providing an environment free of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, religious discrimination or any other types of oppression, including, but not limited to, oppression against non-binary identities and sex workers.

9.3. The Young Greens are committed to providing an environment free of bullying, name-calling or any forms of abusive behaviour.

9.4. The Young Greens are committed to challenging these types of oppression whenever they occur in Young Greens spaces.

9.5. The Young Greens are committed to having a victim centred approach when safe spaces are jeopardised.

9.6. The Young Greens will follow guidance regarding safe spaces in the RoOS.

9.7. When it comes from outside of the Young Greens but within the Green Party, individuals in the Young Greens are encouraged to report all forms of oppression or discrimination including hate crime to the Green Party of England and Wales through the standard complaints procedures for further investigation into these matters. Individuals may contact the Young Greens Complaints and Disputes Committee to receive support in doing so.

Article 10. Internal Financial Policy

10.1. Finances shall be managed on a bi-national scale by the Executive Committee, who shall have the power to raise, spend, and manage funds.

10.2. The Executive Committee will manage the finances of the Young Greens in the best interest of the organisation.

10.2.1. They shall make sure that the organisation’s resources are only used to support or carry out its aims and strategy.

10.2.2. They will make balanced and adequately informed financial decisions, thinking about the short term as well as the long term.

10.2.3. They will avoid putting themselves in a position where their duty to the Young Greens conflicts with their personal interests or personal loyalties.

10.2.4. They shall not take inappropriate risks with the organisation’s resources.

10.2.5. They shall comply with any restrictions on spending funds.

10.3. The Young Greens shall keep an up-to-date reserves policy in the Record of Organisational Statements (RoOS) which shall:

10.3.1. Fully justify and clearly explain how much we will keep in reserves

10.3.2. Outline how and when the reserves can be spent

10.3.3. Outline how often the reserves policy shall be reviewed

Byelaws

Byelaw 1. The Young Greens Executive Committee

1.1. There shall be an Executive Committee (hereafter referred to as “the Executive Committee” or “EC”) which shall consist of:

1.1.1. Two Co-Chairs, of which at least one must not be a self-defining man.

1.1.2. Treasurer.

1.1.3. The Green Students Committee Co-Convenors, of which at least one must not be a self-defining man.

1.1.4. Elections Officer

1.1.5. Digital Communications Officer

1.1.6. Press Officer

1.1.7. Campaigns Officer

1.1.8. Events Officer

1.1.9. International Officer

1.1.10. Membership and Inclusion Officer

1.1.11. Political Education and Training Officer

1.1.12. Liberation Officers (from each formally constituted Liberation Group)

1.1.13. Under 18s Officer

1.1.14. Wales Officer

1.2. EC Elections shall be carried out according to Section E of the Standing Orders, following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described therein.

1.3. The aim and responsibility of the EC is to:

1.3.1. Provide an overall direction and strategic planning.

1.3.2. Support all members and bodies within the Young Greens.

1.3.3. Represent the Young Greens externally, including running the website and social media and representing the Young Greens at events.

1.4. EC members shall individually provide a quarterly report to the membership which is made available for all members. A quarterly online question and answer session hosted by DAC should follow and be promoted to all members with a call for questions.

1.5. EC Members shall provide an end of year report to the Young Greens Annual General Meeting.

1.6. Vacant positions may be co-opted at any time throughout the year following the procedure outlined in Section E7 of the Standing Orders.

1.7. The quorum for EC decisions is an absolute majority of all EC members.

1.8. An absolute majority of the Executive Committee may delegate authority, responsibilities, and powers over a set area to a set subset of the Executive Committee for a set period.

1.9. The Executive Committee shall have a handover period.

1.9.1. The handover period will be two weeks, counted from the last day of Convention.

1.9.2. The outgoing Executive Committee members shall be expected to provide a handover to the incoming Executive Committee. They shall decide what form this will take.

1.9.3. Throughout the handover period the outgoing Executive Committee shall be able to make decisions except monetary and expenditure decisions concerning more than 2% of Young Greens reserves or monies (where a series of decisions shall count towards this threshold) - such decisions shall require pre-approval from the incoming Executive Committee.. The incoming Executive Committee shall have the power to veto any decisions made.

1.9.4. The Co-Chairs shall report any decisions taken by the outgoing Executive Committee in their three month accountability report.

Byelaw 2. The Democracy and Accountability Committee

2.1. There shall be a Democracy and Accountability Committee (hereafter known as “the Democracy and Accountability Committee” or “DAC”) which shall consist of:

2.1.1. Five members, where one member is selected within as Chair.

2.1.2. The Chair shall be selected at the first meeting of DAC after the Annual Ballot.

2.1.3. The position of Chair may also be taken as a job-share between two members of DAC who will then be Co-chairs.

2.1.4. If the Chair or Co-chairs resigns, DAC shall select a new Chair or Co- chairs at their next available meeting.

2.2. Elections will be carried out according to Section E of the Standing Orders, following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described therein.

2.3. The aim and responsibility of the Democracy and Accountability Committee is to:

2.3.1. Uphold this Constitution, Byelaws and Standing Orders.

2.3.2. Oversee updates and clarifications to these, including through elections and the Annual General meeting.

2.3.3. Make rulings on interpretations of this Constitution and to declare acts constitutional or otherwise.

2.3.4. Make minor changes to the Constitution and the Standing Orders to ensure it is standardised and accurate, as outlined in Article 3 of this Constitution.

2.3.5. As part of this role, the Democracy and Accountability Committee will run the Annual General Meeting and Winter General Meeting as described in Sections B and D of the Standing Orders.

2.3.6. Additionally, the Democracy and Accountability Committee is responsible for ensuring accountability of the Young Greens at large.

2.4. The Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee has the right to attend all meetings of the Executive Committee, but not vote, as a representative of the Democracy and Accountability Committee and should be consulted on major decisions.

2.5. The Democracy and Accountability Committee members shall individually provide a quarterly report to the membership, which is made available to all members, and an end-of-year report to the Young Greens Annual General Meeting. These shall detail any minor changes made to the constitution and standing orders.

Byelaw 3. The Green Students Committee

3.1. The Green Students Committee shall be led by two Co-Convenors.

3.2. The Co-convenors shall be elected in line with Section E of the Standing Orders following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described therein.

3.3. The aim and responsibility of the Green Students Committee is to:

3.3.1. Ensure that the Executive Committee is kept up to date on issues affecting students and to lead campaigning on those issues.

3.3.2. Encourage Young Greens to stand for elected positions in relevant student -led organisations, including but not limited to, their students unions, NUS, or UCU (if they are eligible).

3.3.3. Support any Young Greens holding those elected positions in relevant student-led organisations.

3.3.4. Ensure that the Young Greens are involved with campaigns run by the NUS, and other relevant student-led organisations.

3.3.5. Liaise with external bodies that are relevant to student issues and campaigning.

3.3.6. Promote campaigns and organisations relevant to the students movement to the Young Greens membership.

3.3.7. Work with the Executive Committee to support the Young Greens Students Societies and ensure their effective running.

3.4. Vacant positions may be co-opted at any time throughout the year following the procedure outlined in the standing orders.

Byelaw 4. The Young Greens International Committee

4.1. Liberation Groups shall represent individuals who face current and historic oppression, discrimination and/or are marginalised in wider society due to a shared characteristic.

4.2. The Young Greens International Committee shall be led by the International Officer.

4.3. The International Officer shall be elected in line with Section E of the Standing Orders following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described therein.

4.4. There should be no more than 5 members of the International Committee, in addition to the International Officer.

4.5. The aim and the responsibility of the Young Greens International Committee is to:

4.5.1. Ensure that the Executive Committee is kept up to date on international issues pertaining to the Young Greens of England and Wales.

4.5.2. Champion the values and interests of the Young Greens of England and Wales among our international partners.

4.5.3. Build and maintain a network of relationships with Young Green organisations from around the world.

4.5.4. Communicate international participation and collaboration opportunities to both the Young Greens of England and Wales and its membership.

4.5.5. Plan and manage positive and active participation in the statutory events of our international partner organisations, i.e. Federation of Young European Greens General Assembly and Global Young Greens Congress.

4.5.6. Encourage and support any member of the Young Greens of England and Wales putting themselves forward for a role in any of our international partner organisations, i.e. Federation of Young European Greens or Global Young Greens.

4.6. Vacant positions may be co-opted at any time throughout the year following the procedure outlined in the standing orders

4.7. International Committee members shall individually provide a quarterly, six month, and annual report to the membership which is made available for all members. The International Committee Members shall not partake in the quarterly online question and answer sessions hosted by DAC but their reports shall be promoted to all members with a call for questions and answers via email.

4.8. International Committee Members may be removed from office via a vote of confidence of the International Committee or via a vote of confidence at an accountability session of a General Meeting.

Byelaw 5. The Liberation Committee

5.1. Liberation Groups shall represent individuals who face current and historic oppression, discrimination and/or are marginalised in wider society due to a shared characteristic.

5.2. Liberation Groups shall ensure that the voices and perspectives of people in marginalised groups are well represented and heard within the structures and policies of the Young Greens and the wider Green Party.

5.3. Young Greens members are free to join any Liberation Group which they self-identify as a member of. As such, these groups shall be organised and led by self-identifying members.

5.4. The current list of Liberation Groups is as follows:

5.4.1. Disability.

5.4.2. LGBTIQA+.

5.4.3. People of Colour.

5.4.4. Women.

5.4.5. Women of Colour.

5.5. A new group can be set up if all the following criteria are met:

5.5.1. The proposed group face current and historic oppression, discrimination and/or are marginalised in wider society based around a shared characteristic.

5.5.2. The proposer can demonstrate that at least 5 members will actively join the group.

5.6. EC shall use their discretion in approving the creation of new Liberation Groups between General Meetings and shall bring a paper of ratification to the next Annual General Meeting, or to an Emergency General Meeting if this happens to occur first.

5.7. Each Liberation Group shall elect from their membership at least two Co-chairs, where no more than one self-defines as a man. If for any reason, the Liberation Group cannot run the election, DAC will run the election on their behalf.

5.7.1. Each Liberation Group will elect one Liberation officer with the exception of the LGBTQIA+ Young Greens which will have two Liberation Officers “LGBTQIA+ Officer and Trans Officer”

5.8. The election should be organised by said Liberation Group using a system of Single Transferable Vote, for which advice can be sought from DAC, to ensure that the rules in Byelaw 5.7 are satisfied.

5.9. Liberation Groups may be additionally led by a committee, with the number of positions and the election or co-option timescale at the discretion of the Liberation Group members.

5.10. Each Liberation Group will reserve a seat on the committee for their Liberation Group Officer.

5.10.1. The Liberation Group Officer will be elected through the Annual Ballot in accordance with Section E of the Standing Orders.

5.10.2. The Liberation Group Officer will not be able to also hold the position as Co-Chair of the Liberation Group

5.11. The Liberation Group Co-Chairs, or Committee where appropriate, are in charge of moderating any online spaces they group holds, organising training days and meet-ups, upholding the Safe Space policy at all times, and representing their Liberation Group concerns through the Liberation Group Officer and to the Membership and Inclusion Officer.

5.12. Liberation groups are required to adopt a constitution.

5.12.1. A Liberation Group's constitution may be amended at its Convention meeting or through additional means outlined in its constitution.

5.12.2. Failure to adopt a constitution shall result in adoption of a model constitution provided by the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

Byelaw 6. International Affiliation

6.1. The Young Greens of England and Wales is a full member organisation of the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG).

6.2. The Young Greens of England and Wales is a member of the Global Young Greens (GYG) by virtue of its membership of FYEG.

6.3. As a member of both organisations, the Young Greens will endeavour to send at least one delegate to the FYEG General Assembly or GYG Congress each year.

6.4. The first International Delegate shall be appointed by EC from the membership of either EC or the International Committee.

6.5. If there are to be any further delegates, they should be appointed from the general membership by EC.

6.6. No more than half of the total number of International Delegates shall self-define as a man.

6.7. Additional observers for the General Assembly may be appointed by EC.

6.8. In the event of the Global Young Greens Congress being held the same year as the FYEG General Assembly, this election shall occur twice - all members, despite any prior delegate status, are able to be a candidate in this election, in line with Section E of the Standing Orders.

6.9. At the FYEG General Assembly, the first delegate and the elected International Delegate shall be given one vote each (as permitted by the FYEG Constitution). The first delegate shall consult EC for advice on how to vote on motions, but further delegates may vote independently; they can seek advice from EC and indeed agree with the EC delegate vote.

6.10. If any member of the Young Greens of England and Wales wishes to run for election to any roles within FYEG or GYG, they must consult and seek the nomination of the EC.

Byelaw 7. Special Interest Groups

7.1. Members with concerns on a specific issue or set of issues may form a Special Interest Group in order to develop policy positions and pursue campaigns within the structure and strategy of the Young Greens.

7.2. Young Greens members are free to join any Special Interest Group, in accordance with any rules on eligibility as defined by the group.

7.3. The current list of Special Interest Groups is as follows:

7.3.1. Under 18s

7.4. A new group can be set up if all the following criteria is met:

7.4.1. The proposer can demonstrate that at least 5 members will actively join the group.

7.5. EC shall use their discretion in approving the creation of new Special Interest Groups between General Meetings and shall bring a paper of ratification to the next Annual General Meeting, or to an Emergency General Meeting if this happens to occur first.

7.6. Each Special Interest Group shall elect from their membership at least two Co-chairs, where no more than one self-defines as a man. If for any reason, the Special Interest Group cannot run the election, DAC will run the election on their behalf.

7.7. The election should be organised by said Special Interest Group using a system of Single Transferable Vote, for which advice can be sought from DAC, to ensure that the rules in 7.6 are satisfied.

7.8. Special Interest Groups may be additionally led by a committee, with the number of positions and the election or co-option timescale to be decided at the discretion of the Special Interest Group’s members.

7.9. Special Interest Groups are required to adopt a constitution.

7.9.1. A Special Interest Group's constitution may be amended at its Convention meeting or through additional means outlined in its constitution.

7.9.2. Failure to adopt a constitution shall result in adoption of a model constitution provided by the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

Byelaw 8. Subcommittees

8.1. The formation of subcommittees is separate from the Executive Committee's power to delegate defined in Byelaw 1.8 and therefore not subject to its requirements.

8.2. Subcommittees may be formed where a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee has passed.

8.3. Subcommittees shall be formed for a specific period of time, with a specific remit, after which their mandate may be extended for a specific period of time by simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.

8.4. At least one member of the Executive Committee shall sit on a subcommittee at any given time, and subcommittees shall be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee.

8.5. Members who are not on the Executive Committee may also sit on a subcommittee with the discretion of the Executive Committee.

8.6. The Executive Committee may overrule a decision made by a subcommittee by a simple majority vote.

8.7. The Executive Committee may dissolve a subcommittee early by a two-thirds majority vote.

8.8. A General Meeting may instruct the Executive Committee to form a subcommittee by passing a resolution.

8.8.1. Such a resolution must provide the requirements defined in byelaw 8.3. Failure to do so will mean there shall be no requirement for the Executive Committee to form the subcommittee.

8.8.2. If the Executive Committee fails to form a subcommittee that has been properly mandated by a resolution within a month of its passing, this shall be recorded in the YG RoSPs.

Byelaw 9. Safeguarding Officers

9.1. There shall be two Safeguarding Officers.

9.2. The Safeguarding Officers shall be elected by and from the Executive Committee annually, no later than six weeks after Convention each year.

9.3. The Safeguarding Officers will be elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system with a provision for negative voting (re-open nominations, acronym RON).

9.3.1. Single Transferable Vote quota for election is calculated as follows: total valid vote divided by one more than the number of seats up for election plus one (or rounded up) to avoid ties: (TVV/(seats+1)) +1.

9.4. Voting will take place via secret, secure online ballot arranged by the Democracy and Accountability Committee (DAC).

9.5. DAC is responsible for counting the votes.

9.6. No more than one Safeguarding Officer may self-identify as a man.

9.7. Except in cases of resignation or removal from post, the Safeguarding Officer and their Deputy shall be in post until the next Executive Committee elects new Safeguarding Officers. The term shall not be more than fifteen months.

9.8. The Safeguarding Officers have the duty to:

9.8.1. Lead on the development of safeguards for the Young Greens.

9.8.2. Promote the safety and welfare of children and young people in the Young Greens.

9.8.3. Promote good safeguarding practice and procedure within the Young Greens.

9.8.4. Contribute to a review of Young Green safeguarding policy and procedure every two years, or sooner if required.

9.8.5. Receive and appropriately record information from anyone who has safeguarding concerns.

9.8.6. Assess such information promptly and carefully, clarifying or obtaining more information where necessary.

9.8.7. Follow Young Greens safeguarding policy and procedure in the RoOS in full, including with regard to consultation and referral.

9.9. It is not their job to decide whether a child or a young person has been abused or not.

9.10. The Safeguarding Officers may be dismissed by an absolute majority of the Executive Committee.

9.11. The Safeguarding Officers shall have a handover period.

9.11.1. The handover period will be two weeks, counted from the day new Safeguarding Officers are elected.

9.11.2. The outgoing Safeguarding Officers shall be expected to provide a handover to the incoming Safeguarding Officers. They shall decide what form this will take.