This amends the standing orders in line with the
The following table describes the status, the proposer and other metadata of this amendment.
| Motion: | Standing Orders |
|---|---|
| Proposer: | Jenny Knight (Green Party) |
| Status: | Published |
| Submitted: | 01/19/2026, 14:18 |
A5 - Membership and Inclusions Officers to D2: Standing Orders
Title
Change to:
Membership and Inclusions Officers: part 2
Motion text
Delete in line 179:
D.2.1.9. Membership and Inclusion Officer.
Insert in line 183:
D.2.1.13. Green Students Committee Co-convenors.
D.2.1.14. Inclusions Officer
Delete in line 243:
E.1.8.8. Membership and Inclusion Officer.
Insert in line 249:
E.1.8.14. Member of the International Committee
E.1.9.14 Inclusions Officer
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.2.1.14. Inclusions Officer
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.1.9.14 Inclusions Officer
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.
Reason
Supporters
- James Mitchell (Green Party)
- Charlie Aldous (Green Party)
Delete in line 179:
D.2.1.9. Membership and Inclusion Officer.
Insert in line 183:
D.2.1.13. Green Students Committee Co-convenors.
D.2.1.14. Inclusions Officer
Delete in line 243:
E.1.8.8. Membership and Inclusion Officer.
Insert in line 249:
E.1.8.14. Member of the International Committee
E.1.9.14 Inclusions Officer
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.2.1.14. Inclusions Officer
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.1.9.14 Inclusions Officer
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.
Reason
Supporters
- James Mitchell (Green Party)
- Charlie Aldous (Green Party)
Comments
Jenny Knight:
Reason
This amends the standing orders in line with the constitutional changes made by the "Membership and Inclusions Officers" amendment