MEMBERS’ NEWS
FROM BROADHEMBURY NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMUNITY LAND TRUST (BNCLT)
March 2021
Main stories:
TRUSTEE ELECTION: All-members Zoom meeting to be held 28th April
2021
Election information: agenda and How to Stand as a Trustee.
Applications to stand must be returned 14th April
Recent Member/Trustee Zoom meetings – full Q&A summary attached
BNCLT retains Middlemarch CIC as principal adviser
Introduction
It is now five months since BNCLT was formally incorporated as our Community
Land Trust. Our aim was, and remains, to create enduring assets for our community
– assets that are relevant to local needs, enhance our quality of life and are in tune
with our heritage and natural environment. We also want, so far as possible, to keep
the community in control of all key decisions regarding these community assets.
We recognise that we did not get off to a good start regarding a potential site for
Affordable Housing and we have learned from that. Communication and
consultation will be central to the way forward. In many other respects we have
achieved a good deal and we are especially pleased that 117 residents of the Parish
have become Members of BNCLT.
We are now ready to take the next step – asking our Members to elect, for the first
time, the board of Trustees. This is exceptionally important in ensuring that future
plans and strategy are as representative as possible of community wishes. Please
vote – and please stand for office. You are welcome and needed!
2
All-members Trustee election and general meeting by Zoom: 28th April 2021
The principal purpose of this meeting is to formally elect a board of Trustees. It is
the membership that owns and decides who runs Broadhembury Community Land
Trust so please do take part and express your choice.
Standing as a Trustee
The Sponsoring Trustees (founding board members) are standing for re-election
and want to fully encourage other Members to put themselves forward too. There
are seven places to fill so why not get involved, have your say and make your own
contribution? It’s interesting and can even be enjoyable!
If you’d like to know more, please do get in touch with any of the Trustees or
contact the BNCLT Secretary: sara.clarke.bnclt@outlook.com
To stand for election as a Trustee, please complete and return the Application Form
at the end of this newsletter. It must arrive at BNCLT no later than Wednesday 14th
April.
Election and voting information
On the16th April you will be sent the Election Documents together with background
information on the candidates standing for election. You can vote in advance of the
meeting (which will ensure your vote is still counted should you not be able to
attend) or you can vote at the Zoom meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 28th April.
Please note that, due to the logistics of managing the election process, new
Membership applications have been suspended for the month of April. They will be
welcomed again from 1st May.
Meeting Agenda
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS FOR THE ELECTION OF TRUSTEES
By Zoom 7.30pm Wednesday 28th April 2021
(Zoom link will be sent with Election Documents)
Item 1: Introduction and rules of procedure (from the Chair)
Item 2: Voting takes place
Item 3: Results declared
Item 4: Creating a road map for the future
Item 5: Any other Business/ meeting closes
3
Member/Trustee Zoom meetings
Over 20 members signed up to attend informal Zoom meetings with Trustees in the
second week of March. The meetings were informal, seeking as much to understand
how the members and the community wants us to work with them as to gain
feedback on the specific issues we face.
We discussed the challenges of delivering affordable homes in a manner that both
the community and the planning authorities could find acceptable. Members made
clear the importance they attach to good member communications and prior
consultation on new initiatives. The need to protect our local heritage, built
environment and open countryside was also a regular theme.
Some strongly held views were expressed, as well as warm thanks for the work of
the BNCLT. All views are equally appreciated and of equal value!
You can read the full Q&A report – which offers explanatory comments as well as
questions and answers – by opening the attachment ‘Questions Raised at the
March 2021 BNCLT Members’ Meetings’.
BNCLT teams up with Middlemarch CIC
BNCLT has appointed Middlemarch CIC, a specialist adviser in Community Land
Trusts and Community Led Housing, to work alongside it to provide advice and
technical support over the next two years. Wessex Community Assets (WCA) and
Middlemarch LLP have worked together for the last 10 years to deliver the Wessex
CLT Project (WCLTP), a technical advice and support service for community led
housing in Somerset, Devon and Dorset. By agreement responsibility for these
activities will transfer to Middlemarch from the end of March 2021. A new
Community Interest Company – Middlemarch Community Led Housing CIC – has
been set up to take forward the CLT Project.
Middlemarch’s purpose is to facilitate asset ownership for community benefit.
It has extensive expertise, having supported nearly 60 CLT projects
delivering some 500 affordable homes for local people. Middlemarch has
successfully supported more than 20 CLTs in the south west, including local
projects in Gittisham, Colyton and Northleigh.
To stand for election as a Trustee, please complete and return the Application
on the following page, no later than 14th April 2021>>
4
BROADHEMBURY NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
HOW TO STAND AS A PROSPECTIVE TRUSTEE
NOTE: YOUR APPLICATION MUST BE PROPOSED AND SECONDED BY TWO
OTHER MEMBERS. You can ask any Members you know to support you, including
family members or existing Trustees.
Name…………………………………………………………….
Address………………………………………………………………………………………………
Email……………………………………………………. Telephone…………………………….
Name of Proposing Member ……………………………………………………
Name of Seconding Member…………………………………………………….
Application dated: …………………..
Please return your application by post, email or door-drop to Sara Clarke, BNCLT
Secretary at Vicarage Cottage, Duke’s Square, Broadhembury EX14 3NE or
sara.clarke.bnclt@outlook.com
YOUR APPLICATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021
