Adopted: 6th September 1999
The Council shall be called the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council.
The Community Council shall serve the Royal Burgh of St Andrews in the area detailed in Schedule 1 of the Scheme for Community Councils in Fife ("the Scheme") and shown marked on the plan annexed to the scheme.
3.1. The general purpose of the Community Council shall be to ascertain, co-ordinate and express to the local authorities for its area, and to public authorities, the views of the community which it represents in relation to matters for which those authorities are responsible, and to take or initiate such action in the interests of that community as appears to it to be expedient and practicable and to safeguard and improve the amenities and environment of St. Andrews.
3.2. To this end the Community Council shall be empowered to raise funds for schemes, projects and all other purposes within its stated objects and that by way of:
3.2.1. public appeals and the promotion of functions
3.2.2. applications for and receipt of grants and/or loans from the Local Authority and
3.2.3. applications for and receipt of grants and/or loans from any Government Department or any Government financed or sponsored body or any other organisation which Community Councils may be or shall become entitled to apply for and receive.
3.3. The Community Council shall be empowered to acquire and hold heritable property, with the consent of Fife Council, the title to which shall be taken in the name of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary for the time being, as Trustees for the Community Council and their respective successors in office.
3.4. The Council shall be a non-profit making body and all excess income generated by the Council will only be used for the furtherance of the aims and objects of the Council.
4.1. The Community Council shall be composed of:
4.1.1. Elected members - 20 members elected under the Scheme.
4.1.2. Student members - three persons appointed by the Student Representative Council of University of St Andrews such persons being students at that university and elected to the Student Representative Council.
4.1.3. Ex officio members - the elected members of Fife Council for the town shall be members ex-officio of the Community Council. They shall not be entitled to hold office in terms of paragraph 6 of this Constitution and shall not be entitled to vote on any item of business considered by the Community Council.
4.2. The Community Council may also include
4.2.1. Nominated members - up to Five (a quarter of the number of elected members) persons nominated by organisations or other bodies in the town. The organisations or bodies shall be invited to nominate a person by the Community Council. Such nominated members shall be eligible to serve for such period as the Community Council shall determine and shall not be entitled to vote on any item of business considered by the Community Council.
4.2.2. Co-opted members - up to five persons appointed by the Community Council for any specific purpose by reason of their interest in the Community and whose views, advice and professional or technical skills would be of assistance to the Council or could be employed for the promotion or advancement of any scheme or project approved by the Council. Such co-opted members shall be eligible to serve for such period such period as the Community Council shall determine and shall not be entitled to vote on any item of business considered by the Community Council.
5.1. Elections shall take place in accordance with the Fife Council's Scheme, subject to any amendments which may be made from time to time.
5.2. In the event of a casual vacancy occurring in the elected membership, as defined in the Scheme, the Community Council shall be entitled to fill the vacancy by co-opting a member who shall hold office on the same terms, including voting rights, as the person whose place she or he has been co-opted to fill. The Scheme requires that the Community Council should have regard to the list of unsuccessful candidates at the most recent elections for Community Council.
6.1. The Community Council shall make the following elections at its first meeting after the Annual Meeting and at the inaugural meeting after each election of the whole Council.
6.1.1. Chair
6.1.2. One or more Vice-chairs
6.1.3. Secretary
6.1.4. Treasurer
6.1.5. Representatives of the Council on outside bodies
6.2. The Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer where these offices are held by elected members shall continue in office until but not including the inaugural meeting of the Community Council. The inaugural meeting shall at its outset be chaired by one of the Fife Councillors for the area or any other person appointed to do so by Fife Council.
7.1. The Accounts of the Community Council shall be audited annually, presented to the Annual Meeting by the Treasurer and, after approval, forwarded to Fife Council.
7.2. All monies received by the Community Council shall be lodged in an account in name of the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council with a clearing bank, building society or other reputable financial institution. All withdrawals from such accounts shall be authorised by the signature of at least two of the Chair, Vice-chairs, Secretary and Treasurer of the Community Council.
Any alterations to the Constitution of the Community Council shall be displayed for a period of 21 days during which written comment shall be invited from persons resident within the area served by the Council or alternatively be considered at the Annual General Meeting or at a Meeting specially convened by the Council for that purpose. All alterations shall then be submitted to the Fife Council for ratification.
9.1. Annual Meetings - The Community Council shall convene in the same month each year an Annual Meeting which shall be advertised and at which electors for the area of the Community Council shall be entitled to attend. The Agenda for the Annual Meeting shall comprise items for approving the Council 's Report and the audited Annual statement of accounts and the fixing of the dates for the General Meetings during the following twelve months. Amendments to the Constitution may be considered at the Annual Meeting.
9.2. General Meetings - The Community Council shall convene a minimum of eleven General Meetings each year, which shall be advertised and at which members of the public may attend and speak subject to the discretion of the Chair. No more than six months shall elapse between General Meetings.
9.3. Requisition - If not less than 20 electors for the area of the Community Council apply to the Secretary of the Council in writing, the Council shall convene a General Meeting within 21 days of the receipt of the application.
9.4. All meetings of the Community Council shall be open to members of the public subject to the provisions of para 9.4 of the Scheme of Administration which allows for the exclusion of the public in specific circumstances.
10.1. The quorum for any meeting of the Community Council shall be not less than one-half of the total elected membership of the Council.
10.2. Except where otherwise stated decisions will be decided by majority vote, the Chair having the casting vote.
10.3. Councillors shall disclose any conflict of interest that may arise.
10.4. The business of the Council shall be organised in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Council.
If the Community Council so decides at any time on the grounds of expense or otherwise that the Council should be dissolved, such a resolution shall be put to a specially convened meeting open to all persons whose names appear on the electoral roll then current; such a resolution can be carried only by a two-thirds majority of all present at such a meeting. In that event, all assets of the Council shall - after payment of all proper debt and liabilities be held in trust by the Fife Council for the benefit of the people of St Andrews and shall be released by that Council to any properly established successor body to the Community Council at the request of that body.
This constitution is governed and defined by Fife Council's Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils and should be read in conjunction with it. If the Constitution conflicts with the Scheme the provisions of the Scheme shall prevail.