ACER Committee
ACER COMMITTEE
Summary of Committee Functions and typical time taken for each Role
The ACER Committee has three formal Officers as required by the Constitution and who are elected annually.
These Officers are Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer.
All other functions of the Committee are split into different roles as determined by the Chair and approved by Committee members.
The different roles are ideally carried out by different committee members, but members may be given the responsibility for one or more roles.
ACER Officers
Chair: (Typical Commitment needed; 0.5 to 2 hours per week)
To chair ACER Committee meetings
To Monitor and Respond to E- mails addressed to the Chair
To Represent ACER at Council Meetings, meetings with Councillors, MP’s and Council Officers as required.
To be responsible for arranging the AGM, including Calling Notice (within Newsletter), Booking Venue, Booking Guest Speaker, Writing Annual Report, Organising Refreshments, Writing Agenda, Arranging Elections of new Committee. Arranging signing in sheets.
To be responsible for chasing Actions arising from meetings in a timely manner or as determined by the Committee
To act in accordance with the ACER constitution
To be aware of the views of Members and other Residents and to act with empathy to issues affecting Whitegates and its residents.
To act to promote ACER and raise its profile with the general public, with public bodies and organisations and with the local Press.
Vice Chair: (Typical Commitment needed; 0.5 to 1 hours per week)
To stand in for the Chair when the Chair is not available.
To discuss policies and issues with the Chair outside Committee meetings in order to form a consensus on issues as they arise, and to be up to speed in the event that the Vice Chair has to stand in for the Chair.
Treasurer: (Typical Commitment needed; 0.5 to 2 hours per month)
To keep formal accounts of the financial transactions and assets of ACER
To record incoming and outgoing monetary transactions, primarily membership subscriptions and expenses.
To counter- sign cheques for expenses and forward cheques to payees
To receive membership subscriptions in the form of cheques, cash or electronic means via Paypal and ensure each payment is paid into ACER’s bank account in a timely manner and records of all transactions are up to date.
To present the accounts to the ACER appointed Auditor annually each January, and work with the Auditor to ensure the accounts are signed off by the time of the AGM in March or as determined by the Chair
To write an annual Treasurers report at the time of each AGM, which is to include a copy of the Auditors signed off Accounts.
To renew the Membership spreadsheet annually in conjunction with the Membership Secretary in order that subscriptions can be recorded electronically on the day of collection by the volunteer Collectors known to the Membership Secretary.
Other ACER Committee Functions and Roles
Secretary :- (Typical Commitment needed; 2 to 6 hours per month)
To prepare the Agenda for each Committee Meeting in conjunction with the Chair and to circulate the Agenda to all Attendees at least 2 days in advance of the meeting.
To assist the Chair at Committee meetings to ensure all those wishing to contribute can do so, and to make notes on Matters Arising and New Business to ensure these are subsequently dealt with.
In the event of the absence of a Minutes Secretary, to take minutes of ACER Committee meetings
To review the minutes of the meeting in conjunction with the Chair and to amend as required prior to circulation to attendees
To compile a minutes summary for publication on the ACER website and for distribution to Earley Town Council and MERA etc.
To write letters and e- mails arising from Actions from Committee meetings unless otherwise delegated
Minutes Secretary: (Typical Commitment needed; 2 hours per month)
To take notes at Committee Meetings and to subsequently provide draft minutes to the Chair for potential amendment and distribution to Attendees by the Chair. The distributed minutes to be formally agreed at the subsequent Committee Meeting.
Membership Secretary: (Typical Commitment needed 1 to 3 hours per month from July to September)
To keep records of paid up members in each street on the membership spreadsheet. To check that collectors record all subscriptions on the Spreadsheet.
To supply and issue Membership Cards to each paid up household
To use the basis of names against each address from the previous year’s list of members only, as older records may not be GDPR compliant.
To promote awareness of ACER and raise membership by arranging door to door calling on residents to ask if there are any issues which need addressing and to introduce Committee members and Local Street Representatives.
Planning Sub-Committee Chair: (Typical Commitment needed; 0.5 to 2 hours per week , depending on number of Applications)
To chair a sub-committee comprising both building and local government expertise in order to examine Planning Applications
To monitor Planning Applications within Whitegates each week, and to assess whether they comply with the Local Panning Authority rules and guidelines on Planning, and/or have any adverse impact on parking problems. To inform the Committee and seek approval from the Chair for comments to be uploaded onto Wokingham Borough Council Planning website.
To notify Earley Town Council of any significant issues relating to Planning Applications and to seek support for ACER’s views.
To notify both local Town Councillors and Borough Councillors of any Objections to Applications. To request Borough Councillors to request such Applications to be ‘Listed’, to ensure the Application is reviewed by Wokingham Borough Council Planning Committee in the event that the allocated Planning Officer recommends acceptance of the Application to which ACER are objecting.
To review any strategic planning from Local or National Government which was likely to have an impact on Whitegates, and to make representations accordingly, including to our local MP as required.
Newsletter Editor: (Typical Commitment needed 3 to 5 hours per issue, i.e. 3 or 4 times a year)
To compile an ACER Newsletter for distribution to all 1600 households in Whitegates at least three times a year, e.g. Spring, Summer, Autumn etc. as agreed by Committee
The newsletter should be ideally limited to one double sided A4 and printed in non-partisan black and white.
To make the newsletter as interesting and as relevant as possible to Whitegates residents.
To forward the draft to the Chair for final adjustments and approval by the Committee
To forward PDF copies to the Printers with full instructions once Approved
To Collect the printed copies and deliver them to an appointed Newsletter Distribution Coordinator at an agreed date for onward distribution to Newsletter Distributors allocated for each street,
Website Compiler: (Typical Commitment needed 1 to 2 hours per month)
To input articles and notices from Committee Members and place them on the ACER WHITEGATES public website.
To remove or update articles on the HOME page which are out of date in consultation with the Chair as necessary.
Communications Officer: (Proposed new Role) (Typical Commitment needed 1 to 4 hours per month)
To be aware of current issues affecting Whitegates Residents, including monitoring newspapers and social media as far as is practical.
To update residents of issues that may affect them, by writing Newsletter Articles and by creating short articles with pictures for uploading onto the ACERWHITEGATES website.
To review the Website and to provide articles and updates for the Website to keep the Home page up to date.
To compile a list of paid-up members e-mail addresses for the purpose of notifying residents of urgent and timely news and suggestions via Mail Chimp or Google Groups. To advise the Chair of the nature and content of urgent news prior to transmission whenever possible.
Environmental Co-ordinator: (Proposed new role) (Typical Commitment needed 0.5 to 2 hours per month)
To be aware of environmental issues that affect the quality of life for Whitegates residents in particular, i.e. from trees and greenery through to animal life including birds, hedgehogs butterflies and stag beetles.
To promote awareness of the benefits of biodiversity through articles for the website and Newsletter.
To liaise with Earley Environmental Group with a view to forming a support group of interested residents within Whitegates
To liaise with FoBOS (Friends of Bulmershe Open Space)
To be aware of energy saving and green energy technology, including heat pumps and solar panels.
To promote the use of solar panels covering the entire roof on each of the large new warehouse units in Suttons Business Park, and not just the token installations stipulated by current Wokingham Borough policies.
Anyone with Ideas and Enthusiasm: (Typical Commitment needed; up to 2 hours per month to attend Committee Meetings)
Any resident who is interested in maintaining and improving Whitegates would be very welcome on the Committee to input fresh ideas and enhance the quality of debate, even if they are unable to undertake any of the aforementioned roles and functions.
