Constitutions & Rules

Constitutions & Rules

1. Name of the Association
The name of the Association shall be The National Association of Financial Assessment Officers (hereinafter referred to as NAFAO)


2. Aims and Objectives

NAFAO aims to:
• Work closely with statutory bodies to develop a standard model based on "Best Practice" for the application of the Charging Regulations for Residential Accommodation and associated legislation and/or Guidance Notes and also for Non-residential services charging practice
• Provide a forum for Local Authority employees engaged in the financial assessment function and related disciplines to meet regularly to share experiences and problem solving to develop continually Best Practice procedures and solutions for residential and Non-residential services charging issues
• Work in a manner that recognises the differing customs, cultures and practices in the member countries of the United Kingdom. No working practice, membership or other criterion shall be adopted that discriminates against a Member Authority's Delegates on the grounds of race, gender, disability or sexual orientation



3. Membership
3.1 Membership shall be offered to a Local Authority or similar and successor body responsible for undertaking the Financial Assessment function for Residential or Non-residential services provision on behalf of the Local Authority. Upon payment of the annual subscription they shall become Member Authorities of NAFAO

Each NAFAO Member Authority will nominate a Lead Delegate and a maximum of 3 may attend meetings and participate in NAFAO business at any one time. Nominated Delegates must be working in the Financial Assessment Section of the Local Authority or a supporting discipline that includes (but without limiting the generality of the following) related Administration and Information Technology functions

3.2 Subscription rates shall be set by the Management Committee and presented to Delegates for confirmation at the September Meeting as part of the Annual General Meeting. The annual subscription, payable upon demand by each Member Authority, shall be as approved by the Annual General Meeting upon recommendation by the Management Committee of NAFAO. The approved annual subscription shall be current for the 12 months period from 1st April to 31st March

A new Member Authority joining after 1st April shall pay an annual subscription based upon the number of unexpired whole months until 31st March of the following year but subject to a minimum payment as approved at the Annual General Meeting

If a NAFAO Member Authority wishes to nominate additional Delegates in excess of the permitted number to attend NAFAO meetings or to participate in its business, application shall be made in writing, stating the name of the Delegate(s), their job title and enclosing an additional fee based on the catering cost and any associated costs in attending the Meeting.

3.3 A Member Authority withdrawing from NAFAO during the year shall not be entitled to receive a refund of any unutilised subscription. Resignation from NAFAO will be made in writing by the Member Authority Local Authority or similar body to the Secretary of NAFAO

3.4 If a Member Authority fails to pay the annual membership subscription by 31st May (or to pay the discounted sum in the first year of membership or to pay the additional subscriptions for additional Delegates as calculated under Sections 3.2 and 3.3 above within 2 months of application), membership shall be deemed to be discontinued and neither the Member Authority nor its Delegates shall take any further part in the business of NAFAO nor shall they attend any further meetings until the subscription is paid

3.5 Any individual who ceases to be an employee of a Local Authority (or an employee of a similar body undertaking the Financial Assessment function for Residential or Non-residential services provision on behalf of the Local Authority) or who is no longer employed in the Financial Assessment function or supporting function as shown in Section 3.1 shall no longer be eligible to be a nominated Delegate of the Member Authority. The individual shall no longer attend meetings or take part in any NAFAO Business, and shall relinquish any office of NAFAO held at the time of ineligibilty. The person shall pass all records, equipment, materials, information and any monies held on behalf of NAFAO, to the Chairperson of NAFAO or other Officer, including a member of the Management Committee, within 28 days of the ineligibility arising

3.6 A Member Authority shall be disqualified from membership of NAFAO if the Member Authority or Delegate has interests or obligations that bring the member into conflict with the aims, objectives and interests of NAFAO. A Member Authority’s Delegate whose interests bring him/her into conflict with the aims, objectives and interests of NAFAO or whose conduct or other action brings NAFAO into disrepute or whose conduct is likely, in the opinions of the Management Committee of NAFAO, to bring NAFAO into disrepute will no longer be eligible to attend NAFAO meetings or to undertake any business on behalf of NAFAO. A Member Authority shall, in such circumstances, be eligible to nominate an alternative Delegate but the latter shall only undertake duties previously carried out by his/her predecessor on behalf of NAFAO if the Management Committee so authorise. Notice of the suspension shall be given to the Member Authority by the Secretary of NAFAO

A Member Authority may appeal against the suspension by putting its reasons for so doing in writing to the Secretary of NAFAO. The Secretary shall then convene a Meeting of the Management Committee who shall decide by a simple majority vote whether the suspension shall be upheld. The Management Committee decision shall be subject to ratification by the Member Authorities present at the next Business Meeting and Delegates shall vote as prescribed in Sections 6.3 and 6.4


4. NAFAO Structure
4.1. The Management Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting by, in the event of nominations exceeding the permitted number, a simple majority of the Member Authorities. This shall be on the basis of one vote per Member Authority, irrespective of the number of Delegates present from all or any of the Member Authorities. For the purposes of electing the Management Committee only, postal votes shall be permitted, again on a one vote per Member Authority basis, provided that such votes are forwarded to the Secretary to arrive 7 days before the Annual General Meeting in accordance with Section 7.1

A Delegate elected to the Management Committee shall not be substituted by another Delegate, either from his/her own or from another Member Authority

The Management Committee shall conduct any business on behalf of NAFAO. The Management Committee shall ensure that the offices of Chairperson; Vice Chairperson; Secretary; and Treasurer shall have been appointed before business can be transacted. These appointments will be made at the Annual General Meeting in September of each year

The number of Committee Members shall not exceed twelve, four of whom will be the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. A quorum shall be constituted by six Committee Members. The Chairperson shall have authority to co-opt additional members for a specific (not general) matter for discussion. Co-opted members shall not be allowed to vote, but may, at the discretion of the Chairperson, represent NAFAO at all or any of the necessary meetings associated with the specific matter.

In the event that less than six Committee Members are present at a Management Committee Meeting, only business essential to the continuance of NAFAO shall be discussed and voted upon and any decisions shall be subject to ratification by a quorate Management Committee or by the next scheduled Business Meeting of NAFAO, whichever is the sooner

In the event that the Management Committee membership falls below six or the offices of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer become vacant, the remaining Committee Members shall authorise business essential to the continuance of NAFAO but nominations for the vacant posts shall be requested in advance of the next Business Meeting, as detailed in Sections 7.1 to 7.3 inclusive, and a vote taken at that meeting to decide the replacement Committee Members. The chairperson conducting the vote shall not be a nominee for any of the vacant posts.The vote shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures in Sections 6.3 and 6.4

4.2 No Member Authority shall have more than one Delegate as a Committee Member or as a member of any sub-groups or sub-committees at any one time. The Management Committee may co-opt a nominee whose employing authority is already represented on the Management Committee but the co-opted person shall not be entitled to vote on any business where Management Committee approval is required and if he/she shall vote, his/her vote shall be disqualified

4.3 Matters of Financial Assessment practice and procedure, as defined under “Aims and Objectives” shall be voted on by the Member Authorities’ Delegates at each Business Meeting by a simple show of hands. 25% of Member Authorities shall constitute a quorum but only one Delegate per Member Authority shall be counted in reckoning a quorum. The vote shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures in Sections 6.3 and 6.4

4.4 NAFAO will meet at least 4 times each year at quarterly intervals (normally March, June, September and December) and all nominated Delegates of Member Authorities will be eligible to attend. The September meeting shall also be the Annual General Meeting

Additional meetings will be arranged as required by the Management Committee


5. Conduct of Meetings
5.1 An Agenda shall be circulated to Member Authorities at least 10 days before each meeting. Member Authorities’ Delegates shall be able to nominate items for inclusion on the Agenda via the Secretary of NAFAO, to arrive no later than 21 days before the date of the Business Meeting and shall be able to raise items for discussion on the day of the meeting under “Any Other Business” via the chairperson of the Meeting

Amendments to the Constitution and Rules of NAFAO, properly proposed and seconded and notified to the Secretary in accordance with Section 9.1, shall be put to the Business Meeting in order of the Agenda immediately following approval of the Minutes of the previous meeting and Matters Arising. Such amendments shall be decided by a simple majority of those present on the basis of one vote per Member Authority

5.2 Each individual speaking at the Meeting shall announce his/her name and employing body to facilitate accurate transcription of the proceedings to form the Minutes

5.3 The chairperson of the Meeting shall have the right to curtail discussions to enable the Agenda to be completed or where in his/her opinion further information is required to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. The chairperson of the Meeting shall be able to disqualify any item from discussion at a Meeting if in his/her opinion it is outside the operational remit of NAFAO as defined under “Aims and Objectives” under Section 2 above

Where the Delegates dispute the disqualification of any item from discussion, the matter shall be put to a vote. The vote shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures in Sections 6.3 and 6.4 save that, in the event of a tie the item shall be debated as prescribed in Section 6.2


6. Rules of Debate
6.1 Only Delegates present on the day of the Business Meeting shall have a right to vote on NAFAO business, unless the Meeting is the Annual General Meeting in which case postal votes for the election of the Management Committee shall be allowed in accordance with Section 4.1

6.2 Items for discussion under “Any Other Business” shall be notified to the chairperson of the Meeting wherever possible no later than the morning of the Meeting to enable the topic to be advised to Member Authorities Delegates at the commencement of proceedings. The Chairperson shall be able to disqualify any item from discussion if in his/her opinion it is outside the operational remit of NAFAO as defined under “Aims and Objectives” under Section 2 above

Where the Member Authority’s Delegate requesting the inclusion of an item for discussion under “Any Other Business” disputes the disqualification of the item by the chairperson of the Meeting, the matter shall be put to a vote, on the basis of one vote per Member Authority. The vote shall be by show of hands and a simple majority shall be sufficient to decide the matter. The vote will be recorded in the record of proceedings and will include the number of Delegates in favour of the Motion and those Delegates abstaining. In the event of a tie the item shall be debated

6.3 Where any item requires a vote by the Member Authorities Delegates, the Motion shall be read to the Meeting by the chairperson of the Meeting who shall indicate for the purposes of the Minutes, the Proposer and Seconder. The chairperson shall then call for any amendments to the Motion before putting the matter to a vote. Any Amendment shall first be voted upon, on the basis of one vote per Member Authority, by a show of hands and a simple majority shall be sufficient to decide the matter. The vote will be recorded in the record of proceedings and will include the number of Delegates in favour of each nominee and those Delegates abstaining. In the event of a tie, the chairperson of the Meeting shall have a second or casting vote

6.4 The Amendment, having been voted upon, becomes the revised Motion which shall then be put to a vote by a show of hands. The vote, on the basis of one vote per Member Authority, shall be decided by a simple majority and will be recorded in the record of proceedings which will include the number of Delegates in favour of each nominee and those Delegates abstaining. In the event of a tie, the chairperson of the Meeting shall have a second or casting vote


7. Officers
7.1 The Honorary Officers shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to fill the posts of Chairperson; Vice Chairperson; Secretary; and Treasurer. The Management Committee shall also be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for the offices shall be requested in writing by the Secretary, to arrive 21 days before the Annual General Meeting to enable details to be circulated to Member Authorities Delegates with the Agenda

No Officer shall serve in the same post for more than 2 years consecutively but such an individual shall be eligible for nomination and election to the Management Committee. In the event that there are no nominations for a post, the previous postholder can be nominated and may serve for a further period

7.2 The consent of any nominee to stand for election must have been obtained and the form of nomination will contain a declaration to this effect. Any nomination must be seconded by way of countersignature by a current Member Authority’s Delegate

7.3 Any nomination not complying fully with the conditions of Sections 7.1 and 7.2 shall be disqualified from consideration

7.4 The nominations for the designated offices and for the Management Committee shall be read to the Meeting by the chairperson of the Meeting who shall indicate for the purposes of the Minutes the Proposer and Seconder

The vote shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures in Sections 6.3 and 6.4 save that the number of Postal Votes received by the Secretary as prescribed in Section 4.1 shall be taken into account in determining the votes for each nominee

The chairperson conducting the vote shall not be a nominee for the vacant post. (S)he shall temporarily vacate the role of chairperson of the Meeting in favour of the Vice Chairperson who shall have the casting vote. In the event that the Vice Chairperson is not present, the temporary chairperson for the vote and who shall have the casting vote shall be the Treasurer, Secretary or a member of the Management Committee in that order

7.5 The Chairperson shall have responsibility for the arrangement of the Meeting venues. The chairperson of that Meeting shall be responsible for its conduct

The Secretary shall be responsible for the recording and transcription of the proceedings of each Meeting and for the subsequent production and distribution of the Minutes and the Agenda as shown in Section 5.1 above. The Secretary shall also be responsible for dealing with all items of correspondence on behalf of NAFAO

The Secretary shall also be responsible for the maintenance of the database of Member Authorities Delegates who are entitled to attend NAFAO Meetings and to conduct NAFAO business

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of NAFAO, including the authorisation of expenditure as shown in Section 8.1 below, and shall keep proper books of account to include an Income & Expenditure Account, Balance Sheet, Bank Reconciliation and any other record of account as required by the Honorary Auditor, or as the Management Committee may decide.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for making the NAFAO books of account available to the Honorary Auditor who shall be a qualified accounting officer from a Member Authority. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for the production of Certified Accounts to the Annual General Meeting where Delegates shall vote on their acceptance


8. Expenses/Honoraria
8.1 Officers or Delegates who incur any approved expenditure on behalf of NAFAO in the conduct of its ordinary business shall be entitled to reimbursement against production of supporting receipts to the Treasurer

Any expenditure between £100 and £250 and which is known about in advance shall be subject to approval by the Treasurer before it is incurred. Expenditure in excess of £250 shall be subject to approval by the Management Committee before it is incurred

Payment shall be made by cheque drawn on the NAFAO bank account and each cheque is signed by the NAFAO Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and countersigned by either the Treasurer or Secretary

Any Officer or Delegate who properly incurs expenditure on behalf of NAFAO shall not incur any personal liability and shall be entitled to indemnity from NAFAO against any action for recovery or costs associated therewith


9. Amendments to the Constitution and Rules
9.1 Any amendments to the NAFAO Constitution or Rules shall be requested in writing via the Secretary in the first instance. Such requests shall be made in writing by the Secretary, to arrive 21 days before the next Meeting to enable details to be circulated to Member Authorities with the Agenda

9.2 The Motion requesting the amendment to the NAFAO Constitution or Rules shall be read to the Meeting by the chairperson of the Meeting as required under Section 6.3

9.3 The Amendment, having been voted upon, becomes the revised Motion which shall then be put to a vote by a show of hands as required under Section 6.4