Chisel Tenants' Sounding Board (CTSB)TERMS OF REFERENCE - September 20081

PURPOSE
To provide a forum for CHISEL tenants to give their views on matters that affect tenants and to influence CHISEL policy and decision-making.
2 MEMBERSHIP
• The Sounding Board will have an open membership. All tenants can attend all or some meetings as they wish. Tenants do not have to commit to a regular or ongoing membership although it is hoped that some tenants will wish to attend most meetings.
• CHISEL’s Co-op & Tenant Officer and Director will normally be available to attend meetings. The Sounding Board may also invite other CHISEL staff to attend particular meetings depending on the matters to be discussed.
• CHISEL’s Board of Management will delegate one or more of its members to attend meetings as the Board’s representative.
• The Sounding Board can choose to meet without CHISEL staff or Board members in attendance if it chooses.
• CHISEL’s Co-op and Tenant Officer will act as Secretary to the Sounding Board between meetings.
3 FREQUENCY AND CONTENT OF MEETINGS
• The Sounding Board will meet a minimum of twice per year or more frequently as and when topics need to be discussed.
• The Sounding Board will discuss matters of general interest to CHISEL tenants such as CHISEL policies, priorities, services and tenant involvement and participation.
• The Sounding Board will not discuss individual tenants or schemes that are not of general interest or concern to tenants.
• An agenda for each meeting will be set in advance and notified to all tenants at least 14 days before the date of the meeting either via the Tenants’ Newsletter or by direct mailing. Agenda items can be proposed by Sounding Board members, CHISEL’s Board of Management or by CHISEL staff and should be sent to CHISEL’s Co-op and Tenant Officer at least 28 days before each meeting.
4 CONDUCT OF MEETINGS
• Meetings will be held at CHISEL’s offices or at any other reasonable venue as decided upon by the Sounding Board.
• Each meeting will select its own chairperson.
• Each meeting can elect its own minute secretary. Alternatively, if members of the Sounding Board prefer, CHISEL’s Tenant & Co-op Officer or another member of CHISEL’s staff can act as minute secretary.
• The notification of each meeting sent to tenants will invite tenants who are unable to attend the meeting to send in their comments and views on the matters being discussed by e-mail or post. These views should be sent to CHISEL’s Co-op & Tenant Officer to arrive no later than 3 days before the date of the meeting. The written comments and views received will then be provided to each meeting at the time of the meeting.
• Members at each meeting will be expected to respect the views and rights of each
other and of CHISEL staff and Board members and to abide by the spirit of
CHISEL’s Equal Opportunities and Openness and Accountability Policies.
5 REPORTING BACK
• Matters discussed will be fed back to other CHISEL tenants via the Tenants’
Newsletter, by separate mailing or through the CHISEL website.
• The minutes of each meeting will be sent to all members who attended the meeting or sent written views and will also be sent to the next meeting of the CHISEL Board. The minutes will also be sent to any other tenants who request them.
6 FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND EXPENSES
• CHISEL will support the Sounding Board by providing printing, photocopying, postage, meeting room and any other related costs in line with its Tenant Participation Policy.
• Tenants attending each meeting will be entitled to claim reimbursement of
reasonable expenses for travel and child minding etc in line with CHISEL’s
expenses policy for staff and Board members as set out in its Financial Manual and Regulations.