OYC Meeting Minutes – 19/10/2022
WELCOME
The chairThe Youth Councillor who runs the meeting, heads up the organisation and has the casting vote. Or something to sit on but probably the first one on our site :-) More greeted the youth councillors.
REVIEW OF THE CONSTITUTIONA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More
Some grammatical mistakes were clarified and rectified. Grammatical mistakes which changed the meaning of the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More slightly were voted on.
- Name
Nothing was changed here.
- Aims and Objectives
Nothing was changed here.
- Membership
- Chris discussed how Oldham Council changed their boundaries to North, West, East, South and Central (from Chadderton, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Oldham East, Oldham West, Royton, Shaw & Crompton and Saddleworth & Lees). Youth councillors then discussed that we would still elect 7 people per ward (maximum 35 in an election, down from 42). Youth councillors unanimously voted to change this.
- Youth councillors unanimously voted to add an extra line to the election process which links in with the “Co-opted Members” solution, allowing for the exception (e.g. if there weren’t 7 candidates from one ward, OYC
Oldham Youth Council More will be allowed to co-opt members based of geographic region). - Youth councillors unanimously voted to add an explanation to the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More, that the reasoning for the maximum 25 youth councillor roll-over is due to retain experience.
- Youth Voice Family Membership
- Co-opted Members
Nothing was changed here. - Leadership Group
- Youth councillors unanimously voted to change the the frequency of the vice chairThe Youth Councillor who runs the meeting, heads up the organisation and has the casting vote. Or something to sit on but probably the first one on our site :-) More elections from January to February. This is to allow new youth councillors to settle in and have an element of trust with their candidates, whilst not delaying it too much to clash in mainstream exam seasons and to allow there to be a few months buffer for the Youth Mayor elect to still exist.
- Half of the youth councillors initially voted to add the case that a person may not be Youth Mayor of Oldham more than once, however after listening to both sides of the debates, no one voted for this.
- Most youth councillors voted to move the February DMYPDeputy Member of Youth Parliament – The Deputy Member of Youth Parliament is the first year of a two year role, which allows the elected members to learn about the role and step in for the MYP when needed. To be elected as DMYP, you have to be within the age bracket of 11-18, due to this role linking in with the BYC. More elections to March, in line with the shift of the vice chairThe Youth Councillor who runs the meeting, heads up the organisation and has the casting vote. Or something to sit on but probably the first one on our site :-) More elections.
- Chris discussed that Make your MarkA Nationwide campaign, run by UK Youth parliament, that gathers information on what is important to the youth of the United Kingdom. More will become a bi-annual event, meaning that the House of Commons sitting and annual conference will only happen every two years, meaning a one year term for DMYPs/MYPs means that one MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More gets the big opportunities, and another does not. MYPs decided to not vote for this until more information is out.
- Youth councillors unanimously voted to add the clarification that the MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More/DMYP term is April to March (or syncs with the terms UKYP
United Kingdom Youth Parliament – The Parliament Organisation for MYPs and DMYPs. The UKYP is known for the yearly debate in the Houses of Parliament, in which MYPs attend to debate the top 5 issues, that were voted on in the MYM voting scheme. More has for MYPs).
- Meetings
Nothing was changed here. - Attendance
Nothing was changed here. - Political Views
- Tom raised the point of Parish Councils, who are separate from Oldham Council in terms of finance and politics. The constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More does not state anything about parish councils, and argued that if a youth council member who decides to run for a parish council shall be able to remain in Oldham Youth Council without any restrictions. Parish councils were not mentioned initially in the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More as it has never been a problem before.
Chris also stated to Oldham Youth Council that full council members have been against motions from OYCOldham Youth Council More, due to them believing motions were influenced by some other person or party / council, and warned that it may cause an issue between councillors, who may consider that the motions may have been written by a parish councillor.
Jodie added on that OYCOldham Youth Council More is apoliticalThis means that the group/organisation/individual holds no party political views. The OYC is an apolitical organisation. More as most members are aligned with different political parties, and that a change in power may cause issues for Oldham Youth Council in the future. She also states that she believes that becoming a parish councillor makes someone a politician in the adult political process, and asked if it is possible to make sure that one person’s decisions aren’t influenced by the parish council, and explained how Oldham Youth Council should be politically separated from any external political groups.
Tom came back saying that it should be okay as long as the member remains apoliticalThis means that the group/organisation/individual holds no party political views. The OYC is an apolitical organisation. More within Oldham Youth Council, and if their decisions seems to be influenced by their position as a parish councillor, that it should be questioned.
Charlotte added on her concerns that, due to the parish council and Oldham Council not having the best of relationships, meaning it opens the OYCOldham Youth Council More as a whole open to a lot of criticism.
Youth councillors then had the opportunity to mention their thoughts. Tom then answered all points, for example the parish council rules meaning as a candidate you may not be able to mention that they are not allowed to use something such as “I was the member of Oldham Youth Council” as it is seen as a leverage, and that there should be transparency in parish council business so youth councillors can question decisions made.
Charlotte added on that people in both groups should not be running in the parish council as a party member and independent only. She also mentioned that this person must not be in any leadership / representative role. In addition to this she mentioned the conflicts of interest, and how that may influence our (OYCOldham Youth Council More)’s decision making overall.
The majority of youth councillors (13 people) voted that a councillor at OYCOldham Youth Council More may be permitted to be in the parish council on the condition that they do not hold any leadership, representative or officer role. However, a lot slight minority (7 people) of youth councillors present abstained against the vote. This advise will be put in the code of conduct (16 people voted for this), and every youth councillor must be made aware of this, and this will be written in the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More under the leadership role section.
- Tom raised the point of Parish Councils, who are separate from Oldham Council in terms of finance and politics. The constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More does not state anything about parish councils, and argued that if a youth council member who decides to run for a parish council shall be able to remain in Oldham Youth Council without any restrictions. Parish councils were not mentioned initially in the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More as it has never been a problem before.
- Voting
In January 2022, we changed the system to Single Transferrable Vote, however this has not been updated in the recent constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More. This will be amended in the new version. - Equal Opportunities
Nothing was changed here. - Finance and Budget
Nothing major was changed here, except for changing “manager of the Youth Council Support Staff” to “Head of Youth Service” – which is the same role. - Alterations to the ConstitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More
Nothing was changed here. - Dissolution
Nothing was changed here.
NOTE: As of Mon 08 May 2023, the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More has not been signed, and these changes are pending.
EVENTS & TRIPS
- YouthForiaAn organisation in which youth councillors from the North West meet up and work on campaigns and training. More – Saturday the 29th October in Knowsley
AOB
Chris and Jodie asked young people to fill in the survey from Oldham Council by Monday the 14th of November: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/nuu7at – this survey is not restricted to youth councillors, and any young person may fill this.
POST SCRIPT
Regarding the constitutionA constitution is a set of rules that guides how an organisation works. The constitution says how the organisation is set up and how it works. It also states the rights of it's members. More change:
On Wed 08 Mar 2023, the MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More portion was finalised: https://oldhamyc.com/blog/2023/03/08/oyc-meeting-minutes-08-03-2023/ – it was agreed to align with BYC’s 2 year terms of office for MYPs and have a DMYPDeputy Member of Youth Parliament – The Deputy Member of Youth Parliament is the first year of a two year role, which allows the elected members to learn about the role and step in for the MYP when needed. To be elected as DMYP, you have to be within the age bracket of 11-18, due to this role linking in with the BYC. More who does not step up. This means that Prem remained as MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More, Tom is MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More for the remaining year as Zoe stepped down due to studies, and Louie will step up from DMYPDeputy Member of Youth Parliament – The Deputy Member of Youth Parliament is the first year of a two year role, which allows the elected members to learn about the role and step in for the MYP when needed. To be elected as DMYP, you have to be within the age bracket of 11-18, due to this role linking in with the BYC. More to MYPMember of Youth Parliament – The Member of the Youth Parliament is elected to represent the LA on a national level. More (as he was promissed so) in 2024.
Additionally, on Wed 03 May 2023, these changes were discussed further, minutes: https://oldhamyc.com/blog/2023/05/07/oyc-meeting-minutes-03-05-2023/
