Rules

Our Constitution

Our constitution defines the rules by which the Civil Service LGBT+ Network must operate.

1. Name

The name of the organisation is the Civil Service LGBT+ Network (hereafter referred to as CSLGBT+).

2. What is the Civil Service LGBT+ Network?

CSLGBT+ is the umbrella organisation of ‘grass roots’ staff networks that support civil servants who have a minority sexual orientation or gender identity (LGBT+) in central government departments, agencies and their associated public bodies.

CSLGBT+ operates a membership system for individuals who are civil servants in central government departments, agencies and their associated public bodies.

The focus of CSLGBT+ is on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

CSLGBT+ is an independent organisation that is neither affiliated with the management of the Civil Service nor the staff unions, and is independent of both.

3. Aim

The aim of CSLGBT+ is to work to create a safe and inclusive working environment in the Civil Service, encouraging a culture which supports workplace equality and engages with LGBT+ civil servants.

4. Objectives

The objectives of CSLGBT+ are set out in the mission statement. As the objectives are likely to be subject to change, they are not included in this constitution.

5. Membership

The membership of CSLGBT+ is made up of two categories: Member Networks and Individual Members.

Member Networks are LGBT+ networks within Civil Service departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Individual Members are individual civil servants who support the aim of the organisation.

6. Governance

CSLGBT+ is run by volunteers taken from the membership. As such a formal committee with elected posts is impractical; the only elected post will be the Chair who will organise the available volunteers to support the mission statement of the organisation.

The elected Chair will not have a fixed term of office but will remain in post for the length of time that they feel they can fulfil the role effectively unless either:

  1. a majority of the membership is unhappy with their leadership, or
  2. they have been in post for nine years at which point an election must be held anyway

If a majority of the membership (51%) are unhappy with the leadership of the organisation and vote to this effect in a member’s meeting, then a full vote of all departments and arm’s length bodies must be called.

The formal vote of ‘no confidence’ will take place at the next members meeting so as to give each department or arm’s length the opportunity to conduct an internal vote in their department. The vote of ‘no confidence’ will then operate on a ‘one department, one vote’ basis.

Should a vote of ‘no confidence’ be carried, then an election is deemed to have been called. The timescales for this election will be agreed in the same member’s meeting as the vote of ‘no confidence’. Again this will occur on the basis of ‘one department, one vote’.

The practical operation of this collegiate ‘one department, one vote’ system will be laid out in a separate Memorandum of Understanding document between CSLGBT+ and departmental LGBT networks.

For non-Chair election issues, any votes in a member’s meeting are conducted on the basis of one member one vote.

7. Amendments

Amendments to this constitution can be made by proposal in a member’s meeting. They will then be discussed and voted on at the next member’s meeting, so as to give member’s time to consider the proposals properly.