Regional Archive Councils for England
Draft procedural regulations at 7th December 1999

Purpose of this document
These procedural rules have been drawn up to provide a clear and consistent framework for the establishment of English Regional Archive Councils within the structure of the National Council on Archives. The National Council on Archives will, in consultation with the Regional Archive Councils, review the terms of this document and the terms of the relationship between the National and Regional Councils no later than two years after the formal establishment of each Regional Archives Council with a view to making such changes as may then be expedient, in the light of regional developments and of emerging structures within the regions.

Purpose
The National Council on Archives shall, in furtherance of its aims and objectives and in order to improve debate and development in the field of the care and use of archives, establish in each region of England, a Regional Archive Council.

Geographical Coverage
The boundaries of the Regional Archive Councils shall equate to those of the English Regional Development Agencies.

Objectives
To promote the effective preservation of archives within the specified geographical area and to foster access to archives in the public interest, particularly for the purposes of research and education.

Membership
Institutions and associations which are voting members of the National Council of Archives shall be entitled to select a representative to sit and vote on each of the Regional Councils. Such representatives must either live or work within the area covered by the Regional Council.

Any such institution or association shall, however, be entitled to elect not to become a member of any or all of the Regional Archive Councils or, where there is no representative of the institution or association living or working within a region, that institution or association may send an observer to a meeting, but that observer shall not be entitled to vote.

In addition to members drawn from the institutions and associations which are members of the National Council on Archives, membership of each Regional Council may be increased by up to five additional seats, which may be offered to institutions or associations operating within the boundaries of the region. The allocation of these places shall be agreed by a simple majority of the members of the Regional Council. Membership shall be offered for a period of three years, renewable by a further majority vote of the Council.

By the decision of the Regional Council, substitutes may be approved on occasions when a nomination representative is unable to attend an individual meeting.

Observers
Any institution or association which is entitled to send an Observer to meetings of the NationalCouncil on Archives shall be similarly entitled to send an observer to meetings of any or all of the regional councils. Such observers shall not be entitled to vote.

Each Regional Council may, on the decision of a simple majority of its full members present and voting, invite additional observers to attend its meetings. Such observers shall not be entitled to vote.

Observer status shall be accorded to each of the two bodies which most broadly represent the interests of, respectively, the library and museum communities within the region.

Observer status shall also be accorded to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's regional representative or officer.

Frequency of meetings
Each Regional Archive Council shall meet at least twice in each calendar year.

The quorum for a meeting shall be five voting members of the Regional Archive Council.

The Chairman of a Regional Archive Council may, if he or she deems it expedient, summon an emergency meeting of the Council by giving no less than four working day's notice to members and observers. The quorum of such a meeting shall be, as for a normal meeting, five voting members.

Relationship to the National Council on Archives
The National Council on Archives may, by resolution of a simple majority of its members, delegate powers or decisions to any or all of the Regional Archive Councils.

The National Council on Archives shall, from time to time and not less than once a year, hold a meeting of the Chairman of the Regional Archives Councils at which matters of concern may be discussed for referral to either the National Council or the Regional Councils.

Normally, not less than four weeks notice of the date of a forthcoming meeting of a Regional Archive Council shall be sent to the Hon. Secretary of the National Council on Archives, and a copy of the Agenda of matters to be discussed shall be sent to the Hon. Secretary not less than two weeks before the date of the meeting.

The Chairman, Hon. Secretary or Hon. Treasurer of the National Council on Archives may as of right attend and speak at any meeting of a Regional Archive Council, but shall not be entitled to vote at any such meeting unless already an member of the Regional Archive Council by right.

The Chairman or a representative of a Regional Archive Council may, at the invitation of the Chairman of the National Council on Archives, attend and speak at a meeting of the National Council, but shall not be entitled to vote at any such meeting.

The draft minutes of each meeting of a Regional Archive Council shall be sent to the Secretary of each Regional Archive Council within four calendar weeks of the date of that meeting.

The National Council on Archives may, be resolution of a simple majority of its voting members submitted to the Secretary of any or all of the Regional Archives Council, require a matter to be placed upon the agenda of the next meeting of any or all of the Councils.

Sub-Committees
Each Regional Archive Council may appoint sub-committees to consider specific subjects. All decisions or recommendations of sub-committees shall be submitted to the Regional Council for ratification or decision.

Funds
Each Regional Archive Council shall appoint an Honorary Treasurer who shall submit a statement of accounts regularly and not less than once a year to the Council.

Each Regional Archive Council may raise or receive funds and dispense funds for specific purposes or to meet costs.

An annual statement of accounts for each Regional Archive Council shall be submitted to the National Council on Archives.

The financial year for each Regional Archive Council shall be deemed to commence on 1 April and to end on 31 March.

Within the limits of its own constitution, each institution or association which is a full member or which sends an observer to meetings of the Regional Archive Council may make contributions to the costs of that Council, but none shall be required, as a condition of membership or representation, to do so.

Officers
Each Regional Council shall appoint a Chairman and an Honorary Secretary and an Honorary Treasurer, who shall serve for a period of up to three years, their position to be confirmed annually by the Regional Council. Officers may be re-elected for a second term of a further three years, but must then stand down and shall not be subject to re-election to the same office for a least three years.

Winding up
The National Council on Archives, on approval by two-thirds of its voting members, shall have the power to suspend from membership any individual member of a Regional Archive Council or, furthermore, dissolve an individual Regional Archive Council where any impropriety in operation is demonstrated to have taken place or where the individual or Council can be shown, in the view of the National Council on Archives, to have acted contrary to the best interests of the National Council or the archive sector as a whole.

In the event of the dissolution of a Regional Archive Council, the National Council on Archives shall take steps to set up a new body at the earliest opportunity.

7.12.99