The New Guild Bye-Laws

What's all this bye-law business about?

The Guild is working on changing its bye-laws. But first...

A Bit of History!

In February 2008 the students at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students voted to approve a new Constitution - the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Over 4,000 students voted online and the new Constitution was approved with 93% of the vote.

This change arose from a review of how the Guild is run, how decisions are made and how our members can feed into and impact upon their Guild. The new Memorandum and Articles of Association will take affect on the 1st August 2008 when the Guild moves to become a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee.

So now we are onto the next phase of the review – changing the Bye-Laws of the Guild.

But what is a bye-law?

Bye-Laws are rules and regulations that govern how the Guild operates. They sit underneath the Memorandum and Articles of Association and explain in greater detail how the Guild should make decisions. The Mem and Arts explain the core functions and structures of the Guild, whilst the bye-laws each focus on a different subject: elections, discipline, the officers, membership, etc.

What is wrong with our current bye-laws?

The Guild currently has a lot of bye-laws that are contradictory, cumbersome, overly-complicated and inaccessible. They are also no longer relevant to the newly-approved Mem & Arts.

So where are you at with the new bye-laws?

After consultation with a number of members of the Guild over the Easter break (including Guild Councillors, the 2008/09 Executive Committee and Society Committees) the Guild has developed nine draft bye-laws. We propose that these will replace the current bye-laws on the 1st August 2008.

Where can I find these new bye-laws?

Hit the link --> http://www.guildofstudents.com/DisplayPage.aspx?GroupId=553&id=17773

When will students be asked to approve these new bye-laws?

The final version of the bye-laws will be presented to Guild Council on the 16th June for final approval. On agreement by Guild Council, they will then be sent to University Council for approval in July.

How can I give my feedback?

If you wish to know more about this or provide some feedback you can do so by emailing democracy@guild.bham.ac.uk.

These FAQs were really useful. Thanks!