WHO WE ARE
What we do
The Chantry Community Association (CCA) serves the North-West corner of Bishop’s Stortford in Herts, UK (approx 1500 households). Well over half of these support the Association by paying an annual membership subscription.
The current annual subscription is £3 per household or £2 for the over 65’s.
The AGM is held in May or June. A newsletter is distributed two times a year.
The CCA is one of the member bodies of the Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation.
For more information, please email info@chantryresidents.org.uk
What the CCA needs to be successful
There are three aspects to this, the committee, our team of collectors, and our membership. We have outlined the role of each below.
The Committee:
A full committee is a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, membership secretary, treasurer and seven further members. The aim is to meet around four times a year for about two hours. With a full committee tasks can be divided up into sub-committees, members can focus on their own area of interest, and no-one need be overloaded.
The Collectors:
The collectors deliver newsletters door to door two times a year. Ideally a collector will cover their immediate area only, delivering to as few as twenty homes. It takes very little time to deliver these newsletters. We also ask that once a year they collect subscriptions. This can be daunting but once started is in fact a rewarding experience. It offers the opportunity to meet and talk to your neighbours and find out what is of concern to them, and it is always uplifting to receive the many messages of support. Again this does not take up very much time. The problem comes when we do not have enough collectors so areas become too large, or are simply not covered at all. So we need a lot of collectors and we always need new volunteers to come forward to replace those who move away or feel that they have done it for long enough.
The Membership:
We have a large supportive membership in that most households in our area subscribe to our association, but this is not enough. We need a decent number of members to come to the AGM every year and to put themselves forward as collectors or for the committee. This is not a commitment for ever, just decide to do it for three years or for whatever period you are comfortable with.
What the CCA has achieved
It is surprising how few people write to East Hertfordshire District Council (EHDC) to set out their views on planning matters. Such letters can be effective. Equally representations made by the CCA count as representing the views of our membership. We have supported Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) through the delivery of newsletters and donations. We have worked with Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation (BSCF) encouraging their efforts to represent the community associations in the town as a whole, and commenting on the Local Plan. We have commented on planning issues that damage the character of our area. We have assisted members with their particular concerns, e.g. speeding, over grown verges. We have helped local residents coordinate various campaigns on transport issues. We made representations on the proposed schools' relocation to a site of Whittington Way.
Why the CCA is worth preserving
Just look around the town. Look at the new build, look at how the character is changing, look at the pressure on the infrastructure. The impact of the airport is huge, not just noise and pollution and the health threats that that brings, but the extra development, the loss of green spaces and the damage to Hatfield Forest. The schools proposal would have had a hugely damaging effect on the town. Whilst it is not too hard to keep the CCA going, once gone it will be really hard to recreate.
Our Committee
The members of our committee are:
Chair: Anthea Wyatt
Vice Chair: Clare Tasker
Secretary: Susan Haddock
Treasurer: Jim Wyatt
Members
Rob FrancisMargaret Fitch
Gary Jones
Donald Leggatt
Cora Gibbons
Data Protection
Policy on Personal Information
The new General Data Protection Regulation came into force on 25 May 2018 requiring us to confirm with members how we handle the data which is provided to us.
Chantry Community Association holds a limited amount of members’ personal data, typically name,address and in many cases an email address, plus an age identifier for concession entitlement. We only hold this data in order to communicate with members on matters relevant to our activities as a residents' association and to manage subscriptions. These details are kept securely and we undertake not to sell or provide this data to any third party. We undertake not to use it to cause members any inconvenience or annoyance, for instance by promoting any third party goods or services. We undertake to delete any or all of a member’s data immediately on request. We will remind members of these undertakings, and give members an opportunity to update or correct their data, on an annual basis. Members can at any time ask to see what data we hold.
How we document our data
- The present Data Protection Officer (DPO) is Susan Haddock.
- Members’ data consists of name, address, email (some) and age identifier (senior citizens have a concessionary subscription rate).
- The original address lists were derived from our collector/deliverers.
- The lists are maintained by the DPO and are updated on an annual basis from feedback by deliverers/collectors.
- The complete list is available only to the DPO unless other committee members need access to assist in the annual subscription collection process.
- The individual street lists are available to the designated deliverers/collectors in order for them to carry out their duties. They may elicit email addresses from members in order to facilitate communication.
- The complete list is maintained on a computer by the DPO and is password protected. A regular back-up is made.
- Deliverers/collectors are required to return their street lists to the DPO or to shred them when finished with.
- Every reasonable effort is made to protect the data collected.
