A grant of £220 is available annually to each permanent, resident household within the Strathnairn Community Council area towards energy costs.To qualfy, the property must be used for long term residential purposes and the energy bill in your name. Any exceptions are at the Board’s discretion. More info.

The official application period may have ended but vacancies still exist to join the board of SCBF. Why not consider giving up a few hours each month and helping to shape the future of our community.

Please join us for our AGM, taking place at 7.00 pm on Thursday 13 December 2018 at Farr Community Hall. The business of the meeting will include: • A report by the Chair on the activities of the company • Consideration of the Annual Accounts of the Company • Announcing which Members will take up appointments as Directors/Trustees (the number of applications was equal to or less than the number of vacancies so no ballot was necessary). There are no Special Resolutions proposed. To allow the AGM business to be dealt with a quorum of 25% of Members or at least 20 (including proxy votes) is needed. If you are unable to attend the AGM you are encouraged to appoint a proxy either to attend in person or vote on your behalf. A Proxy Appointment Form must be received at least 48 hours before the AGM takes place. The AGM papers including the draft minutes of the last AGM and Agenda are available to download now from the website. The Annual Accounts will be available on the website immediately following the Board Meeting of 26th November 2018.

You are invited to submit an Application Form to join the Strathnairn Community Benefit Fund Board of Directors. The maximum number of Directors shall be 12 and the minimum shall be six. There are 12 vacancies. Application Forms must be returned by 5pm on 2 November 2018. Eligibility to stand in an Election Only individuals who are ‘Members’ may stand for election (You can find a Membership Application Form here, if you’ve not already done so you must apply to become a member at the same time as you submit your Application Form to become a Director). Individuals who are disqualified from or who have been removed from serving as a Charitable Trustee, Company Director or as an employee of such an organisation cannot apply. (Check Companies House and the Office of the Charities Regulator (OSCR) websites for further information) Individuals who have been convicted of or involved in any financial crime, fraud or an offence involving deception or dishonesty cannot apply.. Nominations Candidates eligible to stand for election should complete an Application Form. Application Forms must be submitted to the Secretary by the date and time set down in the election timetable. No Application Forms submitted after that date and time will be accepted. Election Process At the close of the application period, should the number of candidates validly applied equal or exceed the quorum but be less than or equal to the maximum number of Board vacancies the candidates will be declared elected from that date no ballot shall be held – subject to condition 3.e below. At the close of the application period, should the number of candidates exceed the maximum number of Board vacancies arrangements for a ballot shall be implemented. At the close of the application period if the number of candidates are less than the quorum of the Board, then existing Directors not standing for re-election will be asked to make up the shortfall and remain in office whilst the application period is extended. In the event that an election is required, candidates will be given the opportunity to have a 250 word address placed on the SCBF web site (see election timetable for deadline). No more than three Directors can be serving Community Councillors. Where there is no need for an election but more than three Community Councillors have completed an Application Form, they will be asked if their intention is to stand down from the Community Council or if they wish to withdraw their application. If no voluntary agreement can be reached, lots will be drawn to determine which three nominees will be appointed. Where there is a need for an election and more than three Community Councillors have submitted an Application Form the election process will go ahead. Once the results are known if there are still more than three Community Councillors they will be asked if their intention is to stand down from the Community Council or if they wish to withdraw their application. If no voluntary agreement can be reached the three Community Councillors with the most votes will be appointed. The resultant vacancy(s) will be filled by the candidate(s) in order of the most votes. Method of Election Elections will be carried out by means of a postal ballot having first confirmed that all candidates are still willing to stand for election. The postal ballot form will list the candidates in alphabetical order by surname. Each ‘Member’ shall be entitled to vote for a number of candidates up to and equal to the total number of Board vacancies. Directors will be elected on a simple majority basis. Ballot Distribution of ballot papers will be carried out by the Secretary based on the information held on ‘Members’. Counting of the Ballot papers and determination of the election results will be carried out by an independent person/organisation appointed by the outgoing Board. Length of Service Elections will be held every four years except where the number of Directors falls below the quorum. At the end of the four year term all Directors will stand down but may stand for re-election. Vacancies may be filled throughout the term of the Board: Where a vacancy occurs within six months of an election the candidate with the next highest number of votes at the election will be invited to fill the vacancy subject to condition 3.e. Where a vacancy occurs after six months of an election it will be advertised in the Strathnairn Newsletter and applications invited. Where the number of applications exceed the number of Board vacancies a secret ballot of the existing Directors will be carried out and an appointment made on a majority basis. If you have any queries about this process please contact the Secretary at cosec@strathnairncbf.com or call 07858 688355.