CPHN

The Constitution of the Critical Public Health Network

1. GENERAL

(i) The name of the Association shall be the Critical Public Health Network, herein referred to as CPHN. The CPHN is a Literary & Scientific Institution (Literary & Scientific Institutions Act, 1854)

(ii) Objects

The CPHN shall exist to:

• Act as an advocate for the critical public health scholarly community
• Offer a point of contact for public health practitioners interested in social science/humanities in public health
• Provide a network for information/knowledge exchange for members to enhance research, policy, and education on and for public health.
• Continue to develop the spirit and commitment to critical public health initiated in Radical Community Medicine.
• Publish the Journal of Critical Public Health as a forum for disseminating critically engaged research and commentary. .

2. CONSTITUTION

(i) The affairs of the CPHN shall be administered in accordance with this constitution.

(ii) Amendments

No proposition for altering the Constitution of the Association shall be considered unless it be either recommended by the Committee or signed by a least five members, and notice thereof given to the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the Annual/Special General meeting at which such proposition may be brought forward.

Notice of any such proposed alteration shall be posted prominently seven days before such Annual General Meeting, and no alteration shall be made in the Constitution unless such alterations be approved thereat.

3. ADMINISTRATION

The Committee

• Composition

The CPHN Committee shall consist of:-

(a) Five Officers

A Chairperson elected by the Annual General Meeting

A Secretary elected by the Annual General Meeting

A Treasurer elected by the Annual General Meeting

A Social Media Officer

A Membership Secretary

(b) Two or more ordinary members, co-opted or elected by the Annual General Meeting

(ii)  Quorum

4 Members of which 2 must be Officers

(iii) Terms of Office

An Officer shall serve for a period of 3 years, from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which he/she was elected. 

A Committee Member shall serve for a period of 3 years, from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which or the date of his/her appointment as a Member, whichever is the later, until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

Officers should not normally serve for more than two consecutive terms, unless agreed by the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) Powers

The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Association within the limits prescribed in the Constitution.

The Committee shall have power to make such arrangements as they may deem necessary for the running of the CPHN, and all matters not provided for in these rules shall be decided by them. Such arrangements are subject to confirmation by the next General Meeting.

The Committee shall have power to replace an Officer or Member who retires during his/her term of office. The Member so chosen shall hold all the powers of any office to which the Committee may appoint him/her until the next Annual General Meeting.

The Committee shall have power to co-opt non-voting Members to give assistance in particular matters.

The Committee shall have power to levy membership subscriptions.

The Committee shall have power to operate bank accounts in the name of the CPHN.

(iv) Resignation

An Officer or Member may resign from the Committee at any time on giving notice of his/her intention in writing to the Secretary seven clear days before he/she wishes his/her resignation to take effect.

(v) Meetings

The Committee shall hold at least three meetings per year and make such arrangements for regulating the conduct of their meetings as they consider desirable.

(vi) Minutes

The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of the Minutes of the meetings.

(viii) Voting Decisions of the Committee shall be taken on a majority vote by the Members present. The Chairperson shall have a casting vote.

4. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

(i) Convention

The Annual General Meeting of the CPHN shall be held online or in person, in June each year. 

The Secretary of the Committee shall ensure that all Members are advised of the time of and link for the meeting not less than twenty-one days before the established date. They shall also invite the nomination of candidates to replace the retiring Officers and Committee, and the submission of items for the Agenda. Items for the Agenda should be received by the Secretary not later than fourteen days before the meeting. A copy of the Agenda shall be published on the CPHN website not later than seven days before the meeting.

(ii) Nomination

All Members of the Association shall be eligible for nomination. Both retiring Officers and other Members of the Committee shall be eligible for nomination. Nomination lists signed by the proposer and seconder who shall both be Members of the Association with the consent of the nominee, shall be lodged with the Secretary normally seven days before the established date of the Annual General Meeting. The Nominee must be present at the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) Quorum

A minimum of 10 Members of the CPHN shall form a quorum at all General Meetings.

(iv) Election

On the Agenda the election of Officers shall immediately succeed the reading of the Minutes and the discussion of matters arising from the last agenda.

The retirement of Officers and the assumption of office by their successors shall take place at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.

The election of Officers shall be decided by ballot on a simple show of hands. All Members shall be entitled to vote. If the difference between the number of votes cast for two candidates is less than five, the candidate for whom the smaller number of votes has been counted shall be entitled to demand a re-count. In the event of a tie, the election shall be decided by lot. A roll of nominees, in order of precedence by vote, shall be maintained by the Secretary.

(v) Business 

Voting matters raised on the Agenda shall be decided by a show of hands. In the case of amendments to the Constitution or of alterations in the subscription a majority of two-thirds of the members present shall be required: in all other cases a simple majority shall be accepted as decisive. The Chair shall have a casting vote.

5. MEMBERSHIP

(i) Ordinary Membership of the CPHN shall be open to any person on payment of the prescribed subscription. Ordinary Members shall be entitled to benefits of the CPHN and shall have voting rights at any General Meeting.

(v) Subscriptions

Members of the CPHN shall pay a joining fee as established by the Annual General Meeting which shall be payable to the CPHN.

6. FINANCE

(i) All monies raised by, or on behalf of, the CPHN shall be applied to further the objectives of the CPHN and for no other purposes.

(ii) The Treasurer shall keep accounts of the finances of the Association and shall present accounts for the year to the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) The financial year shall begin on 1st April and end on 31st March.

(iv) All monies received by the Committee from any source, shall be placed to the credit of the CPHN account with the Bank.

(v) All monies derived from grants or gifts or from the collection of subscriptions, except in so far as this discretion is limited by the donors, shall be expended at the discretion of the Committee which shall be responsible for this expenditure to the Annual General Meeting.

(vi) Cheques on the Association account shall be signed by the Treasurer and any one of the following Officers:

(a) The Chairperson  (b) The Secretary

Revised July 2025

Signed by Chair and acting secretary on behalf of the CPHN committee

Ewen Speed  (Chair) 

Judith Green (Acting secretary)  

July 2025