Our Constitution

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1. Name

The name of the organisation is the Civil Service LGBT+ Network (hereafter referred to as CSLGBT+).

2. What is the Civil Service LGBT+ Network?

• CSLGBT+ is the employee voice network that represents the interests of civil servants who have a minority sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or variation in sex characteristics (LGBT+) in central government departments, agencies and their associated public bodies.
• CSLGBT+ operates a membership system for individuals who are civil servants in central government departments, agencies and their associated public bodies.
• CSLGBT+ also acts as the umbrella network for employee voice networks representing LGBT+ staff in individual Civil Service organisations.
• The focus of CSLGBT+ is on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

3. Aim

The aim of CSLGBT+ is to work to create a safe and inclusive working environment in the Civil Service, encouraging a culture which supports workplace equality and engages with LGBT+ civil servants.

4. Objectives

The objectives of CSLGBT+ are set out in the mission statement. As the objectives are likely to be subject to change, they are not included in this constitution.

5. Membership

The membership of CSLGBT+ is made up of two categories: Member Networks and Individual Members.

• Member Networks are LGBT+ networks within Civil Service departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies, represented by an identified lead(s) for each network.
• Individual Members are individual civil servants who support the aims of CSLGBT+.

6. Chair Team

CSLGBT+ is run by volunteers taken from the membership. As such a formal committee with elected posts is impractical. The only elected post will be the Chair who will organise the available volunteers to support the mission statement of the organisation, made up of a leadership team of vice-chairs, as well as local organisers and other volunteers leading and supporting specific project teams. The role of chair can be held either by an individual, or in a job share partnership (who would run as a pair in an election for the position.

The elected Chair will have a term length of three years and there is an expectation that they will serve the entire term length. An individual cannot hold the position of chair for more than two successive terms.

A deputy position to the chair will be selected from within the leadership team, acting as ‘first amongst equals’ for any situations where the chair needs to deputise.

7. Elections

Following

1. the end of a Chair term;
2. a successful no confidence vote; or
3. a decision by the Chair to step down;

an election will be called, coordinated by a returning officer, who will be selected internally from within the leadership team, excluding anyone intending to run as a candidate. A member of the Inclusive Practice team within the Cabinet Office, or an equivalent suitable external colleague will act as an election supervisor, advising the returning officer and ensuring the process is fair.

The election will be run on a ‘one organisation, one vote’ basis, with each eligible network able to submit one vote for their preferred candidate, through their nominated returning officer (usually the network lead). Each returning officer must conduct their own internal poll of their members to inform the vote they submit. If this is not appropriate or possible, a poll of the network’s committee or volunteer group is acceptable. Evidence of this internal polling must be provided to the CSLGBT+ returning officer for their submitted vote to be deemed eligible.

Further details on the election rules and processes are available in the published document - [link to be updated].

8. No confidence

If individual members are unhappy with the organisation’s leadership, they can either raise this directly to chairs@civilservice.lgbt or through their Network’s lead(s), who in turn can raise this concern privately with the chair, or at a Leaders of Networks forum. If several Member Networks are unhappy with the leadership of the organisation, a Network lead, with the backing of four other leads can submit a proposal for a formal vote of no confidence to info@civilservice.lgbt.

A formal vote of ‘no confidence’ will align with the election process of ‘one organisation, one vote’, run by a returning officer selected internally from within the leadership team, excluding the chair, and supported by a suitable external colleague. Each eligible network will be able to vote for or against the motion of no confidence through their network lead. As with an election, each lead must conduct their own internal poll of their members, committee, or volunteer group to inform their vote, with evidence of this provided alongside their vote to the CSLGBT+ returning officer.

9. Amendments

Amendments to this constitution can be made by proposal in a Leaders of Networks forum, which can be accepted by the chair if they believe there is a consensus. If the proposals are not accepted by the chair, they can then be discussed and more formally voted on at the next member’s meeting, to give network leads time to disseminate and receive feedback on proposals from their membership, committee, or volunteer group. As with other processes, a vote will be on a ‘one organisation, one vote’ basis in the meeting, with a simple majority (>50%) needed to pass an amendment. A quorum of ten total will be needed for a pass an amendment.