Young Fabians Constitution
Please find below the Young Fabians Constitution that has been approved by the Young Fabian and Fabian Society Executives, and Young Fabian members at the 2024 AGM:
TEMPORARY PROVISIONS
1. Until 1 December 2025,
Clause 1.4 shall read as follows
‘Membership of the YF shall consist of full members of the Fabian Society who have reached their 18th birthday but have not reached their 29th birthday.’
Clause 2.7.2 shall read as follows
‘They reach their 29th birthday’
2. Until 1 March 2025,
Clause 2.1 shall read as follows
‘There shall be an Executive Committee of the YF (‘the Executive Committee’ or ‘EC’) which shall manage the affairs of the YF.’
Section 4 (Groups) shall have no effect.
YOUNG FABIAN GROUP CONSTITUTION
1. The Young Fabians
1.1. The name of the organisation shall be the Young Fabians (YF). The YF is a member-led socialist youth organisation and an integral part of the Fabian Society.
1.2. The YF shall have no other collective policy beyond that contained in Rule 2 of the Fabian Society.
1.3. The YF shall be a member-led organisation whose activities shall include the publication of pamphlets and magazines, the holding of events, the provision of relevant training to members, and the promotion of policy and political research consistent with Rule 2 of the Fabian Society.
1.4. Membership of the YF consists of full members of the Fabian Society who have reached their 18th birthday but not reached their 28th birthday.
1.5. Associates of the Fabian Society who, if they were full members, would be members of the YF, shall be associate members of the YF but may not vote or serve on the Executive Committee.
2. The Executive Committee
2.1. There shall be an Executive Committee of the YF (‘the Executive Committee’ or ‘EC’) which shall manage the affairs of the YF. The EC may establish subcommittees with delegated authority. Any member of the EC may request to have any decision of a subcommittee referred to the EC.
2.2. There shall be 12 members of the EC, of whom at least 6 must not be men (i.e. are women or non-binary people), at least 2 must be racially minoritised people, and at least 4 must be ordinarily resident outside of Greater London.
2.3. Elections for the EC shall be carried out annually in advance of the AGM and administered by the General Secretary of the Fabian Society or their nominee. The elections shall be held by secret ballot and by the First Past the Post system from amongst the membership, in accordance with the procedure set out in Appendix 1.
2.4. There shall be 2 Co-Chairs of the Young Fabians, of whom at least 1 must not be a man. Individuals who have served as Co-Chair shall be ineligible for re-election until at least 1 year has passed. There shall be 5 further named officers (Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Women’s Officer, Anticipations Editor). At least 2 officers (including Co-Chairs) must be racially minoritised people. The Women’s Officer must be a woman.
2.5. All named officer roles shall be elected by the EC from within itself by secret ballot.
2.6. If any officer ceases to be a member of the EC or submits a resignation in writing to the Co-Chairs and the Secretary, a replacement shall be elected from within the EC by secret ballot.
2.7. Individuals shall cease to be members of the EC in the following circumstances:
2.7.1. They cease to be full members of the Fabian Society.
2.7.2. They reach their 28th birthday
2.7.3. They submit their resignation in writing to the Co-Chairs and the Secretary.
2.7.4. They do not attend 3 consecutive meetings of the EC without written apologies submitted to the Secretary.
2.7.5. They are removed by vote of the EC. To trigger such a vote, a motion shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing and all EC members notified 2 weeks ahead of the meeting
2.8. If the number of members of the EC falls below 12, the EC shall co-opt replacements in accordance with clause 2.2.
2.9. Individuals who have served on the EC for 3 consecutive years are ineligible to stand for re-election until at least 1 year has passed.
3. President
3.1. The YF may appoint a President and Vice-Presidents as non-voting honorary positions, they do not have to have been Young Fabians. Their role is to sponsor and support the YF by increasing its profile, impact, and resources. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the Executive Committee for 2-year terms and can be re-elected.
4. Groups
4.1. Members of the YF may establish special interest groups, which may include policy groups, regional groups, university groups, or advocacy groups.
4.2. Groups shall only be established by consent of the Executive Committee on the application of at least 15 YF members. Groups shall cease to exist at each AGM, unless 15 YF members have applied to continue the operation of the group.
4.3. All groups shall have a Steering Committee of 3 officers, at least 1 of whom must be a woman. Such officers shall be elected annually by secret ballot, and votes administered by the EC. Members of the EC may not be officers of YF groups.
4.4. All meetings of the Steering Committee may be attended by a member of the EC in a non-voting capacity. Groups may be dissolved by the EC.
4.5. Groups may not hold events, supervise publications, or issue statements except in strict accordance with rules established by the EC.
5. Reporting and Safeguarding.
5.1. The YF shall be subject to the reporting processes and safeguarding policies of the Fabian Society.
6. Publications.
6.1. No book, pamphlet or tract submitted to the YF shall be published unless approved as of suitable standard and subject matter according to the rules of Fabian Society Executive Committee. All publications sponsored by the YF shall bear a clear indication that they do not represent the views of the YF or the Fabian Society, but only those responsible for preparing them.
7. AGMs, EGMs, and the Constitution.
7.1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM), which shall be held within 1 month of the AGM of the Fabian Society.
7.2. If 4 members of the Executive Committee request an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), or if 5% of YF members request an EGM in writing to the Secretary, the Secretary shall organise an EGM. Notice of the time and place shall be given to all members of the YF 4 weeks in advance of the meeting.
7.3. Any member may propose a motion for an AGM or EGM to amend this constitution, provided that it is seconded and circulated to members at least 2 weeks in advance of the meeting, but no amendment shall be enacted unless approved by a majority at an AGM or EGM and subsequently endorsed by the Fabian Society EC.
7.4. Any question of interpretation of this Constitution shall be settled by the YF EC.
APPENDIX 1
Explanation of YF Executive Committee election ballot and the use of quotas
The elections shall be held by secret ballot and by the First Past the Post system from amongst the membership. Candidates shall be elected by the following method.
1. Firstly, the 2 candidates who are not men, and are ordinarily resident outside of London, who received the largest number of votes shall be elected.
2. Secondly, the 4 candidates who are not men who received the highest number of votes and have not been elected shall be elected.
3. Thirdly, if fewer than 4 candidates ordinarily resident outside of London have been elected, the candidates ordinarily resident outside of London with the highest number of votes who have not been elected shall be elected until 4 candidates ordinarily resident outside of London are elected.
4. Fourthly, if fewer than 2 racially minoritised candidates have been elected, the racially minoritised candidates with the highest number of votes who have not been elected shall be elected until 2 racially minoritised candidates have been elected.
5. Fifthly, the candidates who have received the highest number of votes and have not been elected shall be elected until 12 candidates have been elected.
6. Any tied votes shall be settled by the drawing of lots.
APPENDIX 2
Rule 2 of the Fabian Society:
The Fabian Society consists of socialists. It therefore aims for a classless society, where a just distribution of wealth and power assures true equality of opportunity. It holds that society, through its democratic institutions, should determine the overall direction and distribution of economic activity, and seeks to promote where appropriate the social and co-operative ownership of economic resources. It argues for strong and accountable public institutions reflecting the values of public service to meet need. It believes in an active democracy, characterised by liberty, tolerance and respect for diversity. It aims at the implementation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and seeks the creation of effective international institutions to uphold and promote world peace and sustainable development. It seeks to secure these ends by the methods of political democracy.
The Society, believing in equal citizenship in the fullest sense, is open to persons, irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, age or creed, who commit themselves to its aims and purposes and undertake to promote its work. Its activities shall be the furtherance of socialism and the education of the public on socialist lines by the holding of meetings, lectures, discussion groups and conferences, the promotion of research into political, economic and social problems, national and international, the publication of books, pamphlets and periodicals, and by any other appropriate methods. The Society shall be affiliated to the Labour Party.
Young Fabians
61 Petty France
London, SW1H 9EU 020 7227 4900