Members Agreement - under Review as at September 2020

Bristol LETS Members Agreement
- ratified at the AGM July 3rd 2012 • link to Comparison with Model Agreement and Proposed New Text

  1. MEMBERS AGREE:
    1. that the following personal information will be held on the website, available to other members of the scheme: name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, offers and wants, trading balance. The first line of the address is available only to the Core Group;
    2. to keep their own passwords secure and not to reveal other members' details to non-members;
    3. to keep their personal information up to date;
    4. to record their own transactions promptly.

  2. MEMBERS UNDERTAKE TO OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING RULES:
    1. All accounts start at zero. Members are not obliged to be in receipt of any credit before issuing another member with credit from their account, subject to any limit that may be set by the Core Group from time to time.
    2. Payments: Members give or receive from each other credit in the accepted LETS units, called Ideals, which is recorded via the Bristol LETS website. Only the account holder can authorize the transfer of units from his/her account to that of another.
    3. Rates: The standard work rate is 5 Ideals per hour, - this needs updating as it has slipped well below the minimum wage see POLICY UPDATE paper - although higher or lower rates may be negotiated. Members may engage in any transaction entirely in Ideals, or on a part cash basis. Terms and trading rates must be clearly agreed by both parties before a trade is commenced. Note: only Ideals are recorded on Bristol LETS.
    4. No member is obliged to accept any particular invitation to trade, or to engage in any transaction whatsoever with other members.
    5. Before leaving Bristol LETS, members with a negative balance are encouraged to trade to bring their balance back to zero if they can. They should contact a member of the Core Group if this is difficult to do.

  3. OTHER OBLIGATIONS
    1. Subscription: There is a fee to join the scheme (currently £8/£4 unwaged). These amounts may change in the future.
    2. Members are individually responsible for their own personal tax liabilities and returns. Bristol LETS scheme has no obligations or liability to report to the tax authorities or to collect taxes on their behalf.
    3. Meetings: Members are encouraged to observe and comment on the online discussions of the Core Group and attend any General meetings where they have a right to vote. Joint members and Organisational members only have a single vote each.

  4. ROLE OF THE CORE GROUP
    1. Charges: The Core Group is authorized to charge joining or renewal fees in Ideals and/or Sterling and to levy service charges on members' accounts as the situation requires. Work carried out for Bristol LETS can be paid in Ideals by the agreement of the Core Group. No interest is charged or paid on accounts.
    2. The Core Group may re-edit or decline to record a trade, an Offer or Want entry, a newsletter or any other text considered inappropriate for legal or other reasons.
    3. Disputes and complaints. The Core Group may seek an explanation from a person whose activity or behaviour is causing concern. It may suspend membership and, in the last resort, may remove a member from the scheme on the same grounds. The Core Group also has the right to deny membership to an applicant in exceptional circumstances. Note that the constitution gives members the right to call an extraordinary general meeting or to request mediation when disputes or complaints arise.

  5. PLEASE NOTE
    1. The system enables any member to know the balance and turnover of other member's accounts, their previous trades and any feedback. The Core Group may from time to time publish the balances and turnovers of all accounts.
    2. Bristol LETS accepts no responsibility for the standard or quality of services or items traded.

Membership of Bristol LETS implies acceptance of the conditions of this agreement and the Constitution of Bristol LETS.

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