In this section:
Society Branches
How do members get involved with their branch?
What happens at branch meetings?
What are our branches?
Branches form the democratic structure by which Society members are able to have
a say in how the Society is run. Branches have three main responsibilities:
- To enable members in a particular area or department to get together and bring forward their collective views on how the Society should be run
- To send a delegation of members to represent these views at Conference
- To nominate members of the branch for election to Committee of Management, Society Secretary or other posts.
The Society’s Rule Book describes how branches are formed, what they do and when they have to do it. Further
information on their role appears below.
When you become a member you are automatically allocated to a branch. There are
two kinds of branch – local and national. There are twelve national branches which
are made up of members who work, or used to work, for one of the main Civil Service
departments (such as the Home Office or the Ministry of Defence). Local branches
are organised by postcode – we currently have thirty-five local branches covering
the whole of the UK. If you belong to a national branch you may choose to transfer
to a local branch if the meeting venues or times are more convenient.
Where are our branches?
Here is a list of our branches and the postcodes / Civil Service departments
they cover.
Geographic (local) branches
|
Burnley & Blackburn |
BB |
|
Central |
AL HP LU MK SG WD |
|
Devon & Cornwall |
EX PL TQ TR |
|
East Anglia |
IP NR |
|
East of Scotland |
EH KY ML TD |
|
Essex |
CM CO SS |
|
Gloucester & Swindon |
GL SN |
|
Greater Manchester |
BL M OL SK WN |
|
Kent & Sussex |
CT DA ME TN |
|
Lancashire & Cumbria |
CA FY LA PR |
|
Lincoln & South Yorkshire |
DN LN S |
|
London City & East |
E EC |
|
London North |
EN HA N NW UB |
|
London South |
BR CR KT SM TW |
|
London South East |
SE |
|
London West |
SW W WC |
|
Mersey |
CH41 - 49 & 60 - 66 IM L WA |
|
Mid Wales, Borders & Staffs |
HR ST SY TF |
|
Midlands |
LE NN |
|
Midlands West |
B CV DY WR WS WV |
|
North East |
DH DL NE SR TS |
|
North Wales & Cheshire |
CH (except C41 - 49 & 60 - 66) CW LL |
|
North Yorkshire & Humberside |
HG HU YO |
|
Northern Ireland |
BT |
|
Nottingham & Derby |
DE NG |
|
Peterborough & Cambridge |
CB PE |
|
Romford & Ilford |
IG RM |
|
South Central |
BH BN GU GY JE PO RH SO SP |
|
South Wales |
CF NP |
|
Tayside & North of Scotland |
AB DD FK IV KW PH ZE |
|
West Central |
OX RG SL |
|
West of Scotland |
DG G HS KA PA |
|
West Wales |
LD SA |
|
West Yorkshire |
BD HD HX LS WF |
|
Western Counties |
TA BA BS DT |
Civil Service national branches
|
Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform |
|
Cabinet Office & HM Treasury |
|
Department for Children, Schools & Families / Department for Innovation,
Universities & Skills |
|
Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
|
Department of Health, Work & Pensions |
|
Department for Transport / Department for Community & Local Government (DfT/DCLG) |
|
HM Revenue & Customs |
|
Home Office |
|
Ministry of Defence (MoD) |
|
Ministry of Justice / Land Registry |
|
National Savings |
|
Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) |
Which branch do I belong to?
If you are not sure from the above lists which branch you are allocated to, you
can call us on 0845 052 5755* and leave a message, or email: thesecretary@benenden.org.uk.
* Calls cost a maximum of 4p per minute for BT customers. The price of calls
from non BT phone lines will vary. Calls may be recorded.
How do members get involved with their branch?
Each year, branches hold two general meetings for all members before the Society’s
Annual Conference. Some branches also hold a third meeting later in the year to
report back from Conference. You will be sent a letter notifying you of the dates
and venues of their meetings at the beginning of each year, and you are strongly
encouraged to attend because this is your chance to make your voice heard and
put your suggestions forward. If you are not able to attend your branch meetings,
you are welcome to send your views directly to the Society Secretary.
Please click here to see a list of Branch Meeting Dates for 2008.
What happens at branch meetings?
Branches hold two or three general meetings a year and this is the sort of business
they will usually discuss:
Meeting 1 is usually the branch’s AGM:
-
An update on Society services, trials and other developments is given, usually by a member of the CoM or Society Secretary
-
The Branch Chairman and Secretary give their reports for the previous year
-
The Branch Treasurer gives a report on the branch’s financial position
-
Branch Committee and Officers (Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman) are elected for the coming year. If you are interested in any of these positions, please speak to your Branch Secretary when you arrive at the meeting
-
Any suggested changes to the Society’s rules or services are discussed and propositions prepared for submission to Conference
-
A number of members are elected as delegates to represent the branch at Conference
-
Any nominations to Society Officer posts (CoM, Secretary etc)
Meeting 2 is called a ‘mandating’ meeting. The agenda for the forthcoming Conference is
circulated and each proposition (either potential rule change or a motion on a
particular topic) is debated. The branch will then instruct its elected delegates
on how to vote on each proposition at Conference.
Meeting 3 is held by some branches following Conference in order to give a report on the
outcomes of Conference and to give further updates on Society business.
What do branch committees do?
Each branch is run by a group of volunteer members who want to be more actively
involved and who give their time generously to support the Society. These volunteers
form a committee which consists of a Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary plus a
number of other members. The branch committees meet occasionally to discuss forthcoming
Society events, the latest information sent to them about Society business and
developments, and to plan their own branch general meetings and events.
In total, the Society’s forty-seven branches are run by around six hundred and
fifty volunteer committee members. Part of the Society Secretary’s role is to
communicate with these volunteers on a regular basis to keep them up to date with
Society business, developments and future strategy. This helps the branches to
make informed decisions and suggestions about future changes when they come to
Conference.
Further information
To contact us for more information about the role and work of branches you can:
Email: thesecretary@benenden.org.uk
Call: 0845 052 5755* and leave a message
Write to: The Society Secretary, The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, Holgate
Park Drive, York YO26 4GG
* Calls cost a maximum of 4p per minute for BT customers. The price of calls
from non BT phone lines will vary. Calls may be recorded.
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