About DRA

The Derwenthorpe Residents’ Association (DRA) is a voluntary association that supports the needs of Derwenthorpe residents. All Derwenthorpe residents are members. We meet regularly, and our day to day work is done by the 6-10 member Core Team, who are elected annually.

The DRA works together with the Derwenthorpe Governance Group (DGG: a partnership with JRHT) and the Derwenthorpe Partnership Advisory Committee (DPAC: residents, neighbours, and councillors).

What does the core team do?

• Organise open meetings.
• Represent residents’ concerns to JRHT, Veolia, Pure Fibre, and others.
• Look after this web site, and our Facebook page. Twitter, too. But this web site is our main home online.
• Hold insurance for events.
• Look after money for various groups.
• Hold some grant money (from DPAC), for community groups.
• Organises elections of core team members, and DGG members.

Principles

The Derwenthorpe Residents’ Association

• promotes a harmonious community, helpfulness and neighbourliness.
• is democratic, open and transparent in its actions.
• promotes equality and fairness and is mindful of those who are most vulnerable.
• provides a collective voice to promote the issues that are in the interests of residents.
• seeks and supports the continual improvement of the area by making reasoned suggestions to and working in partnership with relevant people and groups. 

Constitution

Our constitution describes how the DRA realises these principles.

History:

• Completely revised Jan 2017
• Modified Jan 2020 to add rules for election of representatives to the Derwenthorpe Governing Group, and other bodies.

Funding 

The Derwenthorpe Residents Association (a not-for-profit organisation) is primarily funded by an annual stipend from Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust equivalent to £2 per household (the total amounts paid to the organisation have increased since 2015 as the development has grown). In addition to this stipend, some resident-led events have generated further income for the Association.

This stipend largely covers the operational costs of the association including (but not limited to) annual public liability insurance, costs associated with web and e-mail hosting and communication material (flyers announcing DRA events and meetings).

In 2017 the Association was successful in securing funding from DPAC (Derwenthorpe Partnership Advisory Committee) to establish a “Community Pot” available to residents and the local community in order to underwrite events, community activities etc. These amounts are held entirely separate from the operational income and costs of the Association (as reported on a monthly basis and at the annual AGM) and at no point will there be any cross-subsidy of the operational costs from the Community Pot (or vice-versa).

We have Public Liability Insurance for any events we organise. The insurance certificate can be found here.