What to Expect from Common Hall

Notice

Official notice of common hall, along with an agenda and formal invitation for nominations for election to the committee, will be made available with the next issue of the Journal, which will be published at least 21 days beforehand.

If you are aware of any Freeman who do not receive this journal by print or electronically, we encourage you to ask them to provide their details via the Journal website, or contacting the journal editor directly to ensure they receive the notice (see next article for more details on how this can be done).

Arrival

Common Hall will be held at Oxford Town Hall at 6 pm, all attending freemen will checked against a register of known freemen before being allowed entry. While not required, we would ask that you contact the Hon. Secretary as soon as possible if you plan on attending so that we can ensure we have enough space and to speed up the process of checking attendees (see inside cover for contact details).

Members of the public, and the press, may attend common hall, but will be seated apart and may be asked to clear the chamber.

Agenda and Debate

A full agenda will be provided in advance, but will include time for other business. Items of other business must have been received by the Hon. Secretary at least 24 hours from the start of Common Hall. However, any matters that would affect the constitution or ordinances of the Freeman cannot be voted upon unless 12 month notice has been given to the committee.

All debate is conducted in a formal manner, so we recommend reviewing the rules before attending.

Voting and Election

Each freeman present may vote once, no proxy voting is permitted. Voting is normally by show of hands, although ballot may be used.

Election of the general committee takes place at Common Hall, and the elected committee then elects the Chairman and other officers at its first meeting following common hall. Common Hall does not elect  the officers directly.