Membership

Membership is FREE and we have over 600 members, including community and voluntary organisations across Rhondda Cynon Taf and beyond. The more we work together, the stronger we all become.

If you wish to join, Interlink can support you with any policy or rule changes needed to meet the requirements. You will need to meet these requirements before your application is sent to trustees for approval. To become a member of Interlink, you must be a not for profit organisation operating in RCT and must have:

A governing document, such as a constitution, which clearly states:

• The name and purpose of the organisation. 
• How the organisation is run (e.g., how people become members, how the committee operates, how meetings are held). 

A bank account, which must:

• Be in the organisation’s name exactly as it appears in the governing document 
• Have at least two unrelated (please see definition below) authorised signatories. 

A Committee or Board, with at least three unrelated committee members

• Related people cannot form a majority on the Committee or Board or in any decision made by the Committee or Board.  

A finance policy that: 

• Requires authorisation of financial transactions by at least two unrelated authorised signatories. 

If a Community Interest Company (CIC),you must be a Schedule 2 CIC with:

• No private dividends, you must be restricted to paying dividends only to other asset-locked bodies such as charities or other CICs.
   

If a Company or CIC, you must not have a Person with Significant Control(PSC), a PSC (please visit people-with-significant-control) is anyone who: 

• has more than 25% shares or voting rights in your company 
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors 
• can influence or control your company or trust 

Definition of related people / close relative / family member: 

• Direct family members: Parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren. 
• Partners: Spouses, civil partners, or anyone living together as if they were married or in a civil partnership. 
• In-laws/Step-relations: Relatives by marriage (e.g., son-in-law) or stepfamily members (e.g., stepchildren). 
• Housemates: Any persons living at the same address, regardless of biological relation. 

Actionable steps for your groups 

1. Update Governing Documents: Groups should explicitly state in their constitution or rules and finance policy that signatories must be unrelated.  
2. Governance Standards: Have at least three unrelated committee members, ensure  unrelated people form a majority on any committee, at any meeting and on any decision. 
3. Bank Verification: Groups should avoid having authorised signatories that are related. Specific bank’s rules for clubs and societies can formally exclude spouses and close relatives from acting as co-signatories. 
4. Conflict of Interest Policy: Maintain a register of interests to document any related interests between committee / board members.  
5. Guidance:

• Refer to and use the https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conflicts-of-interest-a-guide-for-charity-trustees-cc29/conflicts-of-interest-a-guide-for-charity-trustees .
• Conflicts of interest a guide for charity trustees to protect the group from ‘conflicts of interest’ and  ‘conflicts of loyalty’ where related interests might outweigh the group’s best interests. 

Membership team contact:

If you need assistance, please contact us:

T: 07514 744322

E: communityadvice@interlinkrct.org.uk

Related links

About us

Advice for groups

Group and organisation

Running your group or organisation

Getting funding

Engagement and influence

Volunteer recruitment and management