forum policies & documents

Information Sharing & Editorial Policy

Membership & Participation Policy

Forum Members Code of Conduct

Sponsor Membership Terms

Complaints Policy

Membership & Participation Policy

Last update: 22/08/26

1.  Purpose

This policy sets out how businesses, professionals, and individuals become Members of Totnes Business Forum (“TBF”), the tiers of Forum membership available, and how Forum membership differs from statutory membership of TBF as a company

2. Two kinds of membership

2.1 Statutory members of the company

TBF currently has two statutory members, who are also its two directors. Statutory membership is a feature of TBF's company structure, carrying the legal rights and responsibilities set out in company law and TBF's articles of association — for example, voting on formal company resolutions and receiving statutory notices. TBF intends to broaden this statutory membership base over time as the Forum matures; any such change will be made transparently and recorded in TBF's governance documents.

2.2 Members of the Forum

Alongside its statutory membership, TBF operates a separate scheme of Forum membership, described in this policy. Wherever this policy refers to “Members”, “Sponsor Members,” “Associate Members,” or “Honorary Members,” it means members of the Forum, not statutory members of the company, unless stated otherwise.

3. Tiers of Forum membership

TBF offers four tiers of membership:

3.1 Members

Any business or sole trader registered in Totnes or the surrounding district. TBF defines its area by economic geography rather than administrative parish boundaries, so that businesses genuinely part of the Totnes economy — including those in Dartington and other neighbouring communities — are not excluded on a technicality. There is no restriction based on business size, sector, or structure (sole trader, partnership, or company); home-based and service businesses are as welcome as shopfronts.

3.2 Sponsor Members

As “Members”, but with the added benefit of a business’s branding appearing on all Forum communications. A limited number of Sponsor Memberships are available for a period of 12 months, reverting to Member status unless renewed. Where demand exceeds the number of available Sponsor Memberships, the Board allocates places on a fair, transparent basis — for example, in order of application received — and keeps a waiting list. Sponsor branding is presented as sponsorship, does not imply the Forum’s endorsement of the Sponsor, and carries no influence over the Forum’s editorial or information-sharing decisions, in line with TBF’s Information Sharing & Editorial Policy.

3.3 Associate Members

Professionals and consultants who provide services to businesses in Totnes and add value to the Forum, but who are not themselves based or resident within the area.

3.4 Honorary Members

Individuals or organisations that have made a significant contribution to local business or economic development, and have the capacity to add further value to the economy or wider community life of Totnes. Honorary membership is offered by TBF; it is not applied for in the same way as the other tiers (see section 4).

4. Applying for membership

Businesses, professionals, and individuals apply for Member, Sponsor Member or Associate Member status by contacting TBF. The Directors review applications and approve membership where the application meets the eligibility criteria for the relevant tier, and aligns with the Forum's objectives.

TBF aims to be an inclusive network for local businesses, and expects the great majority of eligible applications to be approved. Where an application is not approved, TBF will explain why, and the applicant may ask the Board to reconsider.

Honorary membership is offered directly by the Board, rather than applied for, in recognition of a significant contribution to local business or economic development.

Where a Director has a personal or financial connection to an applicant, this is treated as a conflict of interest under TBF's Conflicts of Interest Policy, and that Director will not take part in deciding that application.

5. Annual dues

Members, Sponsor Members and Associate Members pay annual dues. The amount of dues for each tier is proposed by the Steering Group, confirmed by the Board, reviewed at least once a year, and communicated to all Members in advance of the renewal date. Honorary Members are not required to pay dues.

Dues are collected by Direct Debit through GoCardless, normally in 12 monthly instalments of the annual amount confirmed by the Board. Once approved, Members, Sponsor Members and Associate Members will be sent a secure link to set up their Direct Debit mandate. Where the annual amount changes at renewal, monthly instalments will be adjusted accordingly, and Members will be given notice before any change takes effect.

Dues are a membership fee for the services and access described in this policy. They do not entitle any Member to a share of TBF's profits, assets, or any distribution — TBF is a community interest company, and its assets are locked for community benefit, not for the benefit of its Members or Directors.

If a monthly instalment cannot be collected and the position is not resolved within a reasonable grace period, membership may lapse, unless otherwise agreed with the Board.

6. What Members can expect

In line with TBF's three founding pillars — promotion, collaboration, and representation — Members can expect TBF to:

  • Promotion: help raise the profile of Members — for example through joint promotional activity, and support in attracting visitors and spend to the area.

  • Collaboration: give access to TBF's collective projects, such as group purchasing schemes, shared local services, and resource-sharing initiatives, and a platform to share skills, knowledge, and resources with other Members.

  • Representation: provide a collective voice for local businesses, including lobbying and access to decision-makers such as Totnes Town Council; share information on funding, grants, and business support; and offer a supportive network for business owners.

The specific collective projects and benefits available to each tier and individual business may vary depending on the nature of the project. TBF will make clear which schemes are open to which tier and business category when each project is launched.

7. Equal access

All Members within the same tier have equal access to TBF's schemes, projects, and opportunities appropriate to that tier, regardless of size, sector, how long they have been trading, or any personal connection to TBF's Directors. TBF's Directors do not receive preferential access to any scheme by virtue of their role, and their own businesses take part on the same basis as any other Member, declared in TBF's Register of Interests where relevant.

8. What we ask of Members

We ask Members to provide accurate information about their business, to pay dues by the renewal date, and to engage with other Members and with TBF constructively and respectfully, in line with TBF's Forum Members' Code of Conduct. TBF's Directors and Steering Group are held to a further Code of Conduct specific to their role.

9. What Forum membership does NOT include

Becoming a Member, Sponsor Member, Associate Member, or Honorary Member of the Forum does not:

  • Make a person or business a statutory member of TBF, or give them any right to vote on TBF's constitution or governance, to attend or vote at general meetings of the company, or any other right under the Companies Act 2006 — those rights belong only to TBF's statutory members;

  • Entitle a Member to any share of TBF's profits, assets, or distributions;

  • Create any employment, partnership, or agency relationship between the Member and TBF;

  • Guarantee that a Member will be selected for, or prioritised within, any specific project — collective projects are run under TBF's Procurement and Tender Policy, where relevant.

10. Getting more involved: the Steering Group and project working groups

Members who want to be more closely involved in TBF's work can put themselves forward for TBF's Steering Group. Steering Group members strategically support TBF's Directors in developing projects, but do not thereby become Directors or statutory members, and take on no formal legal duties or liability by virtue of the role.

Alongside the Steering Group, TBF also forms project-based working groups to help deliver specific collective projects. Working groups are focused on the practical delivery of the project they support, and are normally active only for the life of that project. Members can put themselves forward for a working group, or may be invited to join one because of relevant interest or experience. As with the Steering Group, working group members do not become Directors or statutory members by virtue of the role, and take on no formal legal duties or liability — being more hands-on doesn't mean taking on more personal risk. Where a working group's activities touch on a process governed by another TBF policy — for example, evaluating a tender under TBF's Procurement and Tender Policy — that policy continues to apply in full.

11. Leaving the Forum

Except in the case of Sponsor Memberships, which are subject to a 12-month minimum term, a Member may resign their membership at any time by giving notice to TBF. Where a Sponsor Membership ends early — through resignation or lapse for non-payment — the remaining instalments of the 12-month term remain payable unless the Board agrees otherwise, and TBF will remove the Sponsor’s branding from future communications. TBF will process any personal data associated with the resignation in accordance with its Privacy Policy.