BUDE BRIDGE CLUB CONSTITUTION

1.            NAME

a.            The club shall be known as Bude Bridge Club.

c.             It shall be registered as a member of the Cornwall Contract Bridge

                Association (CCBA) and the English Bridge Union (EBU).

2.                OBJECTIVES

                The objectives of the club are to;

a.            provide the necessary facilities to allow its members to play competitive

                Contract Bridge in pleasant surroundings and a convivial atmosphere at all times

b.            be a members’ club, conferring upon all members all the usual privileges, rights and advantages of such a club.

c.             abide by the current Laws of Duplicate Bridge for all sessions of Duplicate Bridge. Only ‘general licence’ bidding systems to Level 4 and conventions as defined by the EBU shall be permitted.

3.                MEMBERSHIP

a.            Any person may apply for membership of the club. Membership is subject to approval of the Committee and on payment of a joining subscription. Membership runs for 12 months and is renewed by an annual subscription payable between January 1^st and February 28th each year. The committee may refuse to accept or continue membership without giving any reason or explanation

b.            A member may resign at any time by notifying the secretary.

c.             Members who have given distinguished service to the Club may be elected as Honorary Life Members They can only be appointed by means of a petition presented as a motion by the Committee at an AGM. An Honorary Life Member shall not pay an annual subscription to the Club.

4.                MANAGEMENT

a.            The club shall be managed by a committee elected at the AGM.

b.            The committee shall consist of four officers; a chair(man), a vice-chair(man), a secretary

                and a treasurer, and not more than five other members.

c.             Each shall serve a term of office of one year after which they shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election at the AGM.

e.                  The committee shall meet as required.

f.                    The Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy until the next AGM. It may appoint sub-committees as thought appropriate and delegate to them such powers as it thinks fit.

5.            POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE

                The committee shall have the following powers, rights and duties. Five members, including at least 2 officers of the Club Committee, shall constitute a quorum.

           It shall:

a.            arrange the programme and rules governing play

b.            decide and adjudicate upon disputes between members arising in the club as well as in relation to play, financial transactions, and all other matters of the kind which are usually referred to the committee of a members’ club. The decision of the committee shall be final and binding.

c.             consider all suggestions made to them, by members, in writing.

d.            make such rules as they consider necessary, or desirable, for the well-being of the club and its members. All such rules, providing they are not  inconsistent with the Constitution of the club, shall be binding on all members and shall be construed as part of the Constitution until they are rescinded or varied by the committee or by the club in General Meeting.

e.            exercise all other powers of management except such matters as are expressly, by this Constitution, reserved to the members in General Meeting.

f.             co-opt at its discretion additional members to serve on the committee.

g.                determine all applications for membership of the club

h.                  maintain a waiting list for membership of the club if it considers it desirable.

i.                    appoint a Laws and Ethics Committee to act as arbiter in bridge law.

j.                    Select teams for matches.

6.            ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

a.            The Annual General Meeting of the club shall be held during the month of April in every year. The committee shall decide the date, hour and place in which such meetings may be held.

b.            The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:

                i                elect the officers and committee for the coming year. Nominations for any office of the Club must be made 10 days before the AGM, supported by signatures of proposer and seconder and acceptance by the nominee of willingness to serve. In the event of more than one nomination for any office, voting will be by ballot paper.

                ii                elect an auditor for the coming year.

                iii                receive the audited report and financial statement of the treasurer.

                iv                approve or otherwise the committee’s recommendations for annual  subscriptions and table money.

                v                transact such other business of which at least fourteen days notice in writing has been given to the secretary.

                vi                transact any other business at the chairman’s discretion.

c.             Every full member shall have one vote. In cases of equality of votes the chair(man) shall have a second or casting vote.

d.            One quarter of the membership of the club (on the day the notice of the Annual General Meeting is posted on the club notice board) shall constitute a quorum.

7.                EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the committee or at the request of any ten members by application in writing to the secretary specifying the business of the meeting and shall be called within 4 weeks of receipt of the request. At least 14 days’ notice of such a meeting and of the resolution to be moved shall be posted on the Notice Board.

8.                SUBSCRIPTIONS

a.                   The subscription year shall be 1^st April to 31^st March.

b.                  The level of subscription shall only be changed by majority vote at the AGM.

c.                   The committee may, at its discretion, treat a member whose annual subscription remains unpaid as at the end of February as having resigned membership.

d.                  Only Club members whose primary club is Bude will be eligible for subsidised entry fees.

9.            GUESTS

a.            Guests shall be welcome to the club in accordance with the rules laid down from time to time by the committee.

10. These rules may be revoked, varied or added to by a resolution passed by a simple majority of those voting at an AGM or a Special General Meeting. All such rules shall be effective immediately.

Constitution adopted at the Annual General Meeting, April 4^th 2013.

Schedule of Disciplinary Procedures

1. Requirements of the Schedule

This Schedule is referred to under clause 15 of the Constitution of the Bude Bridge Club (hereafter referred to as the Club) and prescribes the powers and procedures for enforcement. It will comply with and follow the EBU disciplinary procedures and any variations thereof that are made from time to time. The Club shall act through its Conduct and Disciplinary Committees for the enforcement of standards prescribed in clause 15 of the Constitution. The Club shall have additional powers as set out in the clauses below.

2. Receipt of allegation

Any person making a complaint against one or more members of the Club under the terms of clause 15 of the Constitution, must do so in writing to the Secretary or the Chairman of the Club. Normally no action will be taken in respect of a complaint relating to an alleged offence which occurred three months or more prior to a formal complaint in writing made to the appropriate officer.

3. Conduct Committee

The Committee of the Club shall appoint its Conduct Committee through its powers to appoint sub-committees under clause 17.4 of the Constitution. The Conduct Committee shall be responsible for investigating complaints against the Club’s members and to determine whether a disciplinary offence should be referred to the Club’s Disciplinary Committee.

The Conduct Committee shall consist of no fewer than three members of the Club and no more than five. A quorum for any meeting shall be three of its members. It shall act by simple majority vote and its appointed chairman, or whomsoever in his absence the Conduct Committee shall select to chair its meeting, shall have a second, or casting vote in the event that there is parity of voting.

4. Disciplinary Committee

The Committee of the Club shall appoint the Disciplinary Committee through its powers to appoint sub committees under clause 17 of the Constitution. The Disciplinary Committee shall, determine sanctions for offences admitted by the defendant, hear charges of offences and determine whether those charges are proved and if proved, to determine the sanction imposed.

The Disciplinary Committee shall consist of no fewer than three members of the Club and no more than five. At least three of its members must be present when it makes a decision to uphold a complaint and impose sanctions on the offending member. It shall act by simple majority vote and its appointed chairman, or whomsoever in his absence the Disciplinary Committee shall select to chair its meeting, shall have a second, or casting vote in the event that there is parity of voting.

5. Conflicts of Interest and Independence of the Conduct and Disciplinary Committees

Any member of either the Conduct or Disciplinary Committee who is in any way personally involved in the allegations within a complaint will be disqualified from participating in either Committee’s handling of the complaint.

A member of the Club cannot be a member of both the Conduct and Disciplinary Committees.

            6. The Complaints Process

             

            6.1. Notice of Meetings

Subject to the provisions of clause 2 hereof where a written complaint is made, or a matter otherwise comes to the attention of the Conduct Committee, it shall first consider whether such complaint or matter falls within the scope of the Disciplinary Rules and whether further action is warranted. If it does, the Conduct Committee secretary shall first write to the Defendant, seeking the Defendant’s comments on the substance of the complaint or matter that has been raised. The Conduct Committee shall also be entitled to make such further investigations and enquiries as it in its absolute discretion considers appropriate. The Conduct Committee shall also be entitled to seek advice both from within the Club and from the EBU Laws and Ethics Committee, and to obtain external legal advice.

            6.2.Complaint not justified

If the Conduct Committee decides that the complaint is not justified, all parties shall be notified and the matter ended.

            6.3.Complaint justified

If the Conduct Committee decides that the complaint is justified, it may, in its absolute discretion, offer a verbal caution to the offending member, which if accepted, ends the matter.

If the caution is not accepted by the offending member, or the Conduct Committee does not feel a caution is appropriate, it shall refer the case to a hearing by the Disciplinary Committee. The Defendant shall be notified, in writing, within two weeks of this decision and of his right to make a written submission to the Disciplinary Committee and to attend the hearing. The Defendant shall have the right to be represented by legal counsel of his choice or may be accompanied by a person to speak on his behalf. The Disciplinary Committee shall give at least two weeks notice of the hearing to the Defendant.

            6.4.Disciplinary Committee’s Sanctions

If after the hearing the complaint is upheld, the Disciplinary Committee may in its absolute discretion:

(a)    Give a written reprimand to the offending member(s),or

(b)   Suspend the offending member(s) from all or some of the competitions sponsored or licensed by the Club for such period as it shall determine.

(c)    Expel the offending member(s) from the Club.

If the complaint is against a member of the Committee then in addition to any other sanctions applied, the Disciplinary Committee shall have the power to suspend such member from the Club’s Committee and any of its sub committees for such a period that it shall determine.

Any sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Committee must be communicated to the offending member(s) in writing within twenty one days of the hearing

Any Sanction imposed by the Disciplinary Committee shall take effect as soon as time for appeal has elapsed except that if the Defendant has filed Notice of Appeal within the time allowed the Sanction shall not take effect until such Appeal has been determined

            6.5.Appeal

Every Defendant found guilty of an offence by the Club Disciplinary Committee has the right to appeal to the County Disciplinary Committee. Appeals must be in writing and lodged with the Secretary of the Association within twenty one days of the written communication of the Club’s Disciplinary Committee’s decision to the Defendant.

            6.6. Referral to the EBU Laws & Ethics Committee

At any time the County Disciplinary Committee may refer a complaint to the EBU Laws & Ethics Committee for its consideration. In doing so the County Disciplinary Committee shall have fully discharged its responsibilities under this Schedule.