CRANFIELD Bridge Club CONSTITUTION.
1. Name:
The name of the club shall be ‘CRANFIELD BRIDGE CLUB’; hereinafter ‘the Club’.
2. Objective:
The aim of the Club is to provide, for it’s members, organised competitive Bridge,
with an emphasis on enjoyment and friendliness.
3. Affiliations:
a) The Club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire Bridge Association ( BBA ),
and to the English Bridge Union ( EBU ).
b) These affiliations shall be maintained, except by vote of the membership at a General Meeting.
4. Organisation:
a) The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a General Committee (GC),
comprised of officers Chairman, (optionally) Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, & Treasurer,
and up to three (3) other Committee Members, all elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). b) Decisions affecting management, finance, or membership may only be taken by a quorum of at least half of the GC; or three (3) members, should this be greater. c) A vacancy on the GC may be filled by co-opting a member, up to a maximum of two ( 2 ) co-opted members; within this constraint, the GC shall co-opt to maintain a minimum of two (2) members in addition to the Officers of the Club. d) The Chairman shall have a casting vote at any General, or GC , meeting. e) The GC may appoint a sub-committee for organising a ‘special event’, provided that it includes at least one ( 1 ) member of the GC. f) A GC elected at the AGM shall assume office from the end of that AGM, until the end of the following AGM; unless specifically replaced at an ExtraOrdinary General Meeting ( EGM ). g) Should an Officer of the Club resign, the vacancy shall be filled from members of the GC if possible; the new Acting-Officer being elected by the entire membership of the GC.
5. Membership: a) Applications for membership shall be made to a Committee member. The GC, on behalf of the Club, reserves the right to refuse membership, without giving a reason. b) Members are required to register their details with the Membership Secretary, appointed by the GC; and to advise of any change of details. c) Visitors will be welcomed whenever circumstances permit, but should be advised of the benefits of membership. d) The GC may, in exceptional circumstances affecting the welfare of the Club, suspend a member for a maximum of six ( 6 ) months; if action beyond this is considered necessary, the membership shall be consulted, by means of a General Meeting. 6. Finances: a) The Club’s finances shall be controlled by the GC and administered by the Treasurer, who shall be able to provide details at any General or GC meeting, and to report to the AGM. b) The Club’s accounting year shall run from April 1st to March 31st of the following year. c) Small re-imbursements of reasonable expenditure, on the Club’s behalf, may be made at the discretion of the Treasurer: Larger, or disputed, sums by a quorum of the GC. d) The Club’s accounts shall be audited annually by an Inspector of Accounts (IoA ) appointed at the preceding AGM. The IoA shall be numerate, but need not necessarily be an accountant. e) In the event of the appointed IoA resigning, the GC may appoint an alternative unconnected with any member of the GC; the membership must be notified, and have the right to object. f) All members of the Club shall be equally responsible for any liabilities incurred by the Club, during their period of membership. g) In the event of the Club being wound up, for any reason, each member shall be entitled to an equal share of the Clubs assets, after all liabilities have been met; with the exception of those with less than two (2) years continuous membership, whose entitlement shall not exceed the sum paid as table-money during their (latest) period of membership. 7. General Meetings: a) The Annual General Meeting ( AGM ) shall take place by the last Sunday in May of each year (and not during a Bank Holiday weekend); this allows time for preparing Accounts and Treasurer’s Report, and for the inspection of the accounts. b) An ExtraOrdinary General Meeting ( EGM ) shall be arranged by the Hon. Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by ten ( 10 ) members, or at the request of the GC. The scope of any EGM shall be restricted to (a) specific subject(s). c) The date, time and place {and, if an EGM, the specific subject(s)} of an AGM or EGM shall be announced at least three ( 3 ) times in advance of the meeting. d) A quorum for conducting business at any General Meeting shall be over forty percent ( 40% ) of the membership. e) Nominations of candidates to be an officer of the Club must be made in writing to the Secretary prior to the end of the Club Night preceding the AGM, & shall be announced at that Club Night. Nominations for other Committee members may be made on the night of the AGM. f) Votes taken at a General Meeting require a simple majority of those present, by secret ballot where appropriate. In the event of there being three or more candidates for election as an officer of the Club, a second choice vote of those that voted for the eliminated candidate(s) shall be counted. g) In the case of a ‘special resolution’ (broadly defined as one affecting Club location, (a) specific member(s), affiliation(s), or significantly affecting playing conditions) any vote must also receive a majority of two-thirds of those voting.
h) In the case of (a) resolution(s) so significant that the very existence of the club could be affected, voting must be organised such that every current (at date of the GM ) member is able to register (a) vote(s), by post if necessary. j) In the event that the viability of the club has been called into question, the membership may give the GC the duty to wind up the Club, if agreed viability tests have not been met after a specific period of time, during which all members shall attempt to address the problem(s). Revised March 2003. Retyped June 2007. Revisions added June 2007 are based on AGM resolutions, but require ratification. For clarity, in blue. Ratified; plus some very minor revisions to match Constitution to the smaller size of the club. Proposed addition for EGM Sept 2009, to make provision for all members to vote. Ratified Sept. 2009 Proposed deletions / addition to accommodate our move to Astwood Village Hall. Ratified 2011, with some very minor changes. Partially retyped at a later date for improved clarity before inclusion on website.
|