1. NAME
The name of the club shall be LEATHERHEAD BRIDGE CLUB.
2. OBJECTIVES
The Club shall be a Members’ Club and its objective is to provide facilities for the playing and enjoyment of Bridge
3. AFFILIATIONS
The Club will be affiliated to the Surrey County Bridge Association and to the English Bridge Union.
4. MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership shall be open to all bridge players deemed to be of an acceptable standard.
4.2 Any person wishing to become a member of the club shall apply for membership by completing a form as prescribed by the Committee. The form shall then be forwarded to the secretary.
4.3 All applications for membership of the club must be proposed and seconded by existing members of the Club unless the Committee decides otherwise.
4.4 All membership application forms received by the secretary shall be displayed in a prominent place at the premises at which the Club regularly meets for a minimum period of two weeks.
4.5 After expiry of the period of two weeks the secretary shall notify the applicant of the acceptance or otherwise of the application.
4.6 In declining an application the Committee may give a reason but shall not be obliged to do so.
4.7 Before admittance to the club an applicant must have attended and played at the Club on at least two occasions.
4.8 In considering applications for membership the Committee shall have regard to the playing facilities available, and may from time to time decide that the Club shall be closed to new applications for membership for such a period as it may decide.
4.9 A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately if expelled from the club under the provisions of clause 15, or if their resignation is delivered to the secretary.
4.10 Annual Subscriptions shall be payable on election and thereafter at the beginning of the financial year which will run from the 1st April to 31st March. A member whose annual subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiration of the period of six months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment. No person shall be admitted to membership until an Annual Subscription has been paid to the treasurer.
4.11 A former member of the Club who wishes to rejoin as a member may do so without the necessity for a further formal application for membership, unless the Committee decides otherwise.
4.12 The Club in a General Meeting may elect Honorary Life Members, who shall not be liable to pay any entrance fee or subscription but shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership.
4.13 The Club in a General Meeting may elect an Honorary President.
4.14 All members of the Club shall automatically be members of the English Bridge Union.
4.15 All members of the Club shall adhere to the Constitution.
5. OFFICERS
5.1 The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer.
5.2 The Chairman (or in his absence, a Committee member mutually agreed upon by the Committee members) shall preside at each meeting of the General Committee and at The Annual General Meeting.
5.3 No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold the office of more than one Officer of the Club.
5.4 Each of the Officers of the Club shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club and shall be eligible for re-election. All elected officers shall serve a term of 3 years.
5.5 In the event of a vacancy arising during the year the committee shall choose one of their number to fill such a vacancy until the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
- COMMITTEE
6.1 The Committee of the Club shall consist of the Officers of the Club, together with three other members of the Club, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
6.2 The Committee may also co-opt up to 2 additional members. All elected committee members shall serve a term of 3 years. Retirement will be staggered to allow for continuity.
6.3 A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be three members of the Committee, including at least one of the officers.
6.4 The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of the Club concerning the affairs of the Club since the previous Annual General Meeting.
7 MANAGEMENT
7.1 The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club.
7.2 The Committee shall have power to determine any issue arising in connection with the affairs of the Club that is not specifically provided for in this Constitution.
7.3 The Committee may from time to time formulate and publish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient and harmonious running of the Club (but in case of any conflict between such rules and this constitution, the Constitution shall prevail).
8 GENERAL MEETINGS
8.1 A General Meeting of the Club shall be held in each year no later than four months after the end of the financial year.
8.2 A Special General Meeting of the Club shall be convened by the Committee if a request for such a meeting signed by at least ten members of the Club is delivered to the secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within one month of the receipt of such request.
8.3 A Special General Meeting of the Club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
8.4 The Chairman, if present, shall chair all General Meetings of the Club. In his absence some other member of the Committee shall chair the meeting.
8.5 Notice of all General Meetings of the Club shall be given to all members of the Club no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
8.6 Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a General Meeting provided that written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the secretary no later than 28 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
8.7 The chairman of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he thinks fit.
8.8 A quorum at General Meetings of the Club shall be forty members present in person.
8.9 Voting at General meetings of the Club shall be by a show of hands, and in the event of parity of voting the chairman of the meeting shall have a second casting vote.
9 NOTICES
9.1 Notices of any Special General Meeting of the Club and of an Annual General Meeting, at which in the opinion of the Committee any business of a non-routine nature is to be discussed, shall be communicated to all members on the Club notice board and E-Mail.
9.2 Notices of any other matters to be brought to attention of members shall be made by displaying a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club.
10. NOMINATIONS
10.1 Nominations for the posts of Officers or Committee members shall be in writing and shall be signed by a ‘proposer’ and a ‘seconder’. All persons involved with the nomination shall be members of the Club.
10.2 Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
11. SUBSCRIPTIONS and FEES
11.1. Each member of the Club shall pay an annual subscription, the basic amount of which shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Subscriptions shall be due for payment from the 1st April in each year in respect of the year to the following 31st March
11.2. Each member of the Club and each guest and visitor shall pay table money on each occasion when he plays at the Club. The amount of table money is set by the Club Committee.
12. ACCOUNTS
12.1. The Committee shall arrange for accounts to be prepared in respect of the financial affairs of the Club for each year ending on 31st March.
12.2. The Club shall elect an independent scrutineer at the A.G.M.
12.3. The accounts for each year shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Club having been approved by the independent scrutineer.
13. VISITORS
13.1. Any member may invite a guest to play at the club, but in the event of playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members.
13.2. A member introducing a guest shall be responsible for such guests strictly observing this Constitution and the Club Byelaws. No person whose membership of the Club has been terminated or suspended under section 14 of this Constitution or whose membership application has at any time been rejected shall be introduced as a guest.
14. CONDUCT
14.1. In the event of a complaint being made to the Committee about the conduct of a member of the Club, the Committee may investigate the complaint.
14.2. On investigating such a complaint the Committee shall give the member about whose conduct the complaint has been made an opportunity to be heard and put forward evidence in his/her defence (this includes witnesses if appropriate). If a live hearing takes place the member may be accompanied by a friend or representative who is not a member of the Club. Additionally, the member has the right to have questions put to the complainant and supporting witnesses (if any) by the Committee.
14.3. If on investigating such a complaint the Committee is of the opinion that the member has behaved in an unacceptable manner or in such a manner as to cause injury to the interests of the Club, then the Committee may reprimand the member, suspend the member from the privileges of membership for such a period as it may think fit, or expel the member from the Club.
14.4. The Committee shall forthwith notify the member in writing of any decision made on the investigation of a complaint about his conduct and may, if it thinks fit, publicise the decision by displaying a notice at the headquarters of the Club.
14.5. An appeal may be made to a General Meeting of the Club against any decision to reprimand, suspend or expel a member of the Club following the investigation of a complaint about his/her conduct.
14.6. Notice of such an appeal must be in writing and delivered to the secretary within 2 weeks of the notification to the member of the decision of the Committee.
14.7. On the appeal being heard by the General Meeting of the Club, the General Meeting shall have power to overrule the conclusion of the Committee, or to uphold it, in which event the sanction imposed by the Committee may be confirmed or varied (to any sanction which the Committee was empowered to impose, or to none)
14.8. Nothing in this constitution shall preclude the Committee from referring a matter of conduct to the Conduct Committee of the Surrey County Bridge Association, or to the Laws & Ethics Committee of the English Bridge Union if it considers it appropriate to do so.
15. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTIONS
15.1. No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club.
15.2. In order for a resolution to alter this constitution to have effect, at least two thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour.
16. BYE-LAWS
The General Committee may from time to time make, vary and revoke byelaws (constituent with this Constitution) for the regulation of the internal affairs of the Club, the conduct of members and the Byelaws for the time being in force shall be binding on members.
17. EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY
Neither the Club nor any Officer thereof shall be liable to any member or visitor for any loss or damage to property, occurring from whatever cause, in or about the Club premises, nor for any injury sustained by any member or guest whilst on or entering or leaving the Club premises.
18. WINDING-UP
18.1. In order for resolution that the Club shall be wound up to have effect at least two thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour. In addition the number of votes cast in favour of the resolution must exceed one-half of the number of members of the Club entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting at which the resolution is put.
18.2. If a resolution that the Club shall be wound up is effectively passed, the Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club. All assets of the Club will be capitalised and distributed among persons who were paid-up members of the Club at the date of dissolution.
LEATHERHEAD BRIDGE CLUB 2011
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