CONSTITUTION OF THE MONDAY CLUB
1. NAME
The Club shall be called The Monday Club.
2. OBJECT
The object of the Club shall be to provide facilities for its members for playingDuplicate Contract
Bridge.
3.HEADQUARTERS
The headquarters of the Club shall be situated at The Battersea Labour Club, Falcon Road, SW11 or such other venue as the Committee of the Clubshall determine until such time as such determination shall be approvedby the Club at a General Meeting.
4.AFFILIATIONS
The Club will be affiliated to the Surrey County Bridge Association the LondonMetropolitan Bridge Association and to the English Bridge Union.
5.MEMBERSHIP
5.1 Membership shall be open to:
5.2 Any person wishing to become a member of the Club shall apply for membership by completing and forwarding to the Secretary such form as may be prescribed from time to time by theCommittee.
5.3. All bridge players and thosewishing to learn to play who are over the age of eighteen years will beentitled to apply for full membership of the Club.
5.4. Players under the age of eighteen years will be entitled toapply for Junior membership. Such members are not entitled to vote atgeneral meetings of the Club and cannot be Trustees of the Club.
5.5. The Club may confer Honorary Life Membership onany member who has rendered special service to the Club.
5.6. All members are deemed to have accepted theregulations of this constitution and the rules and codes of conductadopted by the Club.
5.7. The Committee will keep a register of members which will include details of their names,addresses and contact details.
5.8. Inconsidering applications for membership the Committee shall have regardto the playing facilities available, and may from time to time decidethat the Club shall be closed to new applications for membership forsuch period as it may decide.
5.9. A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately if expelled from the clubunder the provisions of clause 15, or if his or her resignation inwriting is delivered to the Secretary.
5.10 Amember whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a memberon the expiration of the period of six months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
5.11 A former member of theClub who wishes to rejoin as a member may do so without the necessityfor a further formal application for membership, unless the Committeedecides otherwise.
5.12 Members of the Club areautomatically enrolled as members of the English Bridge Union and shallabide by its Bye Laws.
6.OFFICERS
6.1. The Officers of theClub shall be the Chairperson, ViceChairperson, Competitions Manager,Secretary and Treasurer.
6.2. No member of theClub shall simultaneously hold more than one Office of the Club.
6.3. Each of the Officers of the Club shall be electedat the Annual General Meeting of the Club, and shall retire annually atthe ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible forre-election.
6.4. In the event of a vacancyarising during the year in the office of any Officer of the Club, theCommittee shall choose one of their number to fill such vacancy untilthe ensuing Annual General Meeting.
7.COMMITTEE
7.1. The Committee of theClub shall consist of the Officers of the Club.
7.2. The Committee may from time to time coopt further members ofthe Club to serve on the Committee until the ensuing Annual GeneralMeeting, whether to fill a vacancy arising, or as additional members,except that the total number of members of the Committee (includingOfficers) shall at no time exceed seven. Co-opted members shall beentitled to participate fully in the proceedings of the Committee.
7.3 A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall bethree members of the Committee, including at least one of theOfficers.
7.4. The Committee may from time totime appoint subcommittees to undertake on its behalf such aspects ofthe administration of the Club as it shall think fit, and members ofsuch subcommittees may include members of the Club who are not membersof the Committee.
7.5. Proceedings of theCommittee and of any subcommittees shall be regulated in such manner asthe Committee may from time to time decide.
7.6.The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of theClub concerning the affairs of the Club since the previous AnnualGeneral Meeting.
8.MANAGEMENT
8.1. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Committee, and the Committee shall have powerto determine any issue arising in connection with the affairs of theClub which is not specifically provided for in this Constitution.
8.2. The Committee may from time to time formulate andpublish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient andharmonious running of the Club (but in the case of any conflict betweensuch rules and this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail).
8.3 Any issue of policy determined by the Committee or any rules published by the Committee may be varied by a resolution ofmembers at a General Meeting of the Club, provided that such resolutionis not in conflict with this Constitution and is not retrospective inapplication.
8.4 In the event of such variationbeing made, the policy or rules (as the case may be) shall not befurther varied by the Committee in a manner inconsistent with theresolution.
9. GENERALMEETINGS
9.1. An Annual GeneralMeeting of the Club shall be held in each year no later than four months after the end of the financial year.
9.2. A Special GeneralMeeting of the Club shall be convened by the Committee if a request forsuch a meeting signed by at least five members of the Club is deliveredto the Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meetingshall take place within one month of the receipt of such request.
9.3. A Special General Meeting of the Club may beconvened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
9.4. All General Meetings of the Club shall be held atthe headquarters of the Club unless circumstances arise which renderthis impracticable.
9.5 The Chairperson, ifpresent, shall chair all General Meetings of the Club, and in his or her absence the ViceChairperson or some other member of the Committee,approved by a majority of those present at the Meeting shall chair themeeting.
9.6. Notice of all General Meetings ofthe Club shall be given to all members of the Club no later than twoweeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
9.7. Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a GeneralMeeting provided that written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
9.8 The Chairperson of the meeting maypermit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he or shethinks fit.
9.9. A quorum at General Meetings ofthe Club shall be six members present in person.
9.10. If fifteen minutes after the time fixed for a General Meeting of the Club no quorum shall be present, the meeting shall be adjournedto a new date (of which the like notice shall be given to members as was required to be given for the meeting which has been adjourned), and inthe case of a General Meeting which has been adjourned due to the lackof a quorum (but not of a meeting adjourned for any other reason) suchnumber of members as are
actually present at the adjournedmeeting shall constitute a quorum.
9.11. Votingat General Meetings of the Club shall be by (a) show of hands or (b) email (from their registered email address) or (c) in writing to the secretary (this must be witnessed by another member). In theevent of parity of voting the Chairperson of the meeting shall have asecond or casting vote.
10.NOTICES
10.1. Notices of any Special General Meeting of the Club, and of an Annual General Meeting at whichin the opinion of the Committee any business of a non routine nature islikely to be discussed, shall be given to members by post or by e mailto the last address of each member notified to the Secretary.
10.2. Notices of any Annual General Meeting at which in the opinion of the Committee no business of a non routine nature islikely to be discussed, may be given to members either by post or by email to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary, andby displaying a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters ofthe Club.
10.3. Notices of any other matters tobe brought to the attention of members shall be made by displaying anotice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club.
11.NOMINATIONS
11.1. Nominations for theposts of Officers or Committee members shall be in writing, and shall be signed by a proposer and a seconder, both of whom shall be members ofthe Club, and also by the person nominated.
11.2. Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than one week prior tothe date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
12. SUBSCRIPTIONSand FEES
12.1. Each member of theClub shall pay an annual subscription, the basic amount of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.Subscriptions shall be due for payment on 1 January in each year inrespect of the year to the following 31 December. Unless the Committeedecides otherwise, any member whose subscription remains unpaid afterthe due date shall pay table money at the rate applicable to visitorsuntil his or her subscription has been paid in full.
12.2. Each member of the Club, and each guest and visitor, shallpay table money on each occasion when he or she plays at the Club, thebasic amounts of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
12.3. Eachsuccessful applicant for membership of the Club may be required to pay a joining fee, the amount (if any) of which for the time being shall bedecided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
12.4. The Committee may determine variations on the basic amountsof subscriptions and table money for members, guests and visitors indifferent circumstances, and may waive subscriptions or table money inthe event of hardship or for any other good cause.
12.5 The Annual General Meeting may authorise the Committee toincrease the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money prior to the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
12.6 TheCommittee may determine from time to time the amount of fees to becharged for use of the premises or equipment of the Club, or for anyother purpose for which it is of the opinion that fees ought to becharged.
13.ACCOUNTS
13.1. The Committee shallarrange for accounts to be prepared in respect of the financial affairsof the Club for each year ending on 31 December.
13.2. The accounts for each year shall be presented to the AnnualGeneral Meeting of the Club for approval.
14. GUESTS andVISITORS
14.1. Any member may invite a guest to play at the club at any time, but in the event of the playingfacilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play,priority shall be given to members.
14.2.Visitors may be permitted to play at the Club at any time, but in theevent of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate allthose who wish to play, priority shall be given to members and theguests of members.
14.3. The Committee may fromtime to time place a limit on the number of occasions on which a nonmember (whether a guest or a visitor) may play at the club without being required to apply for membership.
14.4. If such a limit is for the time being in force, a non member who has applied formembership shall (subject to available playing facilities) be permittedto play at the Club until his or her application for membership has been considered by the Committee, even if the limit imposed by the Committee is thereby exceeded.
15. MEMBERS’BEHAVIOUR
15.1 Each member of the Club shall be required in connection with the game of Duplicate ContractBridge, to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personaldeportment prescribed by the Bye Laws and regulations for the time being of the EBU.
15.2 The Club shall have the powersand the procedures for the enforcement of the requirement in clause15.1. They are set out in the Schedule of the Constitution, and shallstand as part of the Constitution and be subject to the same provisionsof the Constitution for its amendment.
15.3. Each member of the Club shall be required to observe the rules andregulations of the Constitutional Club or such other premises where theClub shall meet. The Committee shall be entitled to expel any memberfound to be in breach of such rules and regulations.
16. ALTERATIONS TOTHE CONSTITUTION
16.1. No alterations shallbe made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of theClub.
16.2. In order for a resolution to alterthis constitution to have effect at least twothirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour.
17.WINDINGUP
17.1. In order for aresolution that the Club shall be wound up to have effect at leasttwothirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour, and inaddition the number of votes cast in favour of the resolution mustexceed one-half of the number of members of the Club entitled to attendand vote at the General Meeting at which the resolution is put.
17.2. If a resolution that the Club shall be wound upis effectively passed, the Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club, and unless the winding up has been initiatedwith a view to amalgamating the Club with some other club (in which case any surplus assets and funds may be transferred to such other club),any surplus assets and funds shall be transferred to such of theorganisations mentioned in clause
17.3 as may be specified in the resolution initiating the winding up, and if no suchorganisation is so specified, to such of those organisations as theCommittee may think fit.
17.3 The organisationsreferred to in clause 17.2 are
- The English Bridge Union
- The Surrey County Contract Bridge Association;
- The London Metropolitan Bridge Association
- and any Registered or recognised charitablebody
Schedule of DisciplinaryProcedures
1. Requirements of the Schedule
This Schedule is referred to under clause 15 of the Constitution of The Monday 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 anyvariations thereof that are made from time to time. The Club shall actthrough its Conduct and Disciplinary Committees for the enforcement ofstandards prescribed in clause 15 of the Constitution. The Club shallhave additional powers as set out in the clauses below.
2.Receipt of allegation
Any person making a complaintagainst one or more members of the Club under the terms of clause 15 ofthe Constitution, must do so in writing to the Secretary or theChairperson 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 appropriateofficer.
3. ConductCommittee
- The Committee of the Club shall appoint its Conduct Committeethrough its powers to appoint sub committees under clause 7.4. of theConstitution. The Conduct Committee shall be responsible forinvestigating complaints against the Club’s members and to determinewhether a disciplinary offence should be referred to the Club’sDisciplinary Committee.
- The Conduct Committee shall consist of no fewer than threemembers of the Club and no more than five. A quorum for any meetingshall be three of its members. It shall act by simple majority vote andits appointed Chairperson, or whomsoever in his or her absence theConduct Committee shall select to chair its meeting, shall have asecond, or casting vote in the event that there is parity ofvoting.
4. Disciplinary Committee
The Committee of the Club shallappoint the Disciplinary Committee through its powers to appoint subcommittees under clause 7.4. of the Constitution. The DisciplinaryCommittee shall, determine sanctions for offences admitted by thedefendant, hear charges of offences and determine whether those chargesare proved and if proved, to determine the sanction imposed.
The Disciplinary Committee shall consist of no fewer than threemembers 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 andimpose sanctions on the offending member. It shall act by simplemajority vote and its appointed Chairperson, or whomsoever in his or her absence the Disciplinary Committee shall select to chair its meeting,shall have a second, or casting vote in the event that there is parityof voting.
5. Conflicts of Interest and Independence of the Conduct andDisciplinary Committees
Any member of either the Conductor Disciplinary Committee who is in any way personally involved in theallegations within a complaint will be disqualified from participatingin either Committee’s handling of the complaint. A member of the Clubcannot be a member of both the Conduct and DisciplinaryCommittees.
6. The Complaints Process
6.1. Notice of Meetings
Subject to the provisions of clause 2 hereofwhere a written complaint is made, or a matter otherwise comes to theattention of the Conduct Committee, it shall first consider whether such complaint or matter falls within the scope of the Disciplinary Rulesand whether further action is warranted. If it does, the ConductCommittee secretary shall first write to the Defendant, seeking theDefendant’s comments on the substance of the complaint or matter thathas been raised. The Conduct Committee shall also be entitled to makesuch further investigations and enquiries as it in its absolutediscretion considers appropriate. The Conduct Committee shall also beentitled to seek advice both from within the Club and from the EBU Lawsand Ethics Committee, and to obtain external legal advice.
6.2.Complaint notjustified
If the Conduct Committee decides that thecomplaint is not justified, all parties shall be notified and the matter ended.
6.3.Complaintjustified
If the Conduct Committee decides that thecomplaint is justified, it may, in its absolute discretion, offer averbal caution to the offending member, which if accepted, ends thematter.
If the caution is not accepted by the offendingmember, 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 thisdecision and of his or her right to make a written submission to theDisciplinary Committee and to attend the hearing. The Defendant shallhave the right to be represented by legal counsel of his or her choiceor may be accompanied by a person to speak on his or her behalf. TheDisciplinary Committee shall give at least two weeks notice of thehearing to the Defendant.
6.4.Disciplinary Committee’sSanctions
If after the hearing the complaint is upheld, the Disciplinary Committee may in its absolute discretion:
(a) Give a written reprimand tothe offending member(s),or
(b) Suspend the offendingmember(s) from all or some of the competitions sponsored or licensed bythe 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 Committeethen in addition to any other sanctions applied, the DisciplinaryCommittee shall have the power to suspend such member from the Club’sCommittee and any of its sub committees for such a period that it shalldetermine.
Any sanctions imposed by the DisciplinaryCommittee must be communicated to the offending member(s) in writingwithin 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 Appealwithin the time allowed the Sanction shall not take effect until suchAppeal has been determined
Every Defendant found guilty of an offence by the Club Disciplinary Committee has the right to appeal to the SurreyCounty Disciplinary Committee. Appeals must be in writing and lodgedwith the Secretary of the Association within twenty one days of thewritten 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 DisciplinaryCommittee may refer a complaint to the EBU Laws & EthicsCommittee for its consideration. In doing so the County DisciplinaryCommittee shall have fully discharged its responsibilities under thisSchedule.