THE CITY OF LINCOLN BRIDGE CLUB

Constitution

(As amended September 15th 2014)

1. The name of the club shall be 'The City of Lincoln Bridge Club', hereinafter referred to as 'The Club'.

2. The object of The Club shall be to provide facilities for the playing and teaching of bridge by its members.

3. Membership will be by payment of an annual subscription as determined at the Annual General Meeting (hereinafter referred to as the AGM).

4. Application for membership shall be made by contacting any member of the Committee either personally or in writing and must be approved at a subsequent Meeting of the Committee. Such applicants shall be deemed to be temporary members until the next Committee Meeting. The Committee has the power to refuse an application for membership without assigning a reason. In this event he or she shall receive in writing from the Secretary notice to this effect and at the same time shall have returned to him, or her, in full the subscription paid. The Committee shall be empowered to refuse to renew the membership of any member, or terminate their membership at any time without refunding any part of the subscription paid, and shall inform the member of their reason for doing so.

5. In the event of a dispute over a decision by a Tournament Director, the current EBU Policy will be followed.

6. The Club shall be affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU) and bridge shall be played in accordance with EBU rules as currently in force.

7. The Club shall be a member of the 'Lindum Sports Association' (LSA) and shall be represented on the board of the LSA by an 'Associate Director' who will be a member of The Club elected at the AGM.

8. The AGM shall be held on the third Monday in January each year for the purpose of:-

     a)  Receiving reports of the Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and other officers of The Club as deemed necessary.

     b)   To read and approve the accounts.

     c)   To fix the Subscription and Table Money for the coming year.

     d)   Electing the Officers and Committee for the coming year.

     e)    Electing a representative to the County Bridge Association (LCBA) for the following year (June to May).

     f)    Effecting changes to the constitution and rules of The Club as specified on the agenda for the meeting.

     g)    To transact any other business as deemed proper by the Chairman of the meeting.

9. Only paid up members of The Club are entitled to vote at the AGM.

10. The date of the AGM shall be posted on The Club notice board before November 12th and provision shall be made for the nomination of Officers and Committee members for the following year. All such nominations shall carry the name of the proposer and seconder.

11. Items for inclusion on the agenda upon which decisions to amend the Constitution or rules of The Club are made must be notified to the Hon. Secretary in writing, which includes e-mail, by December 7th.

12. Not less than three weeks prior to the date of the AGM the Hon. Secretary will notify members of The Club in writing of the date, time and place of the AGM and enclose an agenda for the Meeting. Writing shall include e-mail, The Club website, The Club notice board and letter for members without an e-mail address or who do not attend bridge sessions regularly.

13. In the event of the AGM being postponed due to the inability to form a quorum (minimum of ten members) or other such unavoidable reason, the Committee shall continue to discharge their duties for the time being until the AGM is able to convene.

14. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be convened at any time by the agreement of any three Committee members or upon a requisition signed by any fifteen members of The Club or 25% of the total membership, whichever is the smaller. Such requisition shall state the nature of the business to be transacted at the Meeting and within 21 days of receiving the same the Hon. Secretary shall convene an EGM to discuss this business and this business only.

15. The business of The Club shall be conducted by a Committee, elected at the AGM. The Committee shall consist of:-

                   CHAIRMAN (elected for a term of three years)

                   HON. SECRETARY

                   HON. TREASURER

                   LSA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

                   LCBA REP.

                   ONE GENERAL MEMBER NOMINATED TO REPRESENT EACH REGULAR BRIDGE SESSION (Currently Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.) Such a member could be eligible for any office on The Club Committee. Minimum number of Committee members is 6.

16. The responsibilities of the Committee members shall be as follows:-

       a)        Chairman      

                  To chair the AGM, and any Committee Meetings, that are held. To have a casting vote in the event of a tied vote at either the AGM, or a Committee Meeting.

        b)       Hon. Secretary

                   To conduct the general correspondence related to the running of The Club.

                   To take the minutes at the AGM and Committee Meetings.

                   To maintain a register of members.

                   To maintain a roster of Tournament Directors.

        c)       Hon. Treasurer

                   To maintain the accounts of The Club for the financial year 1st January to 31st December.

                   To pay, and receive, all monies due to, and from, The Club.

                   To present the annual audited account and balance sheet at the AGM.

         d)       LSA Associate Director

                   To represent the interests of The Club within the LSA.

         e)        General Member

                   To represent the interests of The Club.

17.     Committee Meetings

           a)       A Meeting shall be convened by the Hon. Secretary as and when such a Meeting is deemed necessary.

           b)      A quorum of four members is required for such a Meeting.

           c)      In the event of the Chairman not being available for the Meeting of the Committee, the Committee members present will elect a Chairman for that Meeting.

18.      The Committee shall be empowered to appoint Sub-Committees, and to co-opt to its own body, or on to any Sub-Committee so appointed by any other member or members of the club, as it may deem necessary for the expeditious handling of the affairs of The Club.

19.      The Committee may at its discretion appoint temporary replacements to fill vacancies occurring on the Committee during the year, until an EGM can be convened to fill the vacancies.

20.      No deletion from or amendment to this Constitution shall be made except at an Annual, or Extraordinary, General Meeting. Notice of any such alteration must be given in the way prescribed - Para 10 to 13. A 2/3rd majority of the members present is required for an alteration.

21.     The financial year of The Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December of that year.