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Constitution and Rules

LIVESEY BRIDGE CLUB

CONSTITUTION AND RULES

1.    THE CLUB

The club shall be known as the LIVESEY BRIDGE CLUB.

The objectives of the Club shall be to provide suitable premises at acceptable costs with facilities for playing regular Duplicate Contract Bridge, to organise competitions for members and to promote the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge.

The Livesey Bridge Club and its members and visitors shall comply with the particular bye-laws and rules governing the use of such premises as well as this constitution which covers all the internal affairs of the Livesey Bridge Club.

2.    THE MEMBERSHIP

The members of the club shall be those persons who have been elected and approved as such by the Committee.

Persons wishing to be considered for membership must complete an application form to be addressed to the Secretary. Such applications together with any representations received from existing members shall then be considered by the Committee whose decision will be notified in writing to the applicant.

Guests and visitors are welcome but shall pay additional table monies as laid down at each Annual General Meeting. Such persons must not play more than six times in any calendar year without applying for membership.

3.    MANAGEMENT

The general management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee comprising the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer plus not less than two or more than six committee members.

All members of the Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.  Nominations for principal officers and other committee members shall be forwarded to the Secretary in writing, not less than 21 days before the meeting, with the names of the proposer and seconder and an indication of the nominee's willingness to stand. In the event of a shortfall for any position those candidates nominated shall be elected and nominations for any vacancies shall be accepted from the floor.

The principal officers, i.e  Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall hold office for no more than three consecutive years, unless decided otherwise by the Annual General Meeting.

The Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancies that occur to complete the Committee, and may also co-opt any number of members short term to complete a set objective agreed by the Committee.

4.    MEETINGS

The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held not later than three calendar months after the end of each financial year ending on 31st March to transact the following business:

(a) To receive the Chairman’s Report;

(b) To receive and approve the statement of accounts for the Club to the end of the preceding year, drawn up by the Treasurer and approved by another member of the Committee;

(c) To determine the annual subscriptions of members and table money for the current year;

(d) To consider and, if approved, sanction any amendment to the Constitution in accordance with section 7;

(e) To elect the principal officers and other members of the Committee;

(f) To deal with any matter notified to the Secretary in writing not less than 21 days before the meeting; and

(g) To conduct any other business.

Notice convening the Annual General Meeting shall be given to members not less than 28 days before the meeting. The agenda for the meeting shall be circulated not less than seven days before the meeting.

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee and shall also be convened within 21 days from the receipt of a requisition, in writing, signed by not less than eight members, specifying the object of the meeting. No business other than that for which the meeting was convened shall be transacted.

At an Annual General Meeting ten members shall form a quorum. At an Extraordinary General Meeting eight members shall form a quorum.  Should no quorum be present the meeting shall be adjourned to a date not more than 15 days thence and the members then present may validly transact the business of the meeting. The chairman of a General Meeting shall be empowered to rule out of order a resolution proposed of which due notice has not been given.

At a General Meeting each member of the Club shall be entitled to one vote, except the Chairman of the meeting who shall also have a casting vote. Any members who are unable to attend a General Meeting may vote by proxy on any resolution put forward in the notice of that meeting by giving written instructions in accordance with the procedure set out in the notice of that meeting not less than 24 hours before the time fixed for the meeting. Any decision of the majority at a General Meeting shall be binding on all members of the Club.

At Committee meetings four committee members shall form a quorum. Each committee member shall be entitled to one vote, except the Chairman who shall also have a casting vote.

5.    DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE

It shall be the duty of the Committee to manage, regulate and generally supervise the affairs of the Club for the benefit of the members.

The Chairman will normally preside at all General and Committee meetings, and is responsible for the orderly running of meetings. In the absence of the Chairman the committee members shall elect one of their number as chairman for the meeting.

The Secretary shall be responsible under the Committee for all the business of the Club, shall keep a register of members, conduct all correspondence, send due notice of all meetings and items of interest to members, and shall record and keep minutes of all meetings and files of correspondence.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies paid to the Club and for making all necessary payments and obtaining vouchers thereof as far as is practical. The Treasurer will deposit all monies received in such bank or banks as the Committee may authorise. The Treasurer shall keep account of all transactions and produce such accounts for inspection as and when required by the Committee.

Discipline – the Committee shall have the power to make guidelines, and where necessary rules, for regulating the conduct and affairs of the Club, providing the same are not inconsistent with this Constitution. The Committee may cancel or suspend the membership of any person in the interests of the Club. Complaints by members against another member must be made in writing to the Secretary for submission to the Committee. After such enquiries as may be necessary, the Committee shall take such action as it deems fit, provided that if disciplinary action is considered, then the member shall be given an opportunity to answer the charges. All decisions on disciplinary action against members require a two-thirds majority of the Committee present and voting.

6.    GENERAL

Members must accept the obligation to act as duty member as designated by the Committee.

Each member of Livesey Bridge Club shall be required, in connection with the game of Contract Bridge and variations thereof, to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal deportment prescribed in the Bye-laws and Regulations of the English Bridge Union. Where the Club rules are silent, the Committee shall have the power to refer the matter to the English Bridge Union for guidance.

The Club does not accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury sustained by any member whilst on Club premises or engaged in any of the Club’s activities, nor shall any member have any claim against the Club or Committee members for any action taken in accordance with the Rules and Bye-laws.

The Committee may require any member to make good any damage or loss caused by that member’s action or neglect to any property owned by the Club or for which the Club is responsible.

7.    ALTERATION TO THE RULES

The rules may be altered only by a two-thirds majority of those members present or voting by proxy at a General Meeting. Notice of intention to propose an alteration to the rules at an Annual General Meeting for inclusion on the agenda must be deposited with the Secretary not later than the end of the Club's financial year.

8.    WINDING UP

If at a General Meeting of the Club, members agree that it is necessary to wind up the Club, the Committee shall be empowered to take whatever action may be required to realise the assets of the Club. Any surplus proceeds after payment of all debts shall then be distributed amongst fully paid-up members on the following basis: each member be allocated one unit for each complete year of membership (to a maximum of 5), and the total number of units allotted in this way be divided into the net proceeds to derive a cash value per unit.

9.    CONSTITUTION

A copy of this Constitution shall be made available on the Club's website and shall be binding on all members.

 

Updated June 2022