The Rules of the Society
St Andrew’s Society of Bradford.
RULES
Revised: 1974, 1981, 2005, 2010, 2012.
1. NAME
The Society shall be called ‘THE ST. ANDREW’S SOCIETY OF BRADFORD’
2. OBJECTS
The Objects of the Society shall be as follows:-
2.1 To promote among the membership and local community a pride in Scotland and Scottish traditions.
2.2 To encourage and promote the celebration of St Andrew’s Day as the national day of Scotland, and other occasions of significance to Scotland.
2.3 To promote friendly social interaction and good fellowship through the Society’s objects and activities.
2.4 To co-operate and collaborate with kindred Societies for the mutual benefit of all.
3. MANAGEMENT
3.1 The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a Council consisting of the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Membership Secretary, the Publicity officer and three other Honorary, Ordinary or Honorary Life Members.
3.2 Five members of Council are required to make a quorum of Council.
3.3 The Society representative to the Burns Federation shall be an ex officio member of Council.
3.4 In the event of a vacancy on Council during the year then Council may co-opt an Honorary, Ordinary or Honorary Life Member to fill the vacancy for the remainder of that year.
3.5 Council meetings shall be convened by giving at least seven days’ notice to all Council Members, unless there is urgent business, when shorter notice may be given, in agreement with the Secretary.
3.6 The Council shall have power to appoint sub-committees for specific purposes, such committees to include a Member of Council. Membership of such sub-committees need not be confined to members of the Council. A nominated member of Council shall report the activities of the sub-committees into scheduled Council meetings.
3.7 Each Council Member shall be entitled to one vote.
3.8 The Council shall have power to invite persons with particular knowledge, experience or skill to attend Council Meetings but without having the right to vote.
4. OFFICERS
4.1 The PRESIDENT shall, except in unforeseen circumstances, hold office for a year, and at the end of his/her year of office he/she shall be succeeded as President by the nominated VICE-PRESIDENT.
4.2 The VICE PRESIDENT shall be proposed by a member of the Society and seconded by another member, and may be recommended by the Council. The VICE PRESIDENT ought to have served on Council for twelve months prior to nomination.
4.3 The TREASURER, SECRETARY, MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY and PUBLICITY OFFICER shall be eligible for re-election.
4.4 The three Honorary, Ordinary or Honorary Life members shall be elected to serve on the Council for twelve months and after that period shall be eligible for re-election but shall not serve in this capacity on the Council for more than three consecutive years.
4.5 The IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, having served in that capacity on the Council for twelve months, shall automatically retire at the expiration of that period and shall not be eligible for re-election to Council for a period of twelve months.
5. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
5.1 The Council shall call an Annual General Meeting in March each year, the date, time and place to be determined by the Council.
5.2 The Annual General Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary giving not less than twenty-one days’ notice by circular, for the purpose of receiving a Report and Abstract of the Accounts for the previous year; setting the subscriptions for the following year; electing the Council and Auditor(s) and transacting any other business that may require the decisions of a General Meeting.
5.3 Resolutions may be passed by a majority of members present and voting.
5.4 The quorum for the General Meetings of the Society will be ten voting members or one tenth of the membership, whichever is the greater.
5.5 Any motion for consideration at the Annual General Meeting must be in the hands of the Secretary no later than twenty-eight days prior to the date of the meeting.
5.6 Each member shall be entitled to one vote at General meetings.
6. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
6.1 The Council may call an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time by giving not less than twenty-one days’ notice by circular, specifying the nature of the business to be transacted. The discussion at such meeting shall be strictly confined to the business specified in the circular.
6.2 The Council shall also call an Extraordinary General Meeting, subject to the above restrictions, on the written requisition of six members, such requisition to be in the hands of the Secretary at least twenty-eight days before the date of the Extraordinary General Meeting
7. FUNDS
7.1 The Council has a duty to authorise expenditure of Society funds in order to achieve the objects of the Society.
7.2 The Council has the authority to manage Society funds appropriately and make proper arrangements for the effective management of those funds and for the financial sustainability of the Society.
7.3 The financial year of the Society shall commence on the 1st February and end on 31st of January of the following year
7.4 The Treasurer shall keep account of all income and expenditure and shall submit accounts to the Annual General Meeting.
7.5 Bank or building society account(s) shall be established in the name of the Society and withdrawals shall be made in its name on the signatures of two members of the Council drawn from an authorised panel.
8. MEMBERSHIP
8.1 There shall be Ordinary, Honorary and Honorary Life Members of the Society. Persons may be elected as Honorary Members or Honorary Life Members of the Society either by the Council or by the Society in General Meeting.
8.2 Membership shall be open to any person able to satisfy Council that they endorse the objects of the Society. Prospective members of the Society shall be proposed by one Member of the Society and seconded by another Member. The membership of all new Ordinary and Honorary and Honorary Life Members must be unanimously approved at a Council Meeting or General meeting.
9. SUBSCRIPTIONS
9.1 The Annual subscription of the Society shall be set at a level determined by the Council. Such a proposition shall be notified to the members and presented for ballot at the Annual General meeting.
9.2 Subscriptions shall be payable in advance on 1st February each year. Members who have not paid subscriptions in two successive years shall automatically be deemed to have withdrawn from membership of the Society.
10. RESIGNATION OF MEMBERS
Any member who may desire to resign must send written intimation to that effect to the Secretary before the Annual General Meeting, otherwise he/she will be held responsible for another year’s subscription.
11. SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
11.1 The Council shall have the authority to suspend any member whose conduct is, after inquiry, considered detrimental to the Society and whose explanation for said behaviour is considered unsatisfactory.
11.2 Any member may be expelled from the Society by resolution of two thirds of the whole Council but the Member expelled shall have a right to appeal to a General Meeting specially summoned for that purpose. At that General Meeting, a majority of the Members present may confirm or annul the resolution of the Council in relation to such expulsion. Voting on the question of the expulsion of a Member shall be by ballot.
12. ALTERATION OF RULES
12.1 No rule shall be added to these rules, nor any existing rule altered, except by resolution of a two-thirds majority of Members of the Society assembled in General Meeting requisite notice having been given.
12.2 No proposition for such addition or alteration, except an amendment to an addition or alteration duly proposed, shall be brought before any General Meeting, unless with the consent, previously obtained of the Council, or upon the requisition in writing of any six Members of the Society. Such requisition shall be sent to the Secretary at least 28 days before the holding of such General Meeting.
13. NOTICES
13.1 All notices sent to either the postal or electronic addresses of Members recorded in the Secretary’s records shall be deemed duly delivered. Members changing their addresses should at once give notice in writing or by electronic means of such change to the Membership Secretary.
14. DISSOLUTION
14.1 The Society may be dissolved at any time by means of a resolution agreed by a two-thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote at any general meeting or an extraordinary general meeting called for the purpose.
14.2 The Society’s assets shall be distributed as voted upon at that meeting, following the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, to another organisation with similar objects.
St Andrew’s Society of Bradford: January 2013