The Society's committee is proposing changes to the society's constitution, to better reflect how the society currently operates.
DEREHAM SOCIETY CONSTITUTION.
For Review AGM 6th
March 2013. Sections 3,4,6 & 7
Present in Red. Proposed in Blue
1. Name.
The
name of the Society shall be The Dereham Society.
2. Objects.
The Society is
established for the public benefit for the following purposes in the area
comprising the Parish of Dereham (including Toftwood) and Scarning which area
shall hereinafter be referred to as “the area of benefit”.
(i) To stimulate public interest in the area of
benefit.
(ii) To promote high standards of planning and
architecture in the area of benefit.
(iii) To secure the
preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest
in the area of benefit.
In furtherance of the
said purposes but not otherwise, the Society, through the Executive Committee
shall have the following powers:
(1) To promote research into subjects directly
connected with the objects of the
Society and to publish the results of any such research.
(2) To act as a co-ordinating body and to
co-operate with the local authority, planning committees, sanitary, drainage
and all other local & statutory authorities, voluntary organisations,
charities and persons having aims similar to those of the Society.
(3) To promote or
assist in promoting activities of a charitable nature throughout the area of benefit.
(4) To publish papers, reports and other
literature.
(5) To make surveys and prepare maps and plans,
to collect information in relation to
any place, erection or building of beauty or historic interest within
the area of benefit.
(6) To hold meetings, lectures and exhibitions.
(7) To educate public opinion and to give advice
and information.
(8) To raise funds and invite and receive
contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription,
donation and otherwise provided that the Society shall not undertake any
permanent trading activities in raising funds for its primary purpose.
(9) To take and accept any gifts of property,
whether subject to any special trusts or not.
(10) To sell, let,
mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or funds of
the Society as shall be necessary.
(11) To borrow or
raise money for the purposes of the Society on such terms and on such security
as the Executive Committee shall think fit, but so that the liability of
individual members of the Society shall in no case extend beyond the amount of
their respective annual subscriptions.
(12) To do all such
other things as are necessary for the attainment of the said purpose.
[Dereham Society Constitution
(continued 1)]
3. Membership.
Membership shall be open to all who
are interested in actively furthering the purposes of the Society. No member shall have the power to vote at any
meeting of the Society if his subscription is in arrears at the time. Junior members shall be those aged less that
18 years at the time their subscription is due; and they shall not be entitled
to vote at any meeting of the Society.
The subscriptions of a member joining the Society in the three months
preceding January 1st in any year shall be regarded as covering
membership for the Society’s commencing on January 1st following the
date of joining the Society.
3. Membership.
Membership shall be open to all
who are interested in actively furthering the purposes of the Society. No member shall have the power to vote at any
meeting of the Society if his subscription is in arrears at the time. The subscriptions of a member joining the
Society in the three months preceding The AGM in any year shall be regarded as
covering membership for the Society’s commencing at the AGM following the date
of joining the Society.
4. Subscriptions.
The annual subscription shall be divided into
catagories as follows:-
As at 2010 – announced at AGM
February 2009)
Life Membership £10 X
Annual subscription
Full
Membership £ 9.00
Family
Membership
(two people
at same address) £12.00
Businesses/Organisations 1½ times full
membership £13.50
Junior
Members ½
full membership £4.50
(Under 18
years at 1st January)
or such reasonable sum as the
Executive Committee shall determine from time to time, and shall be payable on
or before January 1st each year.
Membership shall lapse if the subscription is unpaid three months after
it is due.
4. Subscriptions. 2013-2014
The annual subscription shall be divided into
catagories as follows:-
Full
Membership £ 1.00
Family
Membership
(two
people at same address) £2.00
Businesses/Organisations £2.00
or such reasonable sum as the
Executive Committee shall determine from time to time, and shall be payable after
the AGM each year. Membership shall
lapse if the subscription is unpaid three months after it is due.
5.
Meetings.
An Annual General
Meeting shall be held in or about February
of
each year to receive
the Executive Committee’s report and audited accounts and to elect Officers and
Members of the Committee.
The Committee shall decide when ordinary
meetings of the Society shall be held and shall give at least 14 days notice of
such meetings to all members.
Special General Meetings of the Society shall
be held at the written request of members representing not less than 10% of the
existing membership of the society and whose subscriptions are fully paid up. 25%
of members personally present shall constitute a quorum for a Meeting of the
Society.
6. Officers.
Nominations
for the election of Officers shall be made at least 14 days before the Annual
General Meeting. Such nominations shall
be supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first
have been obtained. The election of
Officers shall be completed prior to the election of further Committee
members. Nominees for the election as
Officers or Committee members shall declare at the Annual General Meeting at
which their election is to be considered.
The
Officers of the Society shall consist of:
Chairman
(Vice Chairman)
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
all of whom
shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for re-election
at the Annual General Meeting. The
Chairman shall not be entitled to retain his office for more than 2 consecutive
years but shall be eligible for further election in due course. A President and Vice Presidents may also be
elected at a General Meeting of the
Society, for periods to be decided at such a meeting. The Executive Committee shall have the power
to fill casual vacancies occurring among the Officers of the Society.
6. Officers.
The
election of Officers shall be completed prior to the election of further
Committee members at the Annual General Meeting.
The
Officers of the Society shall consist of:
Chairman
(Vice Chairman)
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer &
Membership Secretary
all of
whom shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for
re-election at the Annual General Meeting.
A President and Vice Presidents may also be elected at a General Meeting of the Society, for periods to
be decided at such a meeting. The
Executive Committee shall have the power to fill casual vacancies occurring
among the Officers of the Society.
7. The Executive.
The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management and administration
of the Society. The Executive Committee
shall consist of Officers and not less than 4 and not more than 6 other
members. The Committee shall have power
to co-opt further members (who shall attend in an advisory and non-voting
capacity). The Officers and members of
the Committee shall normally be resident or work in the area of benefit. The
President and Vice Presidents may attend any meeting of the Executive Committee
but shall not vote at any meeting. In
the event of an equality in the votes cast, the Chairman shall have a second
casting vote. Nominations for election
to the Executive Committee shall be made in writing at least 14 days before the
Annual General Meeting. They must be
supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must be
obtained. If the nominations exceed the
number of vacancies, a ballot shall take place in such a manner as shall be
determined. Members of the Executive
Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the
Society, outgoing members may be re-elected.
The Executive Committee shall meet not less than 6 times a year at
intervals of not more than 2 months and the Honorary Secretary shall give all
members not less than 7 days notice of each meeting. The quorum shall, as near as may be, comprise
one third of the members of the Executive Committee.
7. The Executive.
The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management and administration
of the Society. The Executive Committee
shall consist of Officers and not more than 6 other members. The Committee shall have power to co-opt
further members. The Officers and
members of the Committee shall normally be resident or work in the area of
benefit. The President and Vice Presidents may attend any meeting of the
Executive Committee but shall not vote at any meeting. In the event of an equality in the votes cast,
the Chairman shall have a second casting vote Members of the Executive
Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the
Society, outgoing members may be re-elected.
The Executive Committee shall meet at regular intervals, determined by
the activities of the Society, and at a minimum of every six months. The Honorary
Secretary shall give all members not less than 7 days notice of each
meeting. The quorum shall, as near as
may be, comprise one third of the members of the Executive Committee.
8. Sub-Committees.
The Executive Committee
may constitute such sub-committees from time to time as shall be considered
necessary for such purposes as shall be thought fit. The Chairman of each sub-committee shall be
appointed by the Executive Committee and all actions and proceedings of each
sub-committee shall be reported to and be confirmed by the Executive Committee
as soon as possible. Members of the
Executive Committee may be members of any sub-committee and membership of a
sub-committee shall be no bar to membership of the Executive Committee. Sub-committees shall be subordinate to and
may be regulated or dissolved by the Executive Committee.
9. Declaration of Interest.
It shall be the duty
of every Officer or member of the Executive Committee or Sub-committee who is
in any way directly or indirectly interested financially or professionally in
any item discussed at any Committee meeting at which he or she is present to
declare such interest and he/she shall not discuss such item or vote thereon.
10. Expenses of Administration and Application of Funds.
The Executive Committee
shall, out of the funds of the Society, pay all proper expenses of
administration and management of the Society.
After the payment of the administration and management expenses and the
setting aside to reserve of such funds as may be deemed expedient, the
remaining funds of the Society shall be applied by the Executive Committee in
the furtherance of the purposes of the Society.
[Dereham Society
Constitution (continued 3)]
11. Investment.
All monies at any time
belonging to the Society and not required for immediate application for its
purposes shall be invested by the Executive Committee in or upon such
investment securities or property as it may think fit, subject, nevertheless,
to such authority, approval or consent
by the Charity Commission as may be for the time being required by law
or by the special trusts affecting any property in the hands of the Executive
Committee.
12.Trustees.
Any freehold and
leasehold property acquired by the Society shall and if the Executive Committee
so direct any other property belonging to the Society may be vested in trustees
who shall deal with such property as the Executive Committee may from time to
time direct. Any trustees shall at least
be 3 in number or a trust corporation.
The Power of the Appointment of new trustees shall be vested in the
Executive Committee. A trustee need not
be a member of the society but no person whose membership lapses by virtue of
paragraph 3 hereof shall thereafter be qualified to act as a trustee unless and
until re-appointed as such by the Executive Committee. The Honorary Secretary shall from time to
time notify the trustees in writing of any such amendments in their duties as
hereto and the trustees shall not be bound by any such amendments in their
duties as trustees unless such notice has been given. The Society shall be bound to indemnify the
trustees in their duties (including the proper charge of a trustee being a
trust corporation) and liability under such indemnity shall be a proper
administrative expense.
13. Amendments.
This Constitution may be
amended by a two-thirds majority of members present at any Annual General
Meeting or Special General Meeting of the society, providing that 28 days
notice of the proposed amendment has been to all members, and provided that
nothing herein contained shall authorise any amendment the effect of which
would be to cause the society at any time to cease to be a charity in law.
14. Notices.
Any notice required to
be given by these Rules shall be deemed to be duly given if sent by electronic
mail, delivered by hand or prepaid post addressed to the address of that member
last notified by the Secretary.
15. Winding Up.
The
Society may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of members voting at the
Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the society confirmed by
simple majority of members voting at a further Special General Meeting held not
less than 14 days after the previous Meeting.
If a motion for the dissolution of the Society is to be proposed at an
Annual General Meeting or Special general Meeting this motion shall be referred
to specifically when notice of the Meeting is given. In the event of the dissolution of the
Society the available funds of the Society shall be transferred to such one or
more charitable institutions having objects similar or reasonably similar to
the herein before declared as shall be chosen by the Executive Committee and
approved by the Meeting of the Society is confirmed. On dissolution the minute books and other
records of the Society shall be deposited with the Civic Trust. 