1. Name
Winshill
Allotment and Cottage Gardens Association Wheatley Lane.
2. Aims
& Objectives
To
promote the interests of all members in their gardening activities,
including co-operating with other gardening associations in matters
of mutual interest.
To
conduct negotiations with the local authority on all matters relating
to the allotments
To
take action to protect members and their plots against damage,
trespass and theft
To
secure the site from vandals, dog fouling and other anti-social
activities.
3. Membership
Membership
of the Association shall be open to:-
a)
All persons 18 years old and over who are
allotment holders on the Wheatley Lane Allotment site. Persons under
the age of 18 may be admitted as junior members free of charge.
b)
Well-wishers anywhere, who shall be called Associate Members.
Associate Members shall not have the right to vote at Members
meetings. Associate member to pay an associate membership fee
determined by the Association Committee.
4. Termination
of Membership
The
General Committee shall have the right, for good and sufficient
reason which includes non payment of any subscription, to exclude
from meetings an individual member, provided that the individual
member shall have the right to be heard by the General Committee
before a decision is made.
5. Subscriptions
All
individual members and affiliated groups shall pay such subscriptions
as the general committee may from time to time determine
6. General
Committee
The
General Committee may determine the powers and terms of reference of
any Sub committee and duration of its activities.
The
policy and general management of the affairs of the Association shall
be conducted by a General Committee, which shall be responsible to
the Annual General Meeting of the Association.
The
General Committee shall consist of the Honorary Officers elected
under clause 7 and up to 7 representatives of individual members
elected at the Annual General Meeting.
In
addition, the General Committee may co-opt further members, who shall
not exceed one third of the total membership of the committee as
defined above.
If
vacancies occur among its members, the General Committee shall have
the power to fill these from amongst the members of the Association.
The
Honorary Officers reserve the right to ask any General Committee
Member who has not attended a committee meeting for 6 months to step
down from said committee. The Honorary Officers will at all times
take into account personal circumstances that might prevent that
member being able to attend.
7. Honorary
Officers
The
Annual General Meeting shall elect the following Honorary Officers of
the Association from amongst those eligible for election to the
General Committee.
A
Chair, Secretary and a Treasurer. The Honorary Officers shall serve
in their respective capacities as Officers of the General Committee
until the following Annual General Meeting.
In
the event of a vacancy occurring among the Honorary Officers, the
General Committee shall have the power to fill such a vacancy from
its own members or those of the Association.
8. Annual
General Meeting
Once
in each year, in the month of November or December, the General
Committee shall convene an Annual General Meeting of the Association
for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report of the General
Committee and the audited or independently examined Statement of
Accounts; of electing the Honorary Officers; of electing the
representatives of individual members to serve on the General
Committee; of appointing auditors or independent examiners; and of
considering, whenever necessary, proposals to amend this Constitution
and other business of which due notice has been received. 14 days
notice of this meeting will be given in writing to members.
9. Special
General Meeting
The
Chair of the Association or the Secretary may at any time at their
discretion, and shall within 21 days of receiving a written request
to do so, signed by not less than 10 members having the power to vote
and giving reasons for the request, call a Special General Meeting of
the Association for the purposes of altering the Constitution in
accordance with Clause 13 hereof or of considering any other matter
which may be referred to it by the General Committee or for any other
purpose.
10. Rules
of Procedure
Voting:
Subject to the provisions of clause 13, all questions arising at any
meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and
entitled to vote thereat. No member shall exercise more than one
vote, but in the case of an equality of votes the chair shall have a
second and casting vote.
Quorum:
Five of the members shall form a quorum at meetings of the General
Committee and all other Committee’s. Twelve members, shall form a
quorum at Annual General Meetings of the Association.
Minutes:
Minute books shall be kept by the General Committee and any
sub-committee’s which may have been established, and the
appropriate Secretary shall enter therein a record of all proceedings
and resolutions.
11. Finance
All
monies raised by or on behalf of the Association shall be applied to
further the objects of the Association and for no other purpose.
The
Treasurer shall keep proper account of the finances of the
Association and shall open a bank account in the name of the
Association with two signatures out of four nominated to sign
cheques.
The
accounts shall be audited or independently examined at least once a
year by auditors/independent examiners appointed by the Annual
General Meeting or a General Committee meeting.
The
Association financial year shall be at the end of October each year.
12.
No sectarian or party political questions shall be introduced to any
meeting and no action of the society shall be directed towards the
propagation of political or religious doctrines, racial or gender
discrimination or political or religious activities.
13. Alterations
to the constitution
Any
proposal to alter this Constitution must be delivered in writing to
the Secretary of the Association not less than 28 days before the
date of the meeting at which it is first to be considered.
An
alteration will require the approval of a two-thirds majority of
individual members of the Association present and voting at a General
Meeting. Notice of each such meeting must have been given in
accordance with normal procedure, but not less than 14 days prior to
the meeting in question and giving the wording of the proposed
alteration.
THIS
CONSTITUTION was adopted as the constitution of Winshill
Allotment and Cottage Gardens Association
at the AGM held
___________________________
on _________________________20
Signed
___________________________________ (Chair)
____________________________________
(Secretary)
Version
2 20/2/19: SueHockley
(WinshillAllotmentConstitution.doc)