Worthing Bridge Club Constitution - updated Sept 2019
WORTHING BRIDGE CLUB
Constitution approved at AGM 9 March 2019, as subsequently amended by the Management Committee under authority delegated at that general meeting.
1. THE CLUB
The Club shall be called “WORTHING BRIDGE CLUB”. The object of the Club is to provide the facilities for members to play bridge.
2. THE TRUSTEES
The property of the Club shall be legally vested in at least two Trustees who shall be members of the Club. The Trustees shall deal with the Club property according to the directions of the Management Committee and shall hold office for life or until their resignation from office, or the cessation of their membership of the Club, or until required to relinquish their office by a simple vote of members at a General Meeting. Any vacancy shall be filled at a General Meeting.
3. MANAGEMENT
(a) Committee
The overall management of the Club shall be vested in a Management Committee
(hereinafter called “the Committee”) of twelve members including four Officers (Chairman,
Vice Chairman, Hon. Secretary, and Hon. Treasurer).
(b) Election
Officers and Committee members shall be elected by a majority of the members present at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
(c) Procedure
Nominations for the election of Officers and Committee members must be in writing and received by the Secretary at least ten days before the Annual General Meeting. Nominations must be signed by a proposer and seconder and the nominees must also sign to indicate their willingness to serve if elected. The names of all nominees shall be displayed on the Club Notice Board for seven days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
(d) Duration
The Officers and other Committee members shall retire annually but shall be eligible to stand for re-election.
(e) Quorum
Five members of the Committee shall be a quorum.
(f) Powers
The Committee shall be empowered:
(i) to make such by-laws, consistent with EBU laws and policies, as considered necessary for the proper management and conduct of the club and its members;
(ii) to form and dissolve sub-committees, with such duties and powers, as thought fit;
(iii) to co-opt members to fill any Committee vacancies occurring between Annual General Meetings;
(iv) to determine the Annual Subscription, Joining Fee and Table Money and to oversee all Club expenditure with a view to ensuring good value for money;
(v) to appoint a President (or not);
(vi) to approve the appointment of honorary members; and,
(vii) to let contracts and appoint and dismiss staff.
(g) Chairman
The Chairman shall take the lead role in determining the strategic priorities of the club and overseeing the implementation of plans to address those priorities. At all General and Committee meetings the Chairman or, in his/her absence the Vice Chairman, shall preside. Failing this, the Committee shall elect a member of the Committee to preside.
(h) Honorary Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for:
(i) Calling meetings of the Club and Committee and keeping minutes of such
Meetings
(ii) Dealing with all correspondence and keeping Secretarial records
(iii) Undertaking other work relating to the Club as requested by the Committee.
(i)Honorary Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for:
(i) Receiving all monies due to the Club
(ii) Making payments due from the Club on behalf of the Committee
(iii) Keeping records of accounts and preparing financial statements as necessary
4. Meetings of the Committee
Decisions at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall have a casting vote. The first meeting of the Committee must be held within one month of its election and at the first meeting the Committee shall appoint:
(a) A Membership Secretary whose duties are:
(i)to implement changes to the Club’s record of names, addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers;
(ii) to notify all membership applicants of their election/non-election;
(iii) to advise the Committee regarding any issues during probationary periods, and,
(iv) to correspond with individual members as required by the Committee.
(b) An Appeals sub-committee consisting of one Officer and two experienced Club members the duties of which are to consider, resolve and recommend their findings to the Committee on any appeal from a Club member involving the play, direction or application of the current edition of the laws of Duplicate Bridge.
(c) A Bar Supplies sub-committee consisting of three members, of whom at least one must also be a member of the Committee, and whose duties are to purchase and supply bar items, to oversee the running of the bar and hold stock checks, and to recommend any variation in bar prices to the Committee.
5. Membership
(a) Joining
Applications for membership shall be made using the prescribed form and passed to any Committee Member or Tournament Director. The completed application form shall then be passed to the Membership Secretary for consideration. The election of members is vested in the Membership Secretary, operating on behalf of the Committee, and is for a probationary period of six months. Applicants shall be notified in writing of their election or non-election. On receipt of the official notification of election, the new member shall pay the joining fee (if required – teaching class students are exempt) and the appropriate subscription within one month. If these monies are not paid within one month, the election shall become void, unless the member can justify the delay to the satisfaction of the Committee. Notifications of election will be recorded in the minutes of the next Committee meeting in each case.
(b) Resignation
Any member wishing to resign shall give notice in writing to the Membership Secretary.
(c) Members’ Conduct
Each member of the Club shall be required in connection with the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge, to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal deportment prescribed by the Bye Laws and regulations for the time being of the EBU. The Club shall have the powers and the procedures for the enforcement of this requirement. They are set out in the Schedule of the Constitution, and shall stand as part of the Constitution and be subject to the same provisions of the Constitution for its amendment.
(d) Complaints
The Club publishes a Code of Conduct on its website and notice board to which all members must adhere. When problems arise at the table, members must call the Tournament Director (TD). TDs have the authority to issue disciplinary penalties for anything that breaks the Code of Conduct. In extreme cases the TD can suspend a player from a session (Law 91).
Where a member has not taken up an issue at the time, complaint self-management is the next step, where the person with the complaint tries to resolve the problem directly with the other person, by talking to them. This should quickly resolve many lower level and ‘accidental’ issues. If this does not work, or it is inappropriate to do so, informal or formal procedures become necessary.
(i) Informal Procedures
Minor misconduct will be dealt with informally if possible. When allegations are less serious or are admitted, or when the complainant prefers an informal option, or when behaviour has been observed rather than formally reported, the emphasis is on resolution.
(ii)Formal procedures
When it is not possible or appropriate to resolve matters informally, or when an informal approach has not worked, the Schedule of Disciplinary Procedures annexed to this constitution will be used to guide subsequent action.
(e) Membership Database
A current database of full members, created, maintained and secured under the rules of current data protection legislationreferring to Clubs, shall be managed by an appointed Committee member and shall be regarded as the definitive record of membership for voting purposes.
6. Financial
(a) Financial Year
The Club’s financial year shall be from the 1st January to the 31st December.
(b) Subscriptions
The annual subscription shall be payable on the 1st January. If a subscription is not paid by 31 March then the membership lapses. The Committee may reinstate a member on satisfactory explanation of non-payment. Any member newly elected to the Club during the year shall pay a proportion of the annual subscription determined by the number of whole months remaining in that year.
(c) Drawing of Cheques
All cheques drawn on the Club’s current account or transactions conducted in the Club’s savings account must be signed by at least one authorised signatory who is a Management Committee member. The Committee may decide a monetary level above which a cheque or other financial transaction must be countersigned by a second authorised signatory.
(d) Audit
The Accounts of the Club, made up to the 31st December each year, must be audited annually by an Auditor elected at the preceding Annual General Meeting of the Club. The Auditor may not be a member of the Committee.
7. Meetings
(a) Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM of the Club shall be held not later than the 31st March each year to conduct the following business:
(i) to read, and if thought fit, to confirm the minutes of the last AGM;
(ii) to consider any matters arising from the minutes of the last AGM;
(iii) to receive, and if thought fit, to adopt the Chairman’s report for the year;
(iv) to receive, and if thought fit, to adopt the audited accounts and the Treasurer’s report;
(v) to elect Officers, Committee members and an Auditor;
(vi) to discuss and vote on any resolution which has been communicated to the Secretary and included in the notice of the meeting; and,
(vii) to discuss, at the Chairman’s discretion, any other business raised from the floor but no vote shall be taken.
(b) Extraordinary General Meeting
An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Secretary on behalf of the Committee or on receipt of a request in writing signed by at least twelve members of the Club and stating the specific business to be discussed.On single issues the Committee may decide to hold a vote by email/mail. If such a vote reveals a differing view shared by a minority of more than one third of those voting, an EGM would be convened to allow the arguments and counter arguments to be understood by all concerned before a final decision is taken. The use of an email/mail vote does not apply to changes under Sections 8 and 9.
(c) Notice of General Meetings
Notice of both Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings shall be displayed on the Club Notice Board at least 28 days prior to the date of the meeting and such display shall be deemed sufficient notice to all members.
(d) Resolutions
(i) Any member wishing to propose any resolution at the AGM must give written notice of such resolution, setting out its terms, to the Secretary at least 21 days before the meeting and such resolution must be signed by the proposer and seconder. Such resolution must be displayed on the Club Notice Board on receipt by the Secretary.
(ii) Any member wishing to propose an amendment to a resolution must give written notice of such amendment, setting out its terms, to the Secretary at least 10 days before the meeting and such amendment must be signed by the proposer and seconder. Any such amendment must be displayed on the Club Notice Board on receipt by the Secretary. No further amendments may be tabled at the General meeting itself.
(e) Quorum
The quorum for any General meeting shall be twenty members.
(f) Voting
Every member present at a General meeting has one vote on each motion. With the exception of matters dealt with under sections 8 and 9, the result will be decided by a simple majority of votes cast. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
8. Amendment of Constitution
Any change to this constitution can only be made by a resolution passed by at least two thirds of the members present at a General meeting. The notice of any meeting must contain the particulars of the proposed change(s).
9. Dissolution
(a) The Club shall continue to exist until otherwise decided by a vote of at least 75% of members present and voting at a General meeting called for the specific purpose of considering such a proposal and attended by not less than one third of the total membership.
(b) The proceeds realised from the assets, after discharge of all liabilities, are to be disposed of by the Committee as instructed by resolutions passed at a General meeting called for that purpose.
10. Miscellaneous
(a) Visitors
Visitors are welcome at the Club subject to a maximum of six visits by the same person in any period of twelve months. No person who has been rejected as a candidate for membership of the Club or who has been expelled from the Club shall be eligible as a visitor.
(b) Club Property
Members shall be held responsible for any damage that they may cause to Club property. No property of the Club may be removed from the Club premises without the authority of a Committee Officer.
(c) Notices
No notice or any other display shall be exhibited on the Club Notice Board or on the Club premises without the authority of a Committee Officer.
(d) Smoking
Smoking is not permitted on the Club premises.
(e) Dogs
Dogs, with the exception of bona fide assistance dogs, shall not be allowed on the Club premises.
(f) Personal Property
The Club shall not be responsible for the personal belongings or property of a member or visitor whilst on the Club premises.
(g) Vehicles
The Club shall not be responsible for cars or any other vehicles belonging to a member or visitor whilst in the Club grounds.
(h) Staff
Staff discipline, training and terms of employment, so far as they do not contravene statutory requirements, shall be controlled by the Committee.
(i) Lettings
The Committee shall determine Club letting charges and authorise the letting of the facilities.
(j) Indemnity
The Committee shall be indemnified by the Club against all claims, charges and costs arising from the proper discharge of their authorised duties.
(k) Alcoholic Drinks
The Club is licensed for the sale of alcoholic drinks to members and their guests. The permitted hours are from 12 noon to 23.00 hours daily. The Club is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Bank Holiday Monday afternoons. No one under the age of 18 years will be supplied with or permitted to consume alcoholic drinks on Club premises.
(l) Headings
The headings within this constitution are for the ease of reference only and are not to be taken into account in the interpretation of the constitution.
WBC Management Committee
6 September 2019