Constitution of the Warborough & Shillingford Society
1. Title:
The name of the organisation shall be the Warborough & Shillingford Society
2. Society Objectives:
a. To arouse interest in, to encourage and, where necessary act for the improvement and protection of Warborough and Shillingford and the surrounding countryside.
b. To collect, index, co-ordinate, publish and make accessible in the interests of social history, genealogy and relevant documents or records relating to Warborough & Shillingford and to promote the preservation of such documents and records.
c. To assist educationally by lectures or otherwise in village and local history.
d. To promote village life and community by providing village events for all ages and interests.
e. To communicate parish planning applications via the Community email and encourage individuals to comment to the relevant planning authority.
f. To cooperate with other organisations both local and national that share similar objectives.
g. To encourage residents to express their views or concerns and act accordingly, if appropriate or within the Society’s capability.
3 Membership:
Membership of the Society shall be open to anyone on the Electoral Roll within the Parish wishing to support its objectives upon payment to the Treasurer of a one-time membership fee.
Associate membership shall be granted to those members who leave the Parish. Associate members will not have voting rights.
4. Committee:
The committee shall consist of three officers Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer together with no fewer than 5 and no more than 8 other committee members. Five members shall be a quorum.
The committee will be elected by any member of the society who attends the AGM. Postal or proxy votes cannot be considered.
The Committee shall administer the affairs of the Society and shall hold meetings at least four times in any period of twelve months and shall determine the rules and procedures to govern its own meetings.
If there is a vacancy on the Committee, the said Committee may co-opt any other eligible person to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
Minutes of meetings will be taken by a member of the Committee and approved at the next meeting and circulated to all members thereafter.
The Committee can appoint ad-hoc or permanent subgroups in the furtherance of the Society’s objectives. Any such group shall conform to the Society’s rules and objectives. A group can be suspended at any time by resolution of the Committee. Any such group shall include at least one committee member and comply to the Society’s rules.
Any member of the Society can put themselves forward for election or can propose another member if that member has previously agreed to stand. The Secretary of the Society must receive these nominations at least 15 days before the date set for the AGM so all members can be circulated with the candidates in advance of the meeting.
5. Officers:
The Chairman, Treasurer & Secretary shall be selected from the elected committee by the committee at the AGM.
6. Finance
a. The Committee shall be responsible for the Administration of the Society’s funds.
b. Two members of the Committee, one being the Treasurer or an appointed deputy, shall authorise all transactions and documents governing the finances of the Society.
c. The Treasurer shall keep a regular account of all receipts and shall present to the Committee when requested an interim statement showing the current state of the Society’s finances.
d. The income and property of the Society wheresoever derived shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the Society as set forth in the constitution.
e. No payment shall be made from the Society’s funds to any member of the Society, except as payment of out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the Society’s business.
f. The Society’s financial year shall end on the 31st of July. The Accounts shall be submitted to the Committee at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting.
g. The person or persons who shall examine the Accounts shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting.
h. Individual members of the Committee must declare any personal financial interest in any matter under discussion and shall not vote on the matter in question.
i. The Society may hold fund raising events to achieve its objectives.
j. The Society may make donations to local charities and other community causes as agreed by the Committee.
k. Subgroups shall not have power to incur any expense without prior approval of the Committee.
8. The Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting will be held in September, the time and place to be decided by the Committee.
Minutes of the proceedings shall be taken by a member of the Society appointed by the Committee and be made available to the membership and confirmed at the next relevant meeting.
The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:
a. Approve the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any intervening Extraordinary General Meetings.
b. Receive and approve the accounts of the Society, duly examined according to the current requirements of the Charity Commission
c. Receive the Chairman’s report on the activities of the past year.
d. Elect a committee.
e. Elect the officers of the Committee of the Society.
f. Appoint the Independent Examiner of the Society’s accounts.
The committee shall give at least 21 days written notice of the meeting. 15 Society members shall form a quorum at General Meetings.
9. Changes to the Constitution
No changes to the Constitution shall be made except at General meetings and shall be advised to all members at least 21 days before the meeting.
A change to the constitution can be submittedto the Secretary by any member at least 21 days before a general meeting.
10. Elections:
The Committee’s nominations of officers, ordinary members of the Committee and Auditor shall be circulated to members with the written notice of the Annual General Meeting. Other nominations which should be in writing and signed by two members, must be received by the Secretary at least
14 days before the Annual General Meeting. Voting when required shall be by ballot overseen by the Auditor if present, or, in the case of the Auditor not being present, by a committee member other than the Treasurer.
11. Extraordinary General Meeting
The Committee shall have the power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall be bound to call such a meeting within 28 days on receiving notice in writing specifying the business and signed by not less than 20 members of the Society. The business to be transacted must appear on the agenda and no other business may be discussed.
The committee shall give at least 14 days written notice of the meeting. 15 Society members shall form a quorum at Extraordinary General Meetings.
12. Dissolution of the Society
A motion for the dissolution of the Society may be submitted to the Committee three months before the Annual General Meeting or in accordance with the rules governing an Extraordinary General Meeting. If such a motion shall have been passed, any assets remaining on dissolution of the Society after satisfying any outstanding debts and liabilities shall not be distributed amongst the members of the Society but will be given to such charitable organisation, community causes or organisations which share the Society’s objectives as the meeting may direct.
This Governing Statement was proposed and approved at the Warborough & Shillingford Society’s Annual General Meeting on September 20th 2023
Signed – Matthew Day
Matthew Day
Chairman