Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowling Association Constitution 1998 - Revised 2014
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Name:
The ‘Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowls Association’, hereafter known as ‘the Association’
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Objects:
To bring people together as a positive group, through the sport of Short Mat Bowls.
To develop their potential and help them become aware of their potential.
To develop and improve the social conditions of such people, actively to involve people in achieving the above objectives.
To ensure a duty of care to all members of the Association.
To provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone.
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Powers:
In furtherance of the above objectives, the Association may:
Apply for, collect and receive money and property.
Purchase and take on lease or licence, Freehold or Leasehold property, with power to lease or sub-lease or licence occupation of any such property.
Enter into contracts of Insurance as may seem expedient.
Publish relevant documents on the County website and/or in the Newsletter.
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Membership:
A ‘member of the Association’ shall be deemed to be an individual who is a member of a Short Mat Bowls Club which is affiliated to the Hertfordshire Short Mat Bowls Association. Membership shall be open to all such people, regardless of Political Belief, Nationality, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Race or Colour.
All members who wish to enter County Competitions, organised Leagues, enter the County Team, enter Friendly matches with other clubs must register with the County and with the English Short Mat Bowling Association.
The Management Committee shall have the power to veto membership to the Association.
All members will be subject to the regulations of the Constitution and by joining the Association will be deemed to accept these regulations and codes of practice that the Association has adopted.
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Management Committee
The Association shall be managed by a Management Committee consisting of a President? Chairperson, Treasurer, General/Competitions Secretary, Match Secretary, League Secretary, Refreshments/Raffle Officer and one delegate from each of the registered clubs.
The above Officers and Committee shall be elected annually at the Association’s Annual General Meeting.
Retiring Officers and Committee shall be eligible for re-selection.
The Management Committee shall meet not less than once every three months and whenever deemed necessary to transact the Association’s business.
At Management Committee meetings five members shall form a quorum.
At Annual General Meetings or EGM’s fifteen members shall form a quorum.
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Subscriptions:
Annual subscriptions for Club Affiliation to the association shall be such sum as may be determined by the Annual General Meeting and shall be due on September 1st of each year.
Should any club fail to make a payment by that date and do not comply with a written request for payment, from the General Secretary, within thirty days: that club shall cease to be recognised as a member, unless a satisfactory reason is given.
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Resignation
A club wishing to to withdraw from the Association, must give notice in writing, to the General Secretary on or before the last day of the following February, otherwise the affiliation fee for the ensuing year shall be payable.
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Expulsion
The Management Committee shall have the power to expel any member who shall offend against the rules of the Association, or whose conduct shall in the opinion of the Management Committee render such a member unfit for the Association.
Before any member shall be expelled, the General Secretary shall notify the members of the Committee, setting out the complaints against such member. No member shall be expelled without first having the opportunity of appearing before the Management Committee to answer the complaints, nor, unless two thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of expulsion to answer the complaints.
All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be presented and submitted in writing to the Committee.
The Management Committee will meet to hear complaints within 10 days of a complaint being lodged. The committee has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action including the termination of membership.
The outcome of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 7 days of the hearing.
There will be the right of appeal to the Management Committee following disciplinary action being announced. The Committee should consider the appeal within 10 days of the Secretary receiving the appeal.
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Conduct of Business:
The business of the Association shall be conducted in accordance with decisions and resolutions made ans passed at the Association’s AGM.
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Annual General Meeting:
The AGM of the Association shall be convened not later than July in each year, to transact the following business:
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President’s (Chairman’s?) opening speech
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To receive, and if approved, adopt the Association’s Statement of Account to the end of the financial year
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To consider the Chairperson’s Annual Report
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To consider the General Secretary’s Annual Report
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To consider the Match Secretary’s Report
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To consider, and if approved, sanction any duly made alterations to the rules (proposed alterations to the Constitution must be lodged with the General Secretary’s hands, twenty eight days prior to the AGM)
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To appoint the Officers and Committee members for the following year
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To decide upon the annual subscription
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To deal with any specific matter the Management Committee wish to bring the attention of the members and to receive suggestions from the members for consideration
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To appoint Auditors
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Special General Meetings:
A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Management Committee and may also be convened within 30 days, from receipt of a requisition, in writing, and signed by no less than 10 members, and specifying the object for any of the following reasons:
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To consider, and if approved, sanction any duly altered the Constitution
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To deal with any special matter which the Management Committee may desire to place before the members, including the expulsion of a member
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To receive the resignation of the Management Committee or to remove vacancy or vacancies caused thereby
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To dissolve the Association
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To deal with any special matter which thr members requiring the meeting, may desire to place before the meeting
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Notice convening a meeting shall be sent to all Club Secretaries not less than fifteen days before the meeting and specifying the matterns to be dealt with
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Finance:
All monies raised by or on behalf of the Association shall be applied to further the objectives of the Association and for no other purpose
The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts and shall open a bank account in the name of the Association
The accounts shall be audited once a year by an Independent Auditor
The financial year of the Association will run from 1st April and end on 31st March
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Assets of the Association:
All bowls, equipment and regalia.
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Dissolution:
The Association may be dissolved by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present, and voting, at a Special Meeting, convened by the Management Committee for consideration of such a resolution
In the event of dissolution, all debts should be cleared with the Association’s funds. Any assets of the Association that remain following this will become the property of registered clubs at the time of dissolution.
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Alterations to the Constitution:
Alterations to the Constitution may be made by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at the AGM or Special Meeting convened by the Management Committee for considering such a resolution.
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Service of Notices:
For the purposes of the Constitution, notices af any shall be deemed to have been duly served, if the same have been sent to the last known address of the Secretary of any affiliated Club.
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Matches:
All matches organised by the Association shall be governed by the current ESMBA Rules of Play.