THE ALTON SOCIETY

CONSTITUTION AND RULES

1              Name

The name of the Society shall be the Alton Society.

2              Aim

The aim of the Society is to improve Alton and its environment by:

(a) stimulating interest in the past, present and future of Alton and district;

(b) working for the preservation and enhancement of local features of particular historical, cultural, aesthetic, or environmental importance;

(c) promoting and encouraging the rational and appropriate development of the Alton area and its amenities;

(d) acting as a focus for obtaining and giving relevant information and advice and to provide a forum for public discussion;

(e) representing and advancing the views of the Society on the said matters to the authorities concerned as well as to the wider community.

3              Membership

(a) Membership is open to all who live in or are interested in the town of Alton and the surrounding countryside.

(b) The categories of membership are as follows: (i) Individual, (ii) Life, (iii) Corporate, and (iv) Honorary.

(c) Two persons living at the same address will be entitled to hold Individual or Life Membership on a joint basis, with each having a separate vote in the affairs of the Society.

(d) Membership subscriptions in categories (i), (ii), and (iii) will be reviewed and may be adjusted as necessary by the Committee when considered appropriate.  Any changes will become effective at the beginning of the financial year (1 October) which follows the Committee’s decision, provided that at least two months’ notice has been given to members.

(e) Honorary membership may be extended by the Society at an Annual General Meeting to persons who have furthered the aims of the Society, the number of such members at any time being limited to ten.

4              Officers

(a) The Officers of the Society shall be a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership Officer.

(b) The Officers shall be elected yearly, at the Annual General Meeting.

(c) A Chairman who has served for three consecutive terms of office shall only be eligible for re-election to the same office after a lapse of at least one year.

(d) In the event of a Chairman not being elected and in the absence of a Vice-Chairman, the members of the Management Committee may elect a Chairman for each of their meetings.

(e) In the event of any other office being vacant, the members of the Committee may make further ad hoc arrangements to cover relevant functions.

5              The Management Committee

(a) The Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Society for the time being ex-officio, and up to nine further members elected for one year by the Annual General Meeting.  The Committee may co-opt not more than three additional members to serve at any one time.  These shall retire annually and be eligible for election or renewed co-option. Casual vacancies may be filled by the Committee and a member so co-opted shall hold office for the unexpired period of service of the vacating member.

(b) There shall be no fewer than four meetings in each year.

(c) Five members shall constitute a quorum.

(d) The Committee may establish or dissolve sub-committees as deemed necessary, agree their terms of reference, designate Chairmen, and receive their reports.

(e) The Committee shall have discretion to incorporate any further rules about procedural or administrative matters into Standing Orders, as formally agreed and minuted from time to time.

 

6              Annual General Meeting

(a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year after the close of the financial year on a date to be fixed by the Committee, of which not less than ten days’ notice shall be given to members of the Society.  At this meeting a report of the Society’s activities during the past twelve months and a statement of accounts, duly audited, for the past year shall be submitted.

(b) The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, other Officers, and the members of the Committee shall be elected and other business transacted.  Items for inclusion on the Agenda must reach the Secretary at least twenty-four hours before the meeting and be proposed and seconded by members of the Society.

(c) The Constitution and Rules may be amended at any General Meeting of the Society by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting, provided that ten days’ notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members in writing.

7              Extraordinary General Meeting

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society shall be called at any time by the Committee or upon written request to the Secretary from at least one-tenth of the membership, subject in either case to the provision that at least ten days’ notice should be given to members of the Society.

8              Dissolution

If the Committee decides it is necessary or desirable to dissolve the Society, they shall call a meeting of all members with not less than twenty-one days’ notice, informing them of the proposed dissolution.  If the proposal is approved by at least two-thirds of those present and voting, the Committee may realise any assets of the Society after settling proper debts and liabilities and may dispose of any remainder by gift to a charitable institution with similar aims.

November 2011.