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The Hitchin Society Registered
Charity number 1091056 Constitution adopted 21 January 2002 |
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1. NAME The
name of the Society shall be The Hitchin Society 2. OBJECTS The
Society is established for the public benefit for the following purposes in
the area of the town of (i)
To promote high standards of planning, architecture and civic amenity in or
affecting the area of benefit. (ii)
To educate the public in the geography, history, natural history and
architecture of the area of benefit. (iii)
To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of
features of historic or public interest in the area of benefit. (iv)
To promote high and sustainable standards of urban regeneration and
transportation planning in or affecting the area of benefit. In
furtherance of the said purposes but not otherwise the Society through its
Executive Committee shall have the following powers:- (1)
To promote civic pride in the area of benefit. (2)
To promote research into subjects directly connected with the objects of the
Society and to publish the results of any such research. (3)
To act as a co-ordinating body and to co-operate with the local authorities,
planning committees, and all other statutory authorities, voluntary
organisations, charities and persons having aims similar to those of the
Society. (4)
To promote or assist in promoting activities of a charitable nature
throughout the area of benefit. (5)
To publish papers, reports and other literature. (6)
To make surveys and prepare maps and plans and collect information in
relation to any place, erection or building of beauty or historic interest
within the area of benefit. (7)
To hold meetings, lectures and exhibitions. (8)
To educate public opinion and to give advice and information. (9)
To raise funds and to invite and receive contributions from any person or
persons whatsoever by way of subscription, donation and otherwise; provided
that the Society shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in
raising funds for its primary purpose. (10)
To acquire, by purchase, gift or otherwise, property whether subject to any
special trust or not. (11)
Subject to such consents as may be required by law, to sell, let, mortgage,
dispose of, or turn to account, all or any of the property or funds of the
Society as shall be necessary. (12)
Subject to such consents as may be required by law, to borrow or raise money
for the purposes of the Society on such terms and on such security as the
Executive Committee shall think fit, but
so that the liability of individual members of the Society shall in no case
extend beyond the amount of their respective annual subscriptions. (13)
To do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the
said purposes. |
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3 MEMBERSHIP Membership
shall be open to all who are interested in actively furthering the purposes
of the Society. No member shall have power
to vote at any meeting of Society if his or her subscription is in arrears at
the time. Junior members shall be
those aged less than 18 years at the time their subscription is due; and they
shall not be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Society. Corporate
members shall be such societies, associations, educational institutions or
businesses as are interested in actively furthering the purposes of the
Society. A corporate member shall
appoint a representative to vote on its behalf at all meetings but before
such representative exercises his or her right to vote the corporate member
shall give particulars in writing to the Honorary Secretary of such
representative. The
subscription of a member joining the Society in the three months preceding January
in any year shall be regarded as covering membership for the Society's year
commencing on the first of January following the date of joining the Society. |
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4 SUBSCRIPTIONS The
subscription shall be:- As revised 7 December 2005 Life members (under
60) £140.00 Life members (60
or over) £95.00 Two
life members in the same household (both under 60) £160.00 Two
life members in the same household (at least one 60 or over) £110.00 Full members per annum
£6.00 Two
or more full members in the same household, each per annum £5.00 Junior members per annum £2.00 Corporate members per annum
£10.00 or
such other reasonable sum as the Executive Committee shall determine from
time to time, and it shall be payable on or before the 31st of January each
year. Membership shall lapse if the
subscription is unpaid three months after it is due. |
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5 MEETINGS An
Annual General Meeting shall be held in or about March of each year to receive the Executive Committee's report
and accounts and to elect Officers and Members of the Committee. The Committee shall decide when ordinary
meetings of the Society shall be held. Special
General Meetings of the Society shall be held at the written request of
fifteen or more members whose subscriptions are fully paid-up. Fifteen members personally present shall
constitute a quorum for a Meeting of the Society. The
Committee shall give at least 7 days' notice to members of all Meetings of
the Society. |
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6 OFFICERS Nominations
for the election of Officers shall be made in writing to the Honorary
Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting. Such nominations shall be supported by a
seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first have been
obtained. The elections of Officers
shall be completed prior to the election of further Committee members. Nominees for election as Officers or Committee
members shall declare at the Annual General Meeting at which their election
is to be considered any financial or professional interest known or likely to
be of concern to the Society. The
Officers of the Society shall consist of Chairman Vice Chairman Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer all
of whom shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for
re-election at the Annual General Meeting.
A President and Vice-Presidents may also be elected at a General
Meeting of the Society, for periods to be decided at such a meeting. The Executive Committee shall have the
power to fill casual vacancies occurring among the Officers of the Society. |
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7 THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management
and administration of the Society. The
Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and not less than six and
not more than twelve other
members. The Committee shall have
power to co-opt further members (who shall attend in an advisory and
non-voting capacity). The President
and Vice-Presidents may attend any meeting of the Executive Committee but
shall not vote at any such meeting. In
the event of an equality in the votes cast, the Chairman shall have a second
or casting vote. Nominations for election to the Executive Committee shall
be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least 14 days before the
Annual General Meeting. They must be
supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first
have been obtained. If the nominations
exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot shall take place in such manner as
shall be determined. Members of the
Executive Committee shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting of the
Society. One-third of the members of the Executive
Committee other than the Officers shall retire each year, after having served
for a period of three years, and outgoing members may be re-elected. The Executive Committee shall meet not less than six times
a year at intervals of not more than two months and the Honorary Secretary
shall give all members not less than seven days' notice of each meeting. The quorum shall, as near as may be,
comprise one third of the members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the
power to fill up to three casual vacancies occurring among the members of the
Executive Committee between General Meetings. |
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8 SUB-COMMITTEES The
Executive Committee may constitute such sub-committees from time to time as
shall be considered necessary for such purposes as shall be thought fit. The Chairman and Secretary of each
sub-committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and all actions
and proceedings of sub-committee shall be reported to and be confirmed by the
Executive Committee as soon as possible.
Members of the Executive Committee may be members of any
sub-committee. Sub-Committees shall be
subordinate to and may be regulated or dissolved by the Executive Committee. |
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9 DECLARATION OF INTEREST It
shall be the duty of every member who is in any way directly or indirectly
interested financially or professionally in any item discussed at any meeting
of the Society (including any meeting of any Committee or Sub-Committee) at
which he or she may be present to declare such interest and he or she shall
not discuss such item (except by invitation of the Chairman ) or vote
thereon. |
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10 EXPENSES OF ADMINISTRATION AND
APPLICATIONS OF FUNDS The
Executive Committee shall, out of the funds of the Society, pay all proper
expenses of administration and management of the Society. After the payment of the administration and
management expenses and the setting aside to reserve of such sums as may be
deemed expedient, the remaining funds of the Society shall be applied by the
Executive Committee in furtherance of the purposes of the Society. All cheques must be signed by at least two
members of the Executive Committee. |
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11 INVESTMENT All
moneys at any time belonging to the Society and not required for immediate
application for its purposes shall be invested by the Executive Committee in
or upon such investment, securities or property as it may think fit, subject
nevertheless, where appropriate, to such authority, approval or consent by
the Charity Commissioners as may for the time being be required by law or by
the special trusts affecting any property in the hands of the Executive
Committee. |
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12 TRUSTEES Any
freehold and leasehold property acquired by the Society shall, and if the
Executive Committee so directs any other property belonging to the Society
may, be vested in trustees who shall deal with such property as the Executive
Committee may from time to time direct.
Any trustees shall be at least three in number or a trust
corporation. The power of appointment
of new trustees shall be vested in the Executive Committee. A trustee need not be a member of the
Society but no person whose membership lapses by virtue of clause 4 hereof
shall thereafter be qualified to act as a trustee unless and until
re-appointed as such by the Executive Committee. The
Honorary Secretary shall from time to time notify the trustees in writing of
any amendment hereto and the trustees shall not be bound by any such
amendments in their duties as trustees unless such notice has been
given. The Society shall be bound to
indemnify the trustees in their duties (including the proper charge of a
trustee being a trust corporation) and liability under such indemnity shall
be a proper administrative expense. |
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13 ACCOUNTS The
Executive Committee shall comply, where appropriate, with their legal
obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification
of that Act) with regard to: (1)
the keeping of accounting records for the Society (2)
the preparation of the annual statements for the Society (3)
the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the
Society; and (4)
the transmission of the statements of account of the Society to the Charity
Commission. 14 ANNUAL REPORT The
Executive Committee shall comply, where appropriate, with their legal
obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or
modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report
and its transmission to the Charity Commission. |
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15 ANNUAL RETURN The
Executive Committee shall comply, where appropriate, with their legal obligations
under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification
of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its
transmission to the Charity Commission. 16 AMENDMENTS This
Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members present at an
Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Society, provided
that 28 days' notice of the proposed amendment has been given to all members,
and provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise any amendment the
effect of which would be to cause the Society at any time to cease to be a
charity in law, and provided further that no amendment shall be made to
Clause 2, Clause 18 or this Clause until the approval in writing of the
Charity Commission or other authority having charitable jurisdiction shall
have been obtained. |
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17 NOTICES Any
notice required to be given by this Constitution shall be deemed to be duly
given if left at or sent by prepaid post addressed to the address of that
member last notified to the Secretary. |
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18 WINDING UP If the Executive Committee decides
that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Society it shall call a
meeting of all members of the Society, of which not less than 21 days' notice
(stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is confirmed by a
two-thirds majority of those present and voting the Executive Committee shall
have power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Society. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction
of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such
other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the
objects of the Society as the members of the Society may determine or failing
that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose. A copy of the statement of accounts, or
account and statement, for the final accounting period of the Society must be
sent to the Charity Commission. |
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