BATTLE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
1. The Club is considered to be a Members' Club and shall be called the Battle Photographic Society. The income received and expenses paid are solely for the benefit of the membership of the Club.
2. The objectives of the Club shall be the advancement and enjoyment of photography in all its forms.
3. The annual membership subscriptions shall be such amounts as the Club may from time to time in a General Meeting, determine. The annual subscriptions are due on 1st of September each year and must be paid by the end of the following month. Members joining during the season shall pay such subscription as the Chairman and Treasurer consider appropriate.
4. The affairs of the Club shall be governed by Club officers consisting of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and up to eight Committee Members. The Club Officers and Committee members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and are eligible for re-election without nomination. The Committee shall have powers of co-option. A quorum shall consist of 60% of the current total committee membership.
5. The Secretary shall keep Minutes of all business meetings. The Secretary shall call a General Meeting (to be called the Annual General Meeting) during April or May of each year. At least 14 days' notice shall be given to members. The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting within 28 days of receiving a request, in writing, from at least six fully paid up member who must state, in writing, the business to be transacted. The Secretary shall give the members at least 14 days’ notice of such a meeting. A quorum at a General Meeting shall be 25% of the membership. Decisions of any General Meeting shall be those of the majority of the eligible Members present and voting. Eligible Members unable to attend and having offered apologies may vote by proxy through the Chairman. In the event of an equality of votes at a General Meeting or a Committee Meeting the person in the chair for such meeting shall have a casting or additional vote.
6. The Treasurer shall collect all subscriptions and monies due and make such payments as shall be authorised by the Committee. Cheques shall be drawn on the Club’s banking account and shall bear the signature of any two of the following for amounts over £200: Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer. For cheques of £200 and less any one of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer may sign. The treasurer may make routine payments by direct transfers, maintaining email trails/invoices and accounts for all payments. Any payments of greater than £200 will include an email trail of approval by the chairman or vice chairman.
The Club’s financial year ends on the last day of July and a Balance Sheet and an Income and Expenditure Account Sheet will be drawn up by the Treasurer and audited by a person approved by the Committee.
7. Applications for membership shall be considered by the Committee Members there present, provided that this constitutes a quorum, who shall act reasonably in exercising their discretion as to the election or rejection of a candidate by a simple majority of those present and voting. On election and after payment of the requisite subscription and issue of a receipt, a candidate shall be a Member of the Club and shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by this constitution.
8. The Committee shall have the power to expel any member whose conduct shall, in their opinion, render his/her continued membership untenable. Such Member shall be given not less than fourteen days’ notice in writing or by email to attend a meeting of the Committee, such notice to specify the complaint made. No Member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering the complaint and without a Resolution in favour of expulsion by at least two-thirds of the Committee Members present and voting at such a meeting. A Member who is expelled shall not be entitled to any refund of subscription.
9. In the event of the committee deciding that the club can’t continue to exist, then the following will apply. All club assets must be sold and the proceeds banked into the club’s bank account. All liabilities must be paid off. Then the cash held in the accounts will be divided by the paid up members and honorary members and that sum be returned to those members.
10 Any member of the club may seek to start a new Special Interest Group ( SIG ). Any member who wishes to start a SIG should first write to the chairman giving full details of his proposal.This proposal will then be put to the committee , and the proposer will be given the go-ahead as long as it has the support of a majority of the committee.
Every SIG will normally have at least one member of the BPS committee as a member of the SIG. If the SIG lead is not on the committee then this committee member who belongs to the SIG will act as a link to the BPS committee, reporting to the committee, to ensure the activities of the SIG remain fully aligned with the objectives and ethos of the club. Alternatively if there is no BPS committee member belonging to the SIG, then the SIG lead will be invited to a committee meeting from time to time, to update the committee on the activities of the SIG. Members of the club may join as many SIGS as they wish.
11. No alteration of, or addition to, this Constitution shall be made except by the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
12. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of this Constitution and its decision shall be final and binding.
Updated April/May 2021