AMAZING ACCRINGTON CONSTITUTION

  1. NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION

 

The name of the Association is:  Amazing Accrington

 

  1. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRICT REPRESENTED BY AMAZING ACCRINGTON

 

The geographical district represented by Amazing Accrington is that district currently referred to as ‘Hyndburn’.

 

  1. OBJECTIVE

 

The objective of Amazing Accrington is:

To create and sustain a supportive business environment within which member businesses can thrive

 

  1. MEMBERSHIP

 

  • Membership

Any person who either runs a business in Hyndburn, or lives in Hyndburn, or has a significant business presence in Hyndburn shall be eligible, on invitation, for membership of Amazing Accrington.

Member businesses who are not in arrears with their membership fee are eligible to vote (each member business has one vote) at General Meetings of the Amazing Accrington and, on invitation, to be elected as members of the Steering Committee.

Member Businesses may nominate up to two persons to represent them at Amazing Accrington meetings. Such persons shall normally be the Business Owners, Company Directors, Senior Managers or Branch Managers.

 

  • Applications for Membership

Application for membership of Amazing Accrington shall be made on the Membership application form.                                                                    All Applications for membership of Amazing Accrington will be considered by the Steering Committee.                                                                      The Steering Committee has the power to refuse membership without giving any reason.

The Applicant will be advised in writing of the outcome of their application.

Membership, following a successful Application, will not become active until the Membership Fee has been received.

 

  • Termination of Membership

The Steering Committee shall have power to terminate the membership of any member whose conduct or actions are regarded by a majority of the Steering Committee as undesirable and likely to bring discredit to Amazing Accrington.

A member may resign from Amazing Accrington at any time by advising the steering committee in writing.

Any member whose annual subscription is more than 3 months in arrears will automatically have their membership terminated.

 

  • Register of Members

A Register of Members will be maintained by the Steering Committee and be made publicly available.

 

  • Membership Fees

Initially, membership fees will be agreed at the members meeting at which the Constitution is presented for voting as approved.

Thereafter, annual membership fees shall be agreed at the Annual General Meeting. The membership Year will run from 1st January to 31st December.

A member who joins part way through the Membership Year will pay a Membership Fee of

[(x/12) x Annual Membership Fee] where x is the number of complete outstanding months of the Membership Year.

Members agree their membership will automatically be renewed from one year to the next and they will pay their membership fees associated with this automatic renewal. Members can terminate their membership with one months notice.

Membership fees are not refundable in any circumstances.

Membership Fees will be used primarily to fund the costs associated with the administration and promotion of Amazing Accrington and the promotion of its member businesses. Expenditure of funds for any other purpose must receive prior approval at a General Meeting of Amazing Accrington.

 

  1. THE AMAZING ACCRINGTON OFFICERS

 

  • Responsibility

Amazing Accrington Officers are a wholly elected body of representatives of the Members and are responsible for the management of Amazing Accrington business as determined by the Members at General Meetings of Amazing Accrington.  No more than one representative of a member business shall be an Amazing Accrington Officer. The position of an Amazing Accrington Officer is undertaken on a voluntary basis.

 

  • Officers

The Officers of Amazing Accrington shall be:

 

The Chair;

Secretary;

Treasurer;

2 others

 

( this gives a steering committee of  five which is large enough to be representative and small enough to be effective)

The Chairman shall preside at all General Meetings and Steering Committee Meetings of Amazing Accrington  and shall perform such duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of Chairman.

The Treasurer/Secretary shall have custody of all Amazing Accrington funds and account for them to the Steering Committee and Members on request. All monies accruing to and liabilities incurred by Amazing Accrington, its committees, sub-committees and Officers shall be paid to and by the Treasurer/Secretary. The Treasurer/Secretary shall present the annual accounts to members at the Annual General Meeting and shall perform such duties as normally pertain to the office of Treasurer/Secretary. The Treasurer shall present interim accounts to the regular Steering Committee meetings to ensure the Steering Committee is aware of the current financial situation of Amazing Accrington.

 

 

 

  • Election of the Officers

Officers of  Amazing Accrington will be elected at the Annual General Meeting of  Amazing Accrington, having been duly proposed and seconded and having personally signified a willingness to stand for election.

All Members that are not in arrears with their membership fee are entitled to participate in the election of the Officers. Each Member business has one vote.  Any vacancy among the Amazing Accrington Officers that arises during the year, however occurring, may be filled by the remaining Officers either from one of its own number or by another Member of the Amazing Accrington.

 

 

  • Term of Office

The term of office for an Amazing Accrington Officer is 2 years. All Amazing Accrington Officers will be re elected every two years except the first year when the Chair only will be re elected after one year and then every two years.

 

 

  • Dismissal of an Amazing Accrington Officer

An Amazing Accrington Officer who fails to attend three consecutive Steering Committee meetings can be dismissed following a majority vote by the remaining Amazing Accrington Officers.

The Steering Committee shall have power to dismiss, or suspend, an officer whose conduct or actions are regarded by a majority of the Steering Committee as undesirable and likely to bring discredit to Amazing Accrington.

 

 

 

  1. STEERING COMMITTEE

 

  • Responsibility

The Steering Committee is responsible for the day to day management of  Amazing Accrington’s business.

 

  • Membership

Membership of the Steering Committee shall comprise the elected Amazing Accrington Officers and other Amazing Accrington members who are co-opted onto the Steering Committee by the Amazing Accrington Officers for their particular expertise or for their management of particular projects.

 

  • Procedure

The Quorum for a Steering Committee meeting shall be three Amazing Accrington Officers.

The Chair Person or in their absence some other Amazing Accrington Officer decided by the meeting, shall be the chairperson of any Steering Committee meeting. Only Amazing Accrington Officers are entitled to vote at Steering Committee meetings.

Resolutions shall be proposed and seconded and decided by a show of hands. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second vote.

The acceptance or rejection of a resolution shall be recorded in the minutes. The minutes will be proposed and seconded for acceptance at the next meeting of the Steering Committee If approved  the minutes will be deemed as true record of the meeting and all resolutions shall become as the policy of  Amazing Accrington. All Amazing Accrington Officers shall be required to support and implement all accepted resolutions.

 

  • Sub-Committees

Sub-committees may be established by the Steering Committee to oversee specific activities or projects.

The Steering Committee are responsible for appointing the Chairmen of Sub-Committees who are responsible for reporting the activities of their Sub-Committee to the Steering Committee and General Meetings when requested.

Sub-Committee Chairmen are responsible for appointing the members of their sub-committee. All members of  Amazing Accrington are eligible to become a member of a Sub-Committee.

 

  1. FINANCIAL YEAR

 

The Financial Year shall be 1st January to 31st December

 

  1. GENERAL MEETINGS

 

  • Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of Amazing Accrington shall be held in the month of April of each year on a date and at a place and time to be specified by the Steering Committee. The Secretary must give members at least fourteen days’ notice of the Annual General Meeting and at that time, specify the nature of the business to be transacted.

 

 

The Quorum for the Annual General Meeting of Amazing Accrington  shall be six except for the purpose of arranging a further meeting when the Quorum shall be two. No motion shall be put to an Annual General Meeting unless a quorum is present.

Business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting is as follows:

 

  • To receive and consider the Chairman’s Report on all aspects of Amazing Accrington’s activities during the past
  • To receive and adopt the Treasurer’ Report and Accounts for the preceding financial
  • When necessary, to elect the Officers, Sector Representatives and other members of the Steering
  • To appoint a person – independent of the treasurer – to examine the accounts for correctness and compliance. This person may be another member of the Steering
  • To consider any other business of which notice must be given to the Chairman not less than seven days before the meeting specifying its nature and the names of the Proposer and
  • To consider amendments to ‘other business’ propositions of which notice must be given to the Chairman not less than 48 hours prior to the meeting specifying its nature and the names of the Proposer and

 

  • Extraordinary General Meeting

 

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time at the discretion of the Steering Committee.

An Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the Steering Committee on the written request of at least ten Members whose subscriptions are not in arrears. The written request must specify details of the business to be considered. No business other than that specified in the written request or otherwise notified to the Chairman not less than seven days before the meeting will be considered.

The Chairman must give members at least fourteen days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting and at that time, specify the nature of the business to be transacted. The Quorum for an Extraordinary General Meeting of Amazing Accrington shall be six except for the purpose of arranging a further meeting when the Quorum shall be two. No motion shall be put to an Extraordinary General Meeting unless a quorum is present.

 

  1. PROCEDURE FOR GENERAL MEETINGS

 

Resolutions shall be proposed and seconded and decided by a show of hands of those present unless any three members present request that the vote be taken by ballot.

In the event of a ballot being required, the chairman shall appoint two persons as tellers who shall count the votes and report the results to the chairman who shall declare that result to the meeting.

Each Member, whose subscription is not in arrears, shall have one vote. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. The Chairman or in his absence some other member of the Steering Committee decided by the meeting, shall be the chairman of any General Meeting.

The acceptance or rejection of a resolution shall be recorded in Minutes which shall be made at General Meetings. If approved then the minutes will be deemed as true record of the meeting and all resolutions shall be set as the policy of Amazing Accrington, All Amazing Accrington Officers shall be required to support and implement all accepted resolutions.

No amendment, other than a motion for adjournment, may be moved to any resolution proposed unless notice thereof has been sent to the Secretary not less than 48 hours before the start of the meeting.

No motion which has been settled by a vote shall be raised again in the same form or a form to like effect within a period of six months without the consent of the meeting.

 

  1. MEMBERS MEETINGS

 

Members Meetings shall be held from time to time. These meetings will be informal by nature and have the purpose of encouraging networking between members, disseminating information regarding issues that are of interest to members and of seeking input from members as to actions, activities etc that  Amazing Accrington  should concern itself with.

 

  1. INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

 

The Steering Committee is the sole authority on the interpretation of the Constitution of Amazing Accrington and its decision regarding any question concerning the interpretation of the Constitution shall be final and binding on members.

 

  1. AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

 

The constitution may only be amended or revised in any way by resolution of the members at a General Meeting of which proper notice has been given, provided it is carried by a majority of at least two thirds of those members present at the meeting.

 

  1. DISSOLUTION OF AMAZING ACCRINGTON

 

Any resolution for the dissolution of Amazing Accrington passed by a majority of the members present at an Annual General Meeting must be ratified by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose not less than six nor more than 10 weeks thereafter and at which not less than half of the then Members attend.

On dissolution of Amazing Accrington, the assets will be sold and the proceeds divided equally between the members of Amazing Accrington  at the date of the Extraordinary General Meeting that ratified the dissolution resolution.

 

  1. DISTRIBUTION OF CONSTITUTION

 

A copy of this constitution must be supplied to every new member at the commencement of membership, following amendments, or upon request by any member.