Constitution

BURNHAM BEECHES RADIO CLUB CONSTITUTION

The Club shall be known as Burnham Beeches Radio Club or the BBRC in abbreviated form.

The aims of the club shall be to further the interests of its members in all aspects of amateur radio and directly associated activities.

Membership

Membership shall be open, subject to the discretion of the committee, to all persons interested in the aims of the club, in the following categories:

a) Full Member
b) Student Member
c) Family Membership

In b) above, a student is someone in full time education. Subscriptions shall usually be at half the normal rate.
In c) above, family includes spouses, children, grandchildren, partners, co-habitors and also other persons at the discretion of the committee.

There is no charge for visitors. Visitors are those who attend three times or less in one
membership year, unless they are invited speakers or guests from another club.

Subscriptions

a) The annual subscription rates for membership shall be set by the committee.
b) All subscriptions shall be due and payable at the beginning of January.
c) Members in arrears have no voting rights.
d) A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the club if subscriptions have not been paid by the first meeting in March.
e) The committee shall have the right to waive or reduce a member’s subscription fee in
special circumstances for a period not exceeding one year.

Finance

All money received by the club shall be promptly deposited in the club’s bank account. Withdrawals require the signature of the Treasurer or Chair and one other nominated officer of the club.

Committee

The club’s affairs shall be administered by a committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The committee, in whom the club’s property shall be vested, shall consist of:

a) The Chair who will preside at all meetings at which he/she is present. No member may hold this position for more than three consecutive years. He/she may be re-elected after a break of one year.
b) The Secretary who will take minutes of all meetings of the committee, and at EGMs and the AGM.
c) The Treasurer, who will be responsible for:

i) keeping the club’s accounts
ii) advising the committee on all financial matters
iii) preparing the accounts for audit by the committee and/or others and presenting them at the AGM

d) Two Ordinary Members.
e) Co-opted members who do not have voting rights on the committee.

Committee Standing Orders

a) The quorum for the committee shall be 51% of members. In the absence of a quorum, business may be dealt with but any decisions taken only become valid after ratification by at least 51% of committee members.
b) Committee meetings may be called by the Chair, the Secretary or any three full members of the committee.
c) The Chair may vote. In the event of a tie, they have a second casting vote.

Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings (AGM & EGM)

For the purpose of voting at any General Meeting a member may appoint a proxy to vote in person on their behalf, either at the proxy’s discretion or in accordance with any specific instruction given to the proxy. The proxy may be the Chair or another member of the club and any such appointment must be made in writing (including by email).

AGM

a) The AGM shall be held normally in March each year and in any event not later than 16 months after the date of the previous year’s AGM. At least 21 days notice shall be given either by letter, email, in a club magazine, on the club’s website or by other electronic means.
b) The quorum for the meeting shall be 40% of those members who have full voting rights, the count to include any members voting by proxy.

c) The agenda of the meeting shall be:

i) Apologies for absence.
ii) Minutes of previous AGM.
iii) Chair’s report.
iv) Secretary’s report.
v) Treasurer’s report.
vi) Election of the new Chair.
vii) Election of the remaining committee posts.
viii) Election of auditors.
ix) A.O.B.

d) items i to vi shall be chaired by the outgoing Chair. All other business by the newly elected Chair.
e) Nominations for committee shall only be valid if confirmed by the nominee at the meeting or previously in writing.
f) Items for inclusion in AOB to be notified in writing by the last meeting in February to the secretary.
g) Voting rights. Membership categories Full and Student as defined respectively in (a) and (b) of Membership above shall have one vote for each member. Membership category Family Members as defined in (c) of Membership shall have one vote for each member present up to a maximum of 2 votes per family. Only those members holding Full, Student  or Family Membership as defined respectively in (a), (b) and (c) of Membership and who are either present or who have appointed a proxy are entitled to vote at the AGM.

EGM

a) An EGM may be called by the committee, or by no fewer than seven members of the club. The date of the meeting being the earliest convenient as decided by the committee. At least 28 days notice must be given either by letter, email, in a club magazine, on the club’s website or by other electronic means.
b) The quorum for the meeting shall be 40% of those members who have full voting rights, including any members voting by proxy.
c) Voting rights. Membership categories Full and Student, as defined respectively in a) and b) of Membership above, shall have one vote for each member. Membership category Family Members, as defined in c) of Membership above, shall have one vote for each member present up to a maximum of 2 votes per family. Only those members holding Full, Student or Family Membership as defined respectively in (a), (b) and (c) of Membership and who are either present or have appointed a proxy are entitled to vote at the AGM.

Amendments to the Constitution

The constitution may be amended only at an EGM called for that purpose.

Winding up the Club

a) The decision to wind up the club may only be taken at an EGM, having given 28 days notice to all paid up members of this intent.
b) In the absence of a quorum at such a meeting, a motion signed by 7 members shall constitute the same decision.
c) The funds of the club after sale of all assets and the payment of all outstanding debts, shall be given to the Radio Society of Great Britain, with a request that if possible the same are to be used for amateur radio in the Bucks and Berkshire area. For the avoidance of doubt no member of the club shall have any interest in such funds.

Approved by BBRC EGM 4 March 2019