KJCA Constitution
KENT JUNIOR CHESS
ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
(Adopted 8th
November 2015)
1) Adoption of the Constitution
The Association hereby constituted and its property
will be administered and managed in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
2) Name
The
Association shall be called the "Kent Junior Chess Association" (the
"Association").
3) Objects
The Objects
of the Association will be to promote the study and playing of chess among
people under the age of 18 in Kent, Bexley, Bromley, SE postcode areas of
London and certain neighbouring boroughs, by, inter alia, the provision of
facilities, including equipment and books, by the provision of online chess
activities, by holding chess tournaments and other events, by organising representative
teams and by the provision of coaching and the training of coaches.
4) Membership
a)
Membership
is open to individuals or to organisations.
b)
"Honorary
Members" may be elected by a General Meeting of the Association and will retain
their membership for life unless a different term is specified by the Meeting which elects them or if terminated in accordance
with Rule 4 (k (iv)).
c)
The
parent or guardian of any member under the age of 16 (a "Junior Member") will
themselves be deemed to become a member (a "Parent Member") to act as the representative
for the Junior Member.
d)
Members
agree to be bound by this Constitution and any other published rules of the
Association.
e)
Organisations
applying for membership must be based within, or operate within, the
geographical bounds of the Association described in Rule 3 and must be approved
for membership by the Committee.
f)
A
Member Organisation may nominate any person to act as its representative at any
meeting of the Association by giving written notice to the Secretary which will
remain in force until further written notice.
g)
Annual
membership fees will be decided by the Committee before the start of each academic
year and will be subsequently approved at the next Annual General Meeting.
h)
Annual
membership fees will be decided separately for the following classes of
members:
i. "Individual Members"; and
ii. "Member Organisations"
Honorary
Members are not required to pay annual membership fees.
Parent
Members will be required to pay the annual membership fee on behalf of Junior
Members but are not required to pay any annual membership fee in respect of
themselves.
i)
Membership
is not transferable.
j)
The
Committee may only refuse an application for membership if, acting reasonably
and properly, they consider it to be in the best interests of the Association
to refuse the application.
i. The Committee must inform the applicant
in writing of the reasons for the refusal within twenty-one days of the
decision;
ii. The Committee must consider any written
representations the applicant may make about the decision provided such
representations are received within fourteen days of the decision. The
Committee's decision following any written representations must be notified to
the applicant in writing within twenty-one days and shall be final.
k)
Membership
is terminated if:
i. the member dies or, in the case of a
member organisation, it ceases to exist;
ii. The member resigns by written notice to
the Secretary;
iii. any sum due from the member to the
Association is not paid in full within six months of it falling due;
iv. the member is removed from membership by a
resolution of the Committee on the grounds that it is in the best interests of
the Association that the membership is terminated. A resolution to
remove a member from membership may only be passed if:
(1)
the
member has been given at least twenty one days'notice in writing of the
meeting of the Committee at which the resolution will be proposed and the
reasons why it is to be proposed; and
(2)
the member or, at the option of the member, the
member's representative (who need not be a member of the Association) has been
allowed to make representations to the meeting.
5) Officers
a) At each Annual General Meeting of the
Association the
following Officers will be elected:
i)
The Chairman;
ii)
The Vice
Chairman;
iii)
The Secretary;
iv)
The
Treasurer;
v)
The
Chief Coach;
vi)
The Head
Team Manager(s); and
vii)
Any
other appropriate Officer role as elected.
b)
No
Officer shall be remunerated for being an Officer of the Association
6) General
Meetings
a)
Annual
General Meetings
The
Association will hold an Annual General Meeting ("AGM") near the beginning of
each autumn term to dispense with the following business:
i)
Approve
the minutes of the previous AGM;
ii)
Receive
the annual report from the Chairman of the Committee;
iii)
Consider
the Annual Financial Report from the Treasurer for the preceding financial
year. Copies of the Annual Financial Report should be circulated
together with the notice of the Meeting.
iv)
Receive
any other reports from Officers, which may be presented orally;
v)
Consider
appointments to management roles within the Association other than Officer
roles;
vi)
Elect
Officers and not more than eight other people to serve on the Committee;
vii)
Consider
the need to appoint an Auditor or Independent Examiner in relation to the
Annual Financial Report and supporting documentation;
viii)
Approve
the Annual Membership fees for the season
ix)
Any
business in respect of which the Secretary has received notice from a Member at
least fourteen days before the AGM.
x)
Any
other business which the person in the chair sees fit to accept.
b)
Special
General Meetings
i)
All
general meetings other than the AGM shall be called a Special General Meeting
("SGM").
ii)
A SGM
will be held:
(1)
within
60 days at the written request to the Secretary of not less than 10 Members of
the Association; or
(2)
By
resolution of the Committee.
iii)
Only
business on the agenda may be considered at a SGM.
c)
Notice
i)
At
least twenty one days written notice shall be given for any General Meeting.
ii)
A General
Meeting may be called by shorter notice, if it is so agreed by the Committee.
iii)
The
notice must specify the date, time and place of the meeting and the general
nature of the business to be transacted. The notice must say whether
the meeting is to be an AGM or a SGM.
iv)
The
notice will include an agenda of business to be conducted.
v)
The
notice must be given to all of the Members of the Association and to all of the
Committee Members.
d)
Quorum
i)
No
business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum is present;
ii)
The
quorum will be 10 Members entitled to vote at the meeting.
e)
Voting
i)
Each
member not represented by a Parent Member under rule 4 (c), shall have one vote.
Parent Members shall have one vote irrespective of the number of Junior Members
they represent. Junior Members do not have the right to vote. Parent Members
shall not have a vote additional to the Junior Member or Members for whom they
act as representative.
ii)
Any
Member eligible to vote may do so at General Meetings.
iii)
Decisions
to amend the constitution or dissolve the Association will be passed by not
less than two thirds of the members present and eligible to vote at a General
Meeting.
iv)
All
other decisions will be taken by a simple majority vote. In the
event of an equality of votes on a resolution requiring a simple majority, the
person in the chair will have a second and casting vote.
7) Management
The
general management and control of the affairs of the Association shall be
vested in the Management Committee (the "Committee").
a)
All
Committee Members shall be over the age of 16 by 31st August in
the preceding year.
b)
The
Committee will consist of the Officers of the Association and such other people
as the AGM may have elected in accordance with rule 6 (a (vi)).
c)
No Committee
Member shall be remunerated for being a member of the Committee.
d)
If a
Committee Member resigns or fails, in the opinion of the Committee, to fulfil
the duties of their office, the Committee may vote to remove the Member from
the Committee.
e)
The
Committee may co-opt another Member of the Association to fill the vacancy
arising out of the operation of rule 7 (d) until the next AGM.
f)
The
Committee may co-opt not more than three additional Members in any one year,
who will have full voting rights at Committee meetings.
g)
The
Committee may delegate business to sub-committees, who will report back to the
Committee.
h)
The
Committee will meet within 30 days at the request of the Chairman or the
Secretary or any three members of the Committee.
i)
The
Secretary will give at least 7 days'notice of all Committee meetings to all
Committee members with an agenda of business to be conducted.
j)
The
quorum will be 4 Committee members.
k)
All
decisions will be taken by a simple majority vote.
l) Voting will be restricted to Committee
members present. Each will have one vote, except that, in the event
of an equality of votes, the person in the chair will have a second and casting
vote.
m) Proposals may be put to the Committee
via email by any two Officers, one acting as a proposer and the other as a seconder
to the proposal. Votes should be received by the Secretary within five working
days. Each Committee member will have one vote, except that, in the event of an
equality of votes, the Chairman will have a second and casting vote.
8) Finances
a) The income and property of the
Association shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects.
b) The Committee is responsible for the
finances of the Association.
c) All money received by the Association
shall be paid into a current account or deposit account at such bank as shall
from time to time be decided by the Committee.
d) All payments from any bank account held
by the Association shall be authorised by two Committee members who have been nominated
as signatories.
e)
There
will be no less than three and no more than five signatories nominated by the
Committee at any one time.
f) An Officer may pay out of, or be
reimbursed from, the property of the Association any reasonable expense
properly incurred in acting on behalf of the Association.
g) The Committee will be responsible for the
proper keeping of accounting records for the Association
h) The Treasurer will be responsible for
the preparation of an Annual Financial Report for the Association which shall
be agreed by Committee and presented at the AGM.
i) At the specific request of the
Committee or if voted at AGM, the Annual Financial Report and supporting
records shall be audited or reviewed.
j) The Annual Financial Report shall as a
minimum consist of an Income and Expenditure statement for the financial year
compared to the previous year and a financial commentary for the period.
k) The financial year of the Association
shall end on the last day of July each year.
l)
The
use of any surpluses of the Association in any financial year will be agreed by the Committee so as to ensure:
i. The maintenance of a minimum
cash reserve as agreed by the Committee but to be no less than £8,000;
ii. The maintenance (by repair or
replacement) of the property or equipment of the Association;
iii. The furtherance of the Objects
of the Association
9) Amendment
a)
Any
provision contained in this constitution or the constitution as a whole may be
amended, provided that any such amendment is or amendments are made by
resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting
at a General Meeting.
10) Dissolution
a)
A
resolution to dissolve the Association shall be passed by not less than two
thirds of the members present and voting at a General Meeting.
b)
If
the Members resolve to dissolve the Association then the current Officers will
remain in office and be responsible for winding up the affairs of the
Association in accordance with this clause.
i)
The
Officers must collect all assets of the Association and discharge, or make
provision for, all liabilities of the Association.
ii)
The
Officers must apply the net assets of the Association in accordance with the
objects of the Association.
iii)
The
Members may pass a resolution before or at the same time as the resolution to
dissolve the Association specifying the manner in which the Officers are to
apply the net assets of the Association.
iv)
In
no circumstances shall assets of the Association be distributed to or among
Members of the Association, except to or among Member Organisations with
similar objects.