BINGHAM & DISTRICT CHORAL SOCIETY CONSTITUTION
- Name
The name of the Society shall be the Bingham & District Choral Society. - Object
The object of the Society shall be to educate and interest the public in music, particularly choral music, by the presentation of concerts and other activities. - Constitution
The Constitution may only be amended at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) or at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and no amendments shall be made which would have the effect of the Society ceasing to be a charity at law. - Membership
4.1 Membership of the Society is open to anyone over 18 years of age or over.
4.2 Junior membership is open to those under 18 years of age without voting rights and by invitation of the Committee.
4.3 Membership shall be by annual subscription, which shall be fixed at the AGM for the following season, and can only be altered at further AGM or EGM. - Conduct
A copy of the Constitution and any Rules made under Clause 17 shall be handed to each member of the Society, who in acceptance, shall agree to be bound by them. - Officers and Trustees
6.1 The Officers of the Society shall be the Chair,Vice Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer. An Officer must be at least 18 years of age. In the event of a vacancy arising amongst the Officers for any reason, the Committee shall have the powers to fill the vacancy until the next AGM or EGM.
6.2 The Officers shall act as Joint Trustees of the Society.
6.3 Two Trustees shall be required to sign any cheques or Deed on behalf of the Society relating to any savings accounts.
6.4 The Annual General Meeting will have powers to establish the position of Honorary Life President of the Society, and may appoint to this position someone who has given long and distinguished service to the Society.
6.5 The Annual General Meeting may appoint as Patron any person who has made significant contributions to the Society, and this post shall stand for a period of Three years. Such a person or persons may be reappointed. - Committee
7.1 The day to day management of the Society shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of 4 Officers and 8 other Members of the Society who shall be at least 18 years of age.
7.2 The Director of Music may be co-opted on to the Committee with full voting rights except when the terms of his or her employment are discussed.
7.3 Any casual vacancy on the Committee shall be filled by election at an EGM.
7.4 The Committee may also co-opt any member of the Society but members so co-opted shall have no voting rights.
7.5 Six members of the Committee shall be a quorum. The meeting shall become incompetent to transact business if less than the Quorum sits after the chair has been taken. Any Committee members not attending for three consecutive meetings without adequate reason shall cease to be a Committee member. The Chair has the casting vote. - Election of Committee
8.1 The election of all members of the Committee shall take place in the following manner:-
8.1.1 Nomination of a member shall be proposed and seconded by any other two members of the Society and countersigned by the nominee
8.1.2 Nomination forms shall be made available twenty one days before the AGM. A ballot shall be held if more than the requisite number of candidates is nominated and each member present at the AGM shall be entitled to vote for any number of candidates not exceeding the number of vacancies as per Rule 7. If two or more candidates obtain an equal number of votes, selection shall be made by lot.
8.2 The whole of the Committee or any members thereof may be removed by a majority vote exceeding two thirds of the members present at an EGM called for that purpose. - Period of Office
9.1 The period of office for the Committee shall be from 1 st July to the end of June of the following year.
9.2 All members of the Committee shall retire at the end of their period of officebut shall be eligible as candidates for election to the Committee at the AGM for the following season. - Power of the Committee
10.1 The Committee, in addition to the powers herein specifically conferred upon them, shall have the control of the finances of the Society, power to engage, control and dismiss (provided that any dismissal is in accordance with their contract) paid associates of the Society (as distinct from the officers of the Society) and all such administrative powers as may be necessary to carry out properly the objectives of the Society in accordance with the Constitution.
10.2 No resolution passed at an AGM or an EGM shall be rescinded by the Committee without the authority of a subsequent AGM or EGM.
10.3 No Officer or Committee member shall, by virtue of his or her appointment, have power to order goods or services, or dispose of the funds of the Society, unless specifically authorised by the Committee so to do.
10.4 The Committee may authorise any of its members to incur expenses of a casual but defined nature (e.g. postage, stationery) within defined limits.
10.5 The Committee shall not commit expenditure on any Concert without the approval of a General Meeting of the Society.
10.6 The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees consisting of any members of the Society and may delegate the powers of the Committee to such Sub-Committees. The actions and proceedings of such Sub-Committees shall be fully and promptly reported to the Committee. The Officers shall be ex-officio members of all sub-committees. Each sub-committee may co-opt members.
10.7 The Committee is responsible for deciding the programme of music to be rehearsed and performed by the Society. A Committee member shall report informally as soon as convenient to the Society as a whole on the programme that has been decided.
10.8 The Director of Music shall be an ex-officio member of any Sub-Committee dealing with music presentation of the Society. - Finance
11.1 The Society may receive donations, grants in aid and financial guarantees, and tickets for any or all of its concerts and other events may be offered for sale to the public. At the discretion of the Committee the funds of the Society may be invested in Trustee Securities. (as set out in Parts I and II of the first schedule of the Trustees Investment Act 1961).
11.2 The income and property of the Society whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards promoting the objectives of the Society as set forth above and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred either directly or indirectly to any member of the Society except in payment of reasonable legitimate expenses incurred on behalf of the Society.
11.3 In the event of the winding up or dissolution of the Society, any remaining assets after liabilities have been discharged shall not be paid or transferred either directly or indirectly to any member or members of the Society but shall be transferred to a charity organisation whose objects are similar to those of the Society and whose Constitution and Rules preclude the distribution of income and assets among its members. - Financial Year and Season
12.1 The financial year of the Society shall be from 1 st April of the current year to 31st March of the following year.
12.2 The season shall run from 1 st August to 31 st July of the following year. - Paid Individuals or Groups
13.1 The Committee shall provide any paid associate of the Society with a contract setting out his or her terms of engagement and responsibilities.
13.2 Selection and appointment. The Society shall advertise vacancies in appropriate journals and notice boards. The Committee will ensure that the membership is kept informed of the process. Applicants will be short listed on the merit of their written application and references. Selection will be made by members of a Sub-committee assisted by invited professional musicians appointed by the committee. For posts other than Musical Director, the Musical Director / Director of Music would assist in this process. Whenever possible, this process will involve formal interview by the sub-committee and an audition with the choir. Society members will be asked to indicate their preferences, but such preferences will not be binding on the sub-committee or committee. The Chair of the sub-committee, or another or others invited on the Chair’s behalf will advise all candidates of the outcome of the selection process.
13.3 From time to time Individuals or Groups may be engaged to perform tasks or provide services to or on behalf of the Society. They shall be selected by members of the committee or others acting on the behalf of the committee. - Duties of Secretary
The Secretary shall carry out the directions of the Committee and shall conduct the correspondence and generally assist the Committee in the management of the Society. He or she shall, subject to the direction of the Committee, have custody of all documents belonging to the Society except as provided in paragraph 15, and shall keep full and correct minutes of all proceedings of the Society. - Duties of Treasurer
15.1 He or she shall keep the accounts of the Society and in so doing be responsible for the receipt and banking of all Society monies. He or she shall make up the Annual Statement of Accounts of the Society at 31st March in each year, which shall, after examination or audit, be printed and circulated amongst the members with the Agenda of the AGM.
15.2 He or she shall be responsible for the custody of any securities of the Society. - Auditors
Two Auditors, or one Auditor provided such Auditor is a member of a recognised professional accounting institution, shall be appointed by the Annual General Meeting to examine or audit, as currently required by legislation, the Annual statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet for the next financial year before submission to the next AGM. Auditors shall not be members of the Committee. - General Meetings
17.1 The AGM of the Society shall be held each year in the month of May at such time and in such place as the Committee shall determine.
17.2 At least twenty-eight days’ notice of the AGM specifying the time and place shall be given.
17.3 Any member wishing to introduce a motion shall give written notice of the motion to the Secretary, at least fourteen days before the date of the meeting at which the motion is to be raised.
17.4 The Agenda of the AGM shall be in the hands of members not less than seven days before the date of the meeting.
17.5 The Committee may call an EGM giving seven clear days’ notice thereof, when in their opinion, any matter of urgent importance shall arise, and shall be bound to do so on receiving a requisition signed by 10 members of the Society with such meetings being held not less than fourteen days and not more than twenty-one days from the receipt of the requisition by the Secretary. Only the business named in the requisition shall be brought before the EGM so called.
17.6 Rules for the conduct of the Society may be made, amended or rescinded at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting. No rules shall be made which would have the effect of the Society ceasing to be a charity at law. - Notices
The announcement of a General Meeting to an ordinary rehearsal of the Society to those members present or the delivery to such members of the required documents shall discharge the Committee’s obligation to give such notice or deliver such documents as this Constitution may require. - Chair
At all General Meetings the chair will be occupied by the Chair of the Society, failing which a chair shall be elected from amongst the members present, until which time the chair shall be taken by one of the Officers. The Chair of a General Meeting shall, in case of equality of votes, have a casting vote. - Evidence of Passing a Resolution
At any general meeting a declaration by the Chair that any resolution has been carried and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meetings of the Society, shall be sufficient evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportions of votes recorded in favour or against such resolution. - Alteration of the Constitution
21.1 No clause of the Constitution of the Society shall be repealed or altered and no new clause shall be added save by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at a General Meeting.
21.2 Written notice of the intention to propose, alter or repeal any clause shall be given to the Secretary at least fourteen days before the General Meeting, but no alterations having the effect of the Society ceasing to be a charity at law shall be admissible. - Inspection of Society Books
Any member is entitled, on request to the Secretary, to see any book or document of the Society made up to the date of his Inspection at a time which shall not be unreasonably restrictive.
Last updated May 2016
BINGHAM & DISTRICT CHORAL SOCIETY RULES
To view the rules as updated November 2018, click here.