NAME
The name of the Society shall be Save Princes Parade
AIMS
The aims of the Society shall be to act as a not for profit group to fight any proposal for building or development on the land at Princes Parade, Hythe, Kent and to represent the interests of local people affected by the proposed development.
POWERS
To further these aims the Society shall have power to:
(a) Obtain, collect and receive money or funds by way of contributions, donations, grants and any other lawful method and apply such funds towards the aims of the Society.
(b) Co operate with and support other groups with similar purposes
(c) Do all such lawful things as will further the aims of the Society.
MEMBERSHIP
(a) Membership is open to anybody who supports the purposes of the group. Members will be required to confirm that they wish to join the society and that they support its aims.
(b) The Management Committee shall have the power to approve or reject applications for membership or to terminate the membership of any member provided that the member shall have the right to be heard by the committee before a final decision is made.
(c) An annual membership fee may be charged, the amount to be agreed at the AGM each year.
(d) Communication with members will be via email.
MANAGEMENT
(a) A Management Committee elected annually at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall manage the Society. All members of the committee must be members of the society.
(b) The Management Committee shall consist of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership Secretary and up to 4 additional general committee members.
(c) Any vacancy arising on the Management Committee during the year can be filled by co-option of a member of the society at a meeting of the Management Committee.
(d) The Management Committee shall meet at least four times each year.
(e) At least 3 Committee members must be present at a committee meeting to be able to make decisions. Where there is a tied vote the chair will have the casting vote.
(f) A proper record of all transactions and meetings shall be kept.
GENERAL MEETINGS
(a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held within 12 months of the date of the adoption of this constitution and each year thereafter.
(b) Notices of the AGM shall be published three weeks beforehand and a report on the Group’s financial position for the previous year will be made available at the same time.
(c) A Special General Meeting may be called at any time at the request of the committee, or not less than one quarter of the membership. A notice explaining the place, date, time and reason shall be sent to all members three weeks beforehand.
(d) One third of membership or four members being present, whichever is the greater, shall enable a General Meeting to take place.
(e) Each member at a general meeting will have one vote. Where the vote by members is tied the Chair will have the casting vote.
(f) Proposals to change the constitution must be given in writing to the secretary at least 21 days before a general meeting and approved by a two thirds majority of those present and voting.
ACCOUNTS
(a) The funds of the Society including all donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the management committee. All cheques drawn on the account must be signed by two members of the Management Committee.
(b) The funds belonging to the Society shall be applied only to further the aims of the Society.
(c) A current record of all income, funding and expenditure will be kept.
APPEAL FOR FUNDS
Where a direct appeal for funds has been made for a specific purpose and either surplus funds remain or the funds were not in the end required for that specific purpose then the Management Committee may return the funds to the original donor(s) on a pro rata basis after direct costs have been deducted. Where the amounts involved are so small that the Management Committee feels it is not practical and/or economic to return the amount to the donor then there will be no obligation to make a repayment to the original donor. However where funds have been raised using a crowdfunding service, any unused funds will be dealt with according to the terms of that service.
EXPENDITURE
Decisions regarding expenditure may be made either by a majority vote at a meeting of the Management Committee or by a majority of votes of members at a general meeting. In either case the chair will have the casting vote in the event of a tie.
DISSOLUTION
(a) The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed by a simple two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a General Meeting.
(b) If confirmed, the committee shall distribute any assets remaining after the payment of all bills to relevant charitable group(s) or organisation(s) having aims similar to the Society or some other charitable purpose(s) as the Society may decide by means of a majority vote of the general membership.