The club drew up news rules for 2008. The new constitution document also contains copies of the documents we use on a regular basis: membership applications, certificate of membership, all that kind of thing.
This is the constitution:
THE CONSTITUTION OF
PONTEFRACT AND DISTRICT AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
AS ADOPTED ON 4. SEPTEMBER 2008
1 The Society
The Society shall be known as the Pontefract and District Amateur Radio Society. The
Society will be affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain.
Its logo shall be the Pontefract Crest above the letters PDARS as shown in Appendix L.
2 Aims
The aims of the Society shall be to further the interests of its members in all aspects of
amateur radio and directly associated activities; to promote amateur radio in the local
community and to raise respect for radio amateurs and for amateur radio through activities
and publicity.
3 Membership
Membership shall be open, subject to the discretion of the Committee, to all persons
interested in the aims of the Society.
(a) Full members
Full members must be 18 years of age or over. Full Members shall be eligible to stand
for election to the Society’s Committee, to attend the Society’s Meetings and events
and to vote at Meetings.
(b) Student members
Student members must be under 25 years of age and in full-time formal education.
Student members shall have the same rights as a Full member except that Student
members younger than 18 years of age may not stand for election to the Society’s
Committee.
(c) Honorary members
Honorary Life Membership may be granted to any person, who, in the opinion of the
Committee, has rendered outstanding service to the Society, either directly or
indirectly. Such membership shall carry the rights of Full membership but shall be
free from subscriptions.
(d) Life membership
Any member reaching the age of 65 years and having been a member of the Society for
at least five of the previous ten years, or otherwise at the discretion of the Committee,
may apply for Life membership. Such membership shall carry the rights of Full
membership but shall be free from subscriptions.
(e) Group membership
Members living at a single address as parent or guardian and child, married couple or
partners in a Civil Partnership, may apply for Group Membership with a joint
subscription for the Group’s first Member at the Full Member rate and for each other
member of the Group at 50% of the Full Member’s rate. Each member of the Group is
afforded the same rights of membership as an equivalent individual Member.
(f) Guests
A Member may invite a Guest to the Society but no Guest may attend more than three
meetings in any period of twelve months. A member inviting a Guest must sign in the
Guest in the Attendance Book and will be responsible for that guest for the duration of
their visit to the Society.
(g) Visitors
A Member must sign in a Visitor in the Attendance Book on arrival and a Member
with full membership rights assigned to oversee their entire visit to the club.
Application for membership
Prior to consideration for membership by the Committee a prospective member must
complete a Membership Application (See Appendix MA) and submit it to the Society.
At least 28 days must be allowed between submission of an Application and
announcement of a decision of the Committee.
Membership Documents
Members of the Society must complete a Member’s Information Sheet on acceptance to
Membership of the Society and again each year, within 14 days of the AGM. (See
Appendix MIS)
Members must notify the Secretary of any change in Name, Callsign, Postal Address,
Station Address or other contact details.
The Secretary will issue each Member of the Society with
(a) A Certificate of Membership (See Appendix CoM)
(b) A photo ID Membership Card; renewable annually (See Appendix IDMC)
A photograph of each Member will be taken and reproduced on the Card.
(c) A copy of this Constitution and its attached Schedule.
Each Member shall carry a current Membership Card when attending a Society
meeting or event as proof of Membership.
Any current Membership Cards held must be returned to the Secretary upon
termination of a Member’s membership of the Society.
Additional Requirements of Membership
Any Member of the Society aged 18 years or over and attending activities of the
Society at Carelton Grange must agree to membership of Carleton Community
Association (the Association) in addition to Membership of the Society and to abide by
the Rules of the Association.
Probationary period
Following acceptance into Membership of the Society any Member with Full
Member’s rights may apply for access to the Society’s Resources at the discretion of
the Committee and not before a continuous period of membership of at least three
calendar months.
Use of the Society’s resources
Access to the Society’s club room and equipment (including holding keys and access
codes) shall be given to qualifying Members at the discretion of the Committee and
only when a Declaration of Competence has been signed and lodged with the Society.
(See Appendix DoC) A financial deposit may be required before the issue of any
Society resource.
Only a properly licensed Member may transmit using the Society’s equipment and
Club Callsigns held by the Society may only be used by qualifying Members.
Whatever the national or international requirements, all transmissions made using the
Society’s equipment with the exception of genuine mobile operation must be logged
showing date, time, frequency or band, station called or worked, signal reports sent
and received together with power used and mode of transmission. All transmissions
made from the Society’s premises or using Club Callsigns held on behalf of the Society
must be logged in the Log Book provided for the purpose.
None of the Society’s resources may be removed from the club except as authorized by
the Committee and after an entry has been made in the Loans Book. A deposit may be
required before authorization is granted.
When resources are returned to the Society the return must be logged in the Loans
Book and the entry countersigned by a member of the Committee.
Responsibilities
All members shall abide by the constitution of the Society. The Committee shall have
the authority to expel any member whose conduct, in the opinion of the Committee,
renders that person unfit to be a member of the Society. No Member shall be expelled
without first having been given an opportunity to appear before the Committee.
Members shall be bound by this Constitution and its attached Schedule.
Any Member unable to produce a current Membership Card may be refused entry to
the Society’s meetings or events.
All Members attending an AGM or EGM of the Society must produce a current valid
Membership Card before being granted access to the meeting room.
4 Subscriptions
(a) The weekly subscriptions for membership shall be set by the Committee each year at
the AGM. (See Appendix Sub)
(b) All subscriptions shall be due and payable on Thursday of each qualifying week.
Members in arrears have no voting rights and generally their status shall afford them
the same privileges as a Visitor.
(c) The financial year shall run from 1 April to 31 March.
(d) A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the Society, if, after a period of two
calendar months, any Subscription due remains unpaid.
(e) The Committee shall have the power to waive or reduce Subscriptions in special
circumstances for a period not exceeding one year at a time.
5 Finance
All money received by the Society shall be promptly deposited in the Society’s bank
account. Withdrawals shall require the signature of the Society’s Treasurer and one other
nominated officer of the Society.
6 Membership of the Society’s Committee
The Society’s affairs shall be administered by a Committee elected at the Annual General
Meeting. The Committee, in whom the Society’s property shall be vested, shall consist of:
(a) A Chairman who will preside at all meetings when present. No member may hold this
position for more than two consecutive years. A retired Chairman may be reelected
after a break of one year.
(b) A Secretary who will be responsible for:
(i) keeping the minutes of all meetings of the Society,
(ii) ensuring that all correspondence is properly handled,
(iii) maintaining a master roll of members,
(iv) maintaining a register of Society equipment.
(c) A Treasurer, who will be responsible for:
(i) keeping the Society’s accounts,
(ii) advising the Committee on all financial matters,
(iii) preparing the accounts for any necessary audit and presenting them at the AGM.
(d) One Ordinary Committee Member.
(f) Not more than three co-opted members who are not permitted to vote.
7 Committee standing orders
(a) The quorum for the Committee shall be three non-co-opted members. In the absence
of a quorum, business may be dealt with but any decisions taken only become valid
after ratification at the next meeting at which a quorum exists.
(b) Committee meetings may be called by the Chairman, the Secretary or any majority
vote of the Membership.
8 Annual General Meeting
(a) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall normally be held on the second Thursday
of April each year. At least 21 days notice shall be given in writing and that notice
posted on the Notice Board in the Society’s main club room and on its web site at
http://www.pdars.com.
(b) The quorum for the meeting shall be three non-co-opted Committee Members.
(c) The agenda for the meeting shall be
(i) Apologies for absence
(ii) Minutes of the previous AGM
(iii) Chairman’s report
(iv) Secretary’s report
(v) Treasurer’s report
(vi) Election of the new Committee
(vii) Election of auditors
(viii) Other Business.
(d) Items (i) to (v) shall be chaired by the out-going Chairman, item (vi) by an acting
Chairman, and the remaining business by the newly elected Chairman.
(e) Nominations for Committee members will only be valid if confirmed by the nominee
at the meeting or previously in writing. (See Appendix NF) Committee members may
not be elected in their absence.
(f) Items to be raised by members under Other Business must be notified to the Secretary
not less than 21 days before the AGM.
(g) Those present at any AGM shall be restricted to
Elected Committee Members
Co-opted Committee Members
Paid-up Members of the Society holding a current Membership Card
Guests invited by the Committee and who may be asked to speak at the AGM
9 Extraordinary General Meeting
(a) Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) may be called by the Committee or not less
than five Members of the Society having Full Member’s standing, the date of the
meeting being the earliest convenient as decided by the Committee. At least 28 days
notice in writing must be given to the Secretary, who in turn shall give members at
least 14 days notice in writing of the agenda and that notice shall be posted on the
Notice Board in the Society’s main club room and on its web site at
http://www.pdars.com.
No other business may be transacted at the EGM.
(b) The quorum for the EGM shall be three non-co-opted members.
(c) Those present at any EGM shall be restricted to
Elected Committee Members
Co-opted Committee Members
Paid-up Members of the Society holding a current Membership Card
Guests invited by the Committee and who may be asked to speak at the EGM
10 Amendments to the constitution
This constitution may be amended only at an EGM called for that purpose.
11 Winding up of the Society
(a) The decision to wind up the Society may be taken only at an EGM.
(b) The assets and funds of the Society shall, after the payment of all outstanding debts, be
disposed of by donation to the Radio Amateur Invalid and Blind Club.
The full constitution with its appendices is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF here