Lanarkshire Philatelic Society

 

Our Constitution.

 

Downloadable versions

 

                                                

 

As agreed at the AGM on 19 April, 2024

 

  1. The society shall be called the “Lanarkshire Philatelic Society”
  2. The society shall have for its object the study & encouragement of philately in all its branches
  3. The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a committee, which shall consist of the following office bearers; namely the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Press Relations Officer, Exchange Packet Secretary, Congress Delegate and, also, two (2) other members, one of whom shall be the retiring President. All elected committee members (except the Vice president & the two (2) additional members) shall be required to submit a report to the AGM.
  4. Additional members may be appointed by, and will be responsible to, the committee if they undertake an organisation task on behalf of the society.
  5. The Office Bearers & other members of the committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), shall hold office for one year & shall be eligible for election, either to the committee, or to any other office. The office of Secretary, Exchange Packet Secretary and that of Treasurer, may be held by one person. Five (5) shall form a quorum of the committee.
  6. The President or, if absent, Vice President, or if both are absent, a member chosen by those present shall chair all meetings of the society and its committee. At all meetings of the society, or of the committee, the Chairman shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equality of votes, he/she shall have, in addition, a casting vote.
  7. The committee shall have the power to fill, by co-option, any vacancy occurring in its membership in the course of its year.
  8. Two (2) Accounts Scrutineers shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) & shall hold office for the coming year. They must be members of the society. Their duties are to scrutinise all accounts & financial statements of the society prepared for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and report accordingly to said meeting.
  9. The committee shall prepare & publish a syllabus of the meetings of the society. The syllabus shall be deemed to provide adequate notice of all regular meetings of the society, including the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
  10. Bank or Building Society accounts, as directed by the committee, shall be opened in the name of the society. All such accounts shall be operated normally by the Treasurer, except those which may be used for the Exchange Packet section which shall be operated normally by the Exchange Packet Secretary. All accounts shall be capable of being operated by two (2) committee members and all withdrawals from the society’s Treasurer’s account shall require the signature of, at least, two (2) committee members. The committee shall decide which of its members, besides the Treasurer & Exchange Packet Secretary, shall have signing authority for the society’s accounts.
  11. The Treasurer, Exchange Packet Secretary & any other member entrusted with handling money on behalf of the society shall keep correct books & accounts showing the financial affairs of the society & statements verified by the Accounts Scrutineers shall be prepared for each year ending 31st March for submission to the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
  12. Members of the Exchange Packet section of the society shall be bound by the rules of said section, which shall be agreed by the committee.
  13. The annual membership subscription shall be such sum as shall be determined by the members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) & shall be due on admission, & annually thereafter on 1st October. Any member whose subscription remains unpaid on 1st November may be debarred from the privilege of membership until it is paid &, if still unpaid on 1st December, the committee shall be entitled to delete his, or her, name from the role of members. Any member wishing to resign shall intimate their intention, in writing, prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Otherwise; he, or she, shall be liable for the subscription for the ensuing year.
  14. All applications for membership, duly proposed & seconded, shall be submitted personally to a meeting of the society and, after a lapse of at least two (2) meetings from such submission & in the absence of any objections to membership, the applicant shall be admitted to membership. If there are objections, membership shall be decided by a two thirds majority of those members present & voting.
  15. The society shall have the power to offer Life Membership, via a vote at a general meeting, to a member who has given outstanding service to the society.
  16. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held on the date published in the syllabus, or on such date as determined by the committee and for which seven (7) days notice has been given, such meeting normally being the last meeting of the session, for the purpose of
    1. Approving the accounts & reports for the past year
    2. Electing Office Bearers, Committee & Account Scrutineers
    3. Setting the membership subscription
    4. Transacting any other competent business
    5. The total number of members present at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be deemed to have formed the requisite quorum
  17. The committee may nominate a member (or members) to receive an honorarium. The amounts and the recipient (or recipients) shall be determined by the committee but shall be ratified by a member’s vote at the AGM. Any member nominated shall have the right to refuse the awarding of said honorarium.
  18. An Honorary President and not more than two (2) Honorary Vice Presidents, who are members of society and who have given long and/or outstanding service to the society, or to philately in general, may be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). They shall not, by virtue of their office, have any voice in the management of the society.
  19. The committee shall have the power to suspend, from all rights & privileges of membership, for such period as they see fit any member whose conduct appears to be prejudicial to the character, interests or good conduct of the society, or who acts in defiance of its constitution & rules, or who, being a member of the Exchange Packet Section, acts in defiance of the rules of that section.
  20. The Constitution may be altered only at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) or at a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose. Any proposals to alter the constitution must be submitted, in writing, at least twenty (20) days prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or, if a request be made for a Special General Meeting, it must be supported by the signatures of ten (10) members or ten per cent (10%) of the membership of the society whichever is the less. On receipt of such a request and of the proposed alteration a Special General Meeting shall be convened by the secretary. In both cases the secretary shall give seven (7) days notice of the proposed alteration to members. Such notice shall be deemed to have been served if the proposed alterations have been tabled at two (2) scheduled meetings of the society prior to the General Meeting. No alteration on the constitution shall take effect unless it has been carried by a majority vote of those present at the meeting.
  21. If the society has to be dissolved for whatever reason, the assets of the society shall not be distributed to the remaining members, but shall be donated to a suitable organisation which supports or furthers the interests of philately such as a supervisory philatelic organisation.
  22. The committee may appoint a member of the society to be the society archivist for such period as it considers appropriate. His/her duties are to collect, to keep safely and to display material about, records of & objects belonging to the society, which individual members do not need to keep in order to carry out their functions. The archivist shall not, by virtue of his/her office, have any voice in the management of the society.