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Constitution

Constitution of

Royston Cycling Club

1. The Club will be called: Royston Cycling Club

2. The Purposes of the Club

The purposes of the Club are to:

  • promote the amateur sport of cycling in the Royston area;
  • provide cyclists with the opportunity to meet other cyclists and enjoy the positive social and fitness benefits of riding together;
  • offer a positive and supportive cycling community in which members may develop their riding;
  • develop and organise a range of recreational and sporting cycling activities for the enjoyment of members and prospective members;

In the furtherance of these purposes, but not otherwise, the Club may:

  • buy, sell, and supply goods and services for the purposes of the Club;
  • do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the said purposes;
  • collect and disseminate information on all matters relating to the sport of cycling, and exchange such information with other bodies having similar objectives.

The Club is non-political and will not act as a pressure group.

3. Club Colours

The club colours shall be determined at a General Meeting and agreed by a majority vote.

4. Affiliation

The Club shall be affiliated with ‘British Cycling’.

5. Membership

  • Membership will consist of all members of the Club having paid their annual subscription;
  • All members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the Club will be deemed to have accepted these regulations and the Ride Guidelines that the Club has adopted;
  • Membership of the Club will be open to all persons over the age of 18 interested in cycling on application regardless of sex, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs, except as necessary consequence of the requirements of cycling as a particular sport on a non-discriminatory basis;
  • The Clubs membership year will run from 1 April to 31 March. Any member who has not paid their membership renewal subscription by the end of April will be deemed to have resigned from the Club;
  • The Club committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or cycling into disrepute, as set out in section 9 of this Constitution. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to a General Meeting of the Club.
  • The Club will endeavour to keep the subscription at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.

6. Club Principles

Club members:

  • must wear cycle helmets when on Club organised rides. No helmet, no ride;
  • are expected to maintain the average speed of the group they have chosen to ride with;
  • should at all times uphold the spirit of cycling fellowship that was integral to the establishment of the Club;
  • taking part in club or other events and/or wearing club kit in public are expected to be considerate ambassadors for the Club and the sport;
  • when riding on the road, must comply with the Highway Code;
  • must ensure that their cycles are roadworthy;
  • are expected to carry tube, basic tools and pump for puncture repairs;
  • are encouraged to use mud-guards when group riding in wet weather conditions or remain at the rear of the group for the comfort of all other participants;
  • are encouraged to use bike lights during autumn/winter riding and other poor visibility conditions
  • are not permitted, for safety reasons, to use tri-bars on Club rides .

7. The Committee

    I. Powers of the Committee:

The Committee:

  • shall exercise all such functions as may be exercised by the Club other than those functions that are required by these rules to be exercised by the Club in a General Meeting;
  • has the power to perform all such acts and do all such things as appear to the Committee to be necessary or desirable for the proper management of the affairs of the Club;
  • shall have the power to create and wind up sub-committees as required;
  • shall have the power to co-opt up to two further members to the Committee as required;
  • will meet face to face;
  • shall have the power, if so necessary, to agree a resolution in writing, signed by every Committee member, without a meeting.

  II. Composition of the Committee:

The Committee shall comprise:

  • the Officers of the Club;
  • at least two Elected Members of the Club

The Committee shall comply with the provisions of this Constitution, any ratified constitutional amendments, and rules ratified by the Members of the Club.

Committee membership will be on a non-remunerated basis and Committee members will not abuse their position for any form of reward, financial or otherwise.

The Club shall have the following Officers:

Chairperson, who is responsible for the effective management of the Club; the Chairperson shall preside over Committee meetings and Club General Meetings. The Chairperson will normally not be a voting officer; however in the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote.

Secretary, who is responsible for minute-taking at all meetings, and for ensuring that information about all matters affecting the Club is communicated to members efficiently and expeditiously. The Secretary is also responsible for coordinating public relations.

Treasurer, who is responsible for overseeing the Club finances and reporting to the members on the financial position of the Club.

Membership Secretary, who is responsible for maintaining the Club’s membership register, sending out renewal reminders, processing membership applications and issuing membership cards.

An officer may not hold more than one office at the same time.

III. Term of appointment:

Each Officer, Elected Member or Co-Opted Member of the Club shall hold office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting following the date of the said officer’s election, but is eligible for re-election.

A Committee member ceases to be such if he/she ceases to be a member of the Club, resigns by written notice, or is removed in accordance with sub-section VI below.

IV. Election of Committee Members:

Any Member may be nominated (or may nominate himself/herself, either in person or in writing) for election as an Officer or Elected Member.

The ballot for the election of Officers and Elected Members shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting in an open vote.

V. Vacancies:

If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Committee for any reason, the Committee members may appoint a member to fill the vacancy, and the member so appointed will hold office subject to the Constitution. The person filling the vacancy shall retire at the next occurring Annual General Meeting, but is eligible for election.

VI. Removal of Committee Members:

  • In order to remove any Committee members from office, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called;
  • A proposal to remove the Committee Member shall be put forward, in writing, by a member duly qualified to vote at that meeting;
  • Notice shall be served on the said Committee member in writing, stating the date, time, and place of the Extraordinary General Meeting, the proposal and the grounds on which the proposal for removal is based, and informing the Committee Member that he/she may attend and speak at the Extraordinary General Meeting, and may also make written submission;
  • Once due consideration of the matter has been given, the proposal for removal of the Committee member shall be put to a vote. A two-thirds majority of those present at the Extraordinary General Meeting is required to remove the Committee Member from office.

8. Meetings and Quorum:

  • A Committee meeting shall be quorate when at least three members of the Committee are present;
  • A General Meeting of the club shall be quorate when at least 10 members or 10% of the membership is present, whichever shall be least;
  • An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the club shall be quorate when at least 15 members or 25% per cent of the membership is present, whichever shall be least. The rules of the AGM will also be apply to any Extraordinary General Meeting.

9. Disciplining members

  • The Club may, by resolution, censure, suspend, or expel a member from the Club, if the member has:
    • persistently refused or neglected to comply with a provision of the Constitution or Club Ride Guidelines; or
    • wilfully acted in a manner detrimental to the interests of the Club or cycling.
  • Where the Committee is of the opinion that a Member has acted in such as way so as to merit disciplinary action, the Committee must notify the member and convene a disciplinary hearing;
  • Where the Committee passes a resolution convening a disciplinary hearing, the Committee must serve written notice on the member in question, stating the date, time, and place of the disciplinary hearing, setting out the resolution of the Committee and the grounds on which it is based, and informing the member that he/she may attend and speak at the disciplinary hearing, and may also make written submission;
  • Once the disciplinary hearing has taken place, and due consideration of the matter has been given, the Committee shall propose what action (if any) is to be taken. The member in question shall be written to, communicating the Committee’s decision;
  • The Committee shall then convene a General Meeting of the Club, at which a secret ballot shall be conducted on the question of whether the Committee’s decision on this matter should be confirmed or revoked.

10. Voting and Decisions:

Issues arising at meetings of the Committee or General Meetings of the Club, and which require a vote, shall be determined by a simple majority, unless stated otherwise in this Constitution, of the votes of the members present at the meeting and entitled to vote.

Each member present at a meeting of the Committee or General Meetings of the Club (including the person presiding) shall be entitled to one vote. The Chairperson (who presides at meetings of the Committee and General Meetings of the Club) will normally not be a voting officer; however in the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote at meetings of the Committee and General Meetings of the Club.

Whenever a Committee member or member has a personal interest in a matter to be discussed, he/she must declare it, withdraw from that part of the meeting (unless asked to stay), not be counted in the quorum for that agenda item and withdraw during the vote and have no vote on the matter concerned.

11. Accounts and Banking:

The Treasurer shall maintain correct accounts and books showing the financial affairs of the Club, with full details of all receipts and expenditure connected with the activities of the Club. The Treasurer shall provide a written statement of accounts at the Annual General Meeting, and at General Meetings at the request of the Committee. An annual Club statement of accounts must be made available for inspection by any member and all Club records may be inspected by any Committee member when requested.

The Committee shall cause to be opened with such a bank as the Committee selects, a bank account or bank accounts in the name of the Club, into which all monies received shall be paid within ten working days of receipt. All payments made from the Club’s funds must be signed by two authorised Officers of the Committee.

The funds of the Club, however derived, shall be applied towards the purposes of the Club on a not-for-profit basis, under the direction of the Committee, and (where appropriate) with the approval of the membership of the Club.

The financial year of the Club shall run from 1 January to 31 December each year.

12. Annual General Meeting of the Club:

The Club shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) not more than 15 months after the last AGM. The Annual General Meeting shall have the following duties:

  • to receive a report on the work of the Club in the preceding year;
  • to receive accounts for the preceding year;
  • to elect the Officers of the Club, the ordinary Committee members;
  • to consider any matter referred to them by the Committee;
  • to consider any motion submitted by any member in writing to the Secretary at least 1 week before the meeting.

Communication summoning the Annual General Meeting will be released so as to reach members at least twenty-eight days before the meeting is due to take place.

Other General Meetings may be called at other times, with not less than twenty-eight days written notice to all members, by the Committee or by the Chairperson at the request of not less 20% of the members.

13. Amendments to the Constitution:

A General Meeting of the Club may amend the Constitution by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting, provided that a quorum of 20% of the membership be present, and that written notice of the amendment proposed has been given to all members not less than twenty-eight days before the General Meeting.

14. Dissolution:

The Club may be dissolved by the agreement of not less than 75% of those members present at a General Meeting specially summoned for this purpose. Any funds existing at the time of dissolution, after settling all liabilities of the Club, shall not become the property of any member or members but shall be given to British Cycling in furthering cycling causes.

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