| CBC Constitution |
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Claygate Bridge Club Constitution
(last updated at the AGM on 14th March 2022)
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1. NAME
| (a) |
The Club shall be called Claygate Bridge Club. |
2. OBJECTS
| (a) |
The object of the Claygate Bridge Club is to provide facilities for the playing of Duplicate Bridge in accordance with the rules and regulations of the English Bridge Union. |
| (b) |
The Club shall be entitled to hold property relevant to the objects of the Club. |
3. HEADQUARTERS
| (a) |
The headquarters of the Club shall be situated at Claygate Community Centre, Elm Road, Claygate. |
4. AFFILIATIONS
| (a) |
The Club shall be affiliated to the English Bridge Union and the Surrey County Bridge Association. |
5. MEMBERSHIP
| (a) |
Applications for membership of the Club shall be made on the appropriate form to the Secretary, and each application shall have a proposer and seconder who must be fully paid-up members of the Club. |
| (b) |
In considering applications for membership the Committee shall have regard to the playing facilities available, and may from time to time decide that the Club shall be closed to new applications for membership for a period. |
| (c) |
New members shall be accepted or rejected by the Committee, whose decision is final. The Committee has a duty to ensure that the membership numbers and the standard of play are maintained at a reasonable level. A "play-in" period of three sessions may be required before a new member is accepted. |
| (d) |
The Club may confer Honorary Life Membership on any member who has rendered special service to the Club. |
| (e) |
All members are deemed to have accepted the regulations of this constitution and the rules and codes of conduct adopted by the Club. |
| (f) |
The Committee will keep a secure and private register of members which will include details of their names, addresses and contact details. |
| (g) |
A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately his membership is terminated in accordance with Clause 15, or when his resignation in writing is delivered to the Secretary. |
| (h) |
A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiration of the period of three months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment. |
| (i) |
Members of the Club are automatically enrolled as members of the English Bridge Union and shall abide by its Bye Laws. |
| (j) |
A former member of the Club who wishes to re-join as a member may do so without the necessity for a further formal application for membership, unless the Committee decides otherwise. |
| (k) |
The Club will run a compulsory Host rota and the Committee will be responsible for ensuring compliance by the members. Exemptions to Host duty may be made by the Committee in consideration of special circumstances of any member. |
6. OFFICERS
| (a) |
The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. |
| (b) |
No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold more than one Office of the Club. |
| (c) |
Each of the Officers of the Club shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election. |
| (d) |
In the event of a vacancy arising during the year in the office of any Officer of the Club, the Committee shall choose one of their number to fill such vacancy until the ensuing Annual General Meeting. |
7. COMMITTEE
| (a) |
The Committee of the Club shall consist of the Officers of the Club, together with not more than six ordinary members of the Club, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election. |
| (b) |
The Committee shall have the right to co-opt new committee members during the course of any one year, and any such new members shall offer themselves for re-election at the next Annual General Meeting. |
| (c) |
A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be three members of the Committee, including at least one of the Officers. |
| (d) |
The Committee may from time to time appoint subcommittees to undertake on its behalf such aspects of the administration of the Club as it shall think fit, and members of such subcommittees may include members of the Club who are not members of the Committee. |
| (e) |
The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of the Club concerning the affairs of the Club since the previous Annual General Meeting. |
8. MANAGEMENT
| (a) |
The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Committee, and the Committee shall have power to determine any issue arising in connection with the affairs of the Club which is not specifically provided for in this Constitution. |
| (b) |
The Committee may from time to time formulate and publish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient and harmonious running of the Club (but in the case of any conflict between such rules and this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail). |
9. GENERAL MEETINGS
| (a) |
Notice of no less than three weeks shall be given for the Annual General Meeting of the Club, which shall be held in each year no later than four months after the end of the financial year. |
| (b) |
Only honorary and fully paid-up members of the club shall be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual and Special General Meetings. |
| (c) |
Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a General Meeting provided that written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the meeting. |
| (d) |
Decisions at any Annual or Special General Meeting shall be by majority vote. Voting at General Meetings of the Club shall be by show of hands, and in the event of parity of voting the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. |
| (e) |
Each Annual General Meeting shall receive a report from the Chairman to be subject to acceptance or rejection at the Annual General Meeting. |
| (f) |
A Special General Meeting of the Club shall be convened by the Committee if a request for such a meeting signed by at least ten members of the Club is delivered to the Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within one month of the receipt of such request. |
| (g) |
A Special General Meeting of the Club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time. |
| (h) |
All General Meetings of the Club shall be held at the headquarters of the Club unless circumstances arise which render this impracticable. |
| (i) |
The Chairman, if present, shall chair all General Meetings of the Club, and in his absence some other member of the Committee, approved by a majority of those present at the meeting, shall chair the meeting. |
| (j) |
A quorum at General Meetings of the Club shall be ten members present in person. |
| (k) |
If fifteen minutes after the time fixed for a General Meeting of the Club no quorum shall be present, the meeting shall be adjourned to a new date (of which the like notice shall be given to members as was required to be given for the meeting which has been adjourned), and in the case of a General Meeting which has been adjourned due to the lack of a quorum (but not of a meeting adjourned for any other reason) such number of members as are actually present at the adjourned meeting shall constitute a quorum. |
10. NOTICES
| (a) |
Notice of an Annual General Meeting shall be placed on the Club website not less than three weeks before the date of the meeting. |
| (b) |
Notice of any Special General Meeting of the Club or of an Annual General Meeting at which, in the opinion of the Committee, any business of a non-routine nature is likely to be discussed, shall be given to members by post or by email to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary. |
| (c) |
Notices of any other matters to be brought to the attention of members shall be made on the Club's website. |
11. NOMINATIONS
| (a) |
Nominations for the posts of Officers or committee members shall be in writing and shall be signed by the proposer and a seconder, both of whom shall be members of the Club, and also by the person nominated. |
| (b) |
Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting. |
| (c) |
The Committee shall have power to nominate a President, if deemed appropriate, in recognition of outstanding service to the Club. Such nominations shall be approved at an Annual General Meeting, and shall entitle the holder to honorary membership. The President shall not by virtue of his/her office be a member of the Committee. |
12. SUBSCRIPTIONS and FEES
| (a) |
Each member of the Club shall pay an annual subscription, the basic amount of which shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Subscriptions shall be due for payment by 31st January in each year in respect of the year to the following 31st December. Unless the Committee decides otherwise, any member whose subscription remains unpaid after the due date shall pay table money at the rate applicable to visitors until his subscription has been paid in full. |
| (b) |
The Committee may determine that certain duties exempt the members performing them from paying table money at the session for which the duties were performed. Apart from those exemptions, each member of the Club, and each guest and visitor, member of the Club, and each guest and visitor, shall pay table money on each occasion when he or she plays at the Club, the basic amounts of which shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. |
| (c) |
Each successful applicant for membership of the Club shall be required to pay a joining fee, the amount of which shall be decided at any Special or Annual General Meeting. |
| (d) |
The Committee may determine variations on the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money for members, guests and visitors in different circumstances, and may waive subscriptions or table money in the event of hardship or for any other good cause. |
| (d) |
The Annual General Meeting may authorise the Committee to increase or decrease the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money prior to the ensuing Annual General Meeting. |
13. ACCOUNTS
| (a) |
In accordance with the Club’s Bank Mandate, all cheques issued shall have one signature, the designated signatories being the Chairman, Treasurer and one ordinary member of the Committee. |
| (b) |
The financial year shall be from 1st January to the 31st December. |
| (c) |
The accounts shall be independently examined by a person who is not a member of the Committee and who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting, and the accounts shall be presented by the Treasurer for approval by the members at the meeting. |
14. GUESTS and VISITORS
| (a) |
Any member may invite a guest to play at the club at any time, but in the event of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members. |
| (b) |
Subject to the restrictions listed in this section, visitors may be permitted to play at the Club at any time, but in the event of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members and the guests of members. |
| (c) |
The Committee may place a limit on the number of occasions on which a non-member (whether a guest or a visitor) may play at the club without being required to apply for membership. |
| (d) |
If such a limit is for the time being in force, a non-member who has applied for membership shall (subject to available playing facilities) be permitted to play at the Club until his application for membership has been considered by the Committee, even if the limit imposed by the Committee is thereby exceeded. |
| (e) |
No member shall bring more than eight visitors in any one year. No visitor may play on the night of the Club's Christmas Party. |
| (f) |
Visitors may play with the host no more than four times a year. |
15. MEMBERS’ BEHAVIOUR
| (a) |
Each member of the Club shall be required in connection with the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge, to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal deportment prescribed by the Bye Laws and regulations for the time being of the EBU. |
| (b) |
In the event of the Committee having received complaints against the behaviour of any member and the Committee is of the opinion that, the conduct of any such member is deemed to be injurious to the interests of the Club, the Chairman shall write to the member concerned inviting him or her to attend a meeting of a disciplinary subcommittee, which may include two non-committee members, appointed to investigate the complaint. If the member fails to attend this meeting without good reason, then the Committee shall write to the member requesting his or her resignation. If this request is not complied with within fourteen days, the Committee shall terminate his or her membership and advise the person in writing. |
| (c) |
If the member attends the meeting and explains his behaviour to the Subcommittee, this explanation may result in either (i) the matter being dropped, or (ii) the offending member being offered a verbal caution, which if accepted, would end the matter, or (iii) the offending member shall be suspended from any of the Club’s competitions or from playing for such a period as it shall determine, or (iv) the Committee shall write to the member requesting his or her resignation. If this request is not complied with within fourteen days, the Committee shall terminate his or her membership and advise the person in writing. |
| (d) |
All the Disciplinary Subcommittee’s decisions shall be final. The Committee shall report such decisions at the next General Meeting. |
16. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
| (a) |
No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club. |
| (b) |
In order for a resolution to alter this constitution to have effect, at least one half of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour. |
17. WINDING UP
| (a) |
Notwithstanding clause 9(d), in order for a resolution that the Club shall be wound up to have effect at least two thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour, and in addition the number of votes cast in favour of the resolution must exceed one-half of the number of members of the Club entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting at which the resolution is put. |
| (b) |
If a resolution that the Club shall be wound up is passed, the Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club, and unless the winding up has been initiated with a view to amalgamating the Club with some other club (in which case any surplus assets and funds may be transferred to such other club), by a simple majority the Club may decide to distribute any surplus assets and funds amongst the membership as follows: members with not more than two years membership shall have their joining fee and one year’s subscription returned. The remaining members shall be entitled to the balance in equal shares. |
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