SURVEYORS 1921 CLUB

BEDFORD

 

RULES

 

Adopted as at 20th April 2023

 

Name

1) The Surveyors 1921 Club.

 

Location

2) The town of Bedford shall be the centre of the area over which the Club operates,

however the Club will be open to and will encourage membership from surrounding

areas, e.g. Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Hitchin.

 

Purpose

3) To arrange meetings on topics of interest to the surveying and kindred professions.

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4) To discuss matters of professional practice and to provide relevant continuing

professional development.

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5) In particular, to engender a spirit of cooperation among Club members.

 

Membership

a. Subject to the provisions of Rule 7, no person shall be admitted to membership

unless they are a member or studying towards membership of the Royal Institution of

Chartered Surveyors.

b. If any existing member retires or resigns their membership of the RICS or equivalent

professional membership, they shall not be obliged to resign their membership of the

Club, subject to the approval of the Committee.

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6) At the sole discretion of the Committee, membership can be offered to persons from

kindred professions with a suitable property-related qualification, e.g. solicitors, architects

and planning consultants, or studying towards those qualifications.

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7) Members admitted under Rule 6 shall never exceed twenty in total at any one time.

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8) Proposals for membership shall be made in writing or submitted electronically. The

Committee shall approve any such application on behalf of the membership as a whole.

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9) If approved by the Committee the proposed member will automatically become a

member of the Club, subject to payment of the current subscription.

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10) There shall be three grades of membership:

•   Ordinary member

•   Honorary member

•   Vice-President

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11) Honorary membership shall be granted to members who have provided long and

valuable service to the Club.

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12) There shall be no more than ten Honorary members at any one time.

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13) In cases of exceptional service to the Club, and at the discretion of the Committee, an

Honorary member may be elevated to the position of Vice-President.

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14) There shall be no more than two Vice-Presidents at any one time. Elevation to Honorary

or Vice-President status shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting and shall be

subject to confirmation by the membership.

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Administration

15) The Officers of the Club shall be:

•   President

•   Secretary

•   Treasurer

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16) The executive work of the Club and the day to day running of the Club shall be administered by and delegated to the Committee. Provided That for the avoidance of doubt the Committee shall be entitled to commit the Club to any item of expenditure relating to Rules 3 to 5 above, of up to £500 without reference to the Members and, in addition, all costs associated with the Annual Dinner in each Club year, notwithstanding that it exceeds the aforementioned amount. Any expenditure falling outside these parameters will be put to a vote of the Members in attendance at the next available Club meeting and will be approved if passed by a majority of those present.  

 

17) The Purposes set out at Rules 3 to 5 above will include but not be limited to the Committee organising activities aimed at raising money for a President’s Charity, events to commemorate Club history, milestones or Members, and generally encouraging membership of and promotion of the Club, including but not limited to training and awards.   

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18) The Committee shall consist of:

•   The Immediate Past President

•   President

•   President-elect

•   Secretary

•   Treasurer

•   Up to five Ordinary Members

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19) Vice-Presidents have a right to receive notice of Committee meetings and to attend

Committee meetings.

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20) All Officers and positions on the Committee shall normally be subject to confirmation by

the membership at each Annual General Meeting. However, the Committee will be able

to co-opt members onto the Committee between Annual General Meetings but which will

be subject to confirmation by the membership at the next AGM or EGM.

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21) If more nominations are received for Officers or places on the Committee than there are

vacancies, there shall be a ballot. Election shall be by simple majority vote of members

present at the Annual General Meeting.

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22) Quorum for Committee decisions shall be four members eligible to be present, with the

Chairman having a casting vote.

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23) Any Committee member who is not an Officer shall be obliged to retire from the

Committee after serving six consecutive years.

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24) Upon professional retirement, no Committee member shall be eligible for re-election to the Committee until one year after retirement except that they shall not be prevented by this rule from being elected to the position of President-elect, an Officer of the Club or Vice President or co-opted onto the Committee. Provided That the Committee shall have discretion to make an exception to this Rule on a case by case basis.     

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25) The Secretary shall keep proper records of all Club transactions, including rules, minutes

of meetings, the membership roll and meeting attendance counts. However, during

emergencies, such as the Covid19 Pandemic, the Secretary may move all meetings

online and shall not be obliged to keep detailed records of such meetings, which instead

may be recorded.

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26) The Treasurer shall keep proper financial accounts and shall furnish all members with a

report of the past year’s transactions and a Statement of Account prior to each Annual

General Meeting.

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27) The Statement of Account shall be audited by a suitable person appointed at an Annual

General Meeting.

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Subscription

28) The annual subscription due from each member shall be an amount proposed each year

by the Committee and approved by a simple majority of votes of members present at the

Club meeting in December.

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29) Members granted Honorary and Vice President status shall be exempt from paying the

annual subscription.

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30) Payment of the annual subscription shall become due on 1 January each year.

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31) Non-payment of the annual subscription shall render a member ineligible to vote at an

Annual General Meeting.

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32) Failure to pay the annual subscription by the first day of April in any year shall cause a

member to forfeit their membership, unless there are extenuating circumstances, and it

shall be at the sole discretion of the Committee.

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Annual General Meetings

33) An Annual General Meeting shall be held once a year, usually in April of each year. The

Secretary shall provide not less than 14 days written notice of the meeting.

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Generally

34) Each member pledges to attend the meetings of the Club and, in particular, the Annual General Meeting.  Consistent failure to attend meetings will render a member liable to forfeiture of their membership at the sole discretion of the Committee.  Notwithstanding the generality, failure to attend in a particular Club year any meetings that qualify as continuing professional development shall be deemed to be consistent failure to attend, unless there are exceptional, extenuating circumstances.

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35) Each member may introduce a professional colleague at any of the meetings held by the

Club, excluding the Annual General Meeting.

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36) These Rules may only be altered after consideration by the Committee, followed by a

three-fourths majority vote of members present at an Annual General Meeting or Extra

Ordinary Meeting of the Club, of which every member must receive at least 14 days

written notice of the intention to revise the rules, together with details of the proposed

changes.

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37) The Club Committee, at its sole discretion, has the right to expel any member if that

member has been the subject of disciplinary action by a regulatory or professional body;

or has been declared bankrupt; or has been convicted of a criminal offence (other than a

motoring offence); or has engaged in behaviour considered to constitute unprofessional

or unethical conduct.

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SURVEYORS 1921 CLUB BEDFORD

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