RULES AND CONSTITUTION
1 Name and Objective
The Society shall be called ‘Exhall Ringcraft Society’ and its objective will be the training of pedigree ‘Table’ dogs for the show ring.
2 Officers
The following officers shall be elected annually and will have the following voting rights at Committee and General Meetings:
President No voting rights
Chairman Full voting rights & Casting vote
Vice Chairman Full voting rights
(no voting rights if called to take over as chairman)
Hon. Secretary Full voting rights
Hon. Treasurer Full voting rights
3 Committee
The committee will be the maximum of six members, each elected for a ‘two’ year term at the Annual General Meeting. Each year three members will retire and will be eligible for re-election in that year. If a vacancy arises on the Committee following the departure of a member in their first year of office, that vacancy will be filled for a one year term at the Annual General Meeting. The retiring members are eligible for re-election.
The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members onto the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between the Annual General Meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next Annual General Meeting of the Society at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of the Society or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.
A quorum for Committee meetings shall be four, including the Hon. Secretary. Committee members failing to attend three consecutive meetings without good reason, shall automatically cease to be a member of the Committee.
4 Honorarium
The Treasurer and Secretary shall each receive an honorarium, the amount of which shall be proposed by the committee and ratified at the AGM.
5 Voting Rights
Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. Postal/proxy votes are not allowed. Voting shall be by ballot or show of hands. Each member of a joint membership will be entitled to one vote.
6 Club Property
Property of the Society shall be the responsibility of the Committee. If the Society shall cease to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide on the disposal of the Society’s assets. The outcome of the meeting will be notified to the Kennel Club. Final statement of accounts, together with a record of disposal of the property for the Society, shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months. Persons named as Officers and Committee of the Society will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the final ending of the Society.
7 Club Accounts
(a) The Society’s accounts shall be held at a Bank or Building Society of the Society’s choice into which all revenue of the Society shall be paid. Withdrawals shall only be made on the signatures of any two of the following Officers – Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary and Chairman.
(b) Accounts will be certified annually and presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting. A copy of the annual statement of accounts will be made available on request to members 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Additionally, the annual statement of accounts will be available for inspection by members at the Annual General Meeting and at times to be stipulated in the rules.
8 Auditors
Auditors will be appointed by the committee and will be one qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the accounts.
9 Subscriptions
Annual subscriptions shall be the said amount agreed by members at the Annual General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club. Annual subscriptions are due from the first day in January each year. For New Members who join after the first day in November, the subscription paid carries Membership through to the end of the following year. No member whose subscription is unpaid at 31 March is entitled to any of the privileges of membership. The Society must make a list of members and their addresses available for inspection if so required by the members of the Society or by the Kennel Club.
Training and match fees shall be proposed by the committee and ratified at the AGM. The fees will be adopted immediately.
10a Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be disqualified under the Kennel Club Rule A11j(5) and/or the Kennel Club Rule A11j(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society.
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Society be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interest of the Society, the Committee of the Society may, at a meeting the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Society shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.
Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused member, giving particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date and hour of the meeting, that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at the meeting, a resolution to expel the member is passed by two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of members, and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purpose to be a member of the Society except that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon subject to such condition as the Kennel Club may impose.
If the Society expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, trials or competitions, the Society must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.’
10b Exclusion of Dogs
In fairness for all members and their dogs, no member shall attend a training class, match or any other function promoted by the Society with a dog that is unwell or is suffering from any infectious or contagious disease.
In the event of any dog having contact with any infectious or contagious disease e.g. kennel cough, the dog shall be kept away from all Society events until cleared by a Veterinary Surgeon.
If in the opinion of those committee members present at a training class, match or other function promoted by the Society, a dog appears unwell or of savage disposition they may, in the interest of other dogs present, either refuse admission or request the Member to remove the dog.
In fairness for all members and their dogs, no bitch in season can be accepted for training, at matches or any other function organised by the Society.
11 Financial Year
Financial year of the Society shall be from January 1st to December 31st. The Annual General Meeting shall be held by the end of April.
12 Annual General Meeting
The nature of the business shall be:
- To receive the report of the Officers and Committee;
- To report on the Balance Sheet;
- To elect Officers and Committee; and
- To discuss any resolution placed on the agenda of which proper notice has been given to the Hon. Secretary.
No business shall be transacted at Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those that in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are very urgent.
Any changes to rules and constitution, subscriptions and fees that are proposed by the committee will be circulated to members at a club event prior to the 14 day deadline for items for the agenda.
Six weeks’ notice of the meeting will be given to all members by one or more of the following methods: post, hand, email, text, website or social media.
Items for inclusion on the agenda are required in writing by the Hon. Secretary fourteen days before the meeting. This can be by hand, post or email. The agenda will be circulated at the meeting along with a copy of the Balance Sheet.
13 Special General Meeting
A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary if TEN members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting Special General Meeting to do so. The Committee of the Society is empowered to do so. The Committee of the Society is also empowered to call a Special General Meeting.
No business other than that detailed on the agenda can be discussed at the Special General Meeting. At least 14 days’ notice shall be given, to the members by post or by hand.
14 Amendments to the Rules
Rules of the Society may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting. The notice for which is to contain specific proposals to amend rules. Any proposed alterations to the rules cannot be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been notified and approved of the alterations.
New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.
15 Annual Returns
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Hon. Secretary for continuance of registration, and that by 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.
16 Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules of the Society in all cases relative to canine or society activities.
17 Federation of Societies or Clubs
The Society shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
Table of amendments
| Date Approved by AGM | Amendment |
| 22 February 1993 | Rules approved by AGM |
| 27 February 2006 | Change to rule 3. Membership changed from two years to one year before a member is eligible for election to committee |
| 23 February 2015 | Amendments to Rules 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10a, 10b, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18 (Amendments are detailed in ‘Proposed amendments to Rules and Constitution’ that form part of AGM minutes 2015) Approved by Kennel Club on 4/08/2015 |
| 25 April 2016 | Amendment to Rule 3 to remove the condition ‘No individual that has been a member for less than one year maybe elected onto the committee” was approved by the AGM. Amendment agreed by KC prior to AGM. |
| 9 April 2018 | Amendment to Rule 9 After the first sentence insert:
‘Annual subscriptions are due from the first day in January each year. For New Members who join after the first day in November, the subscription paid carries Membership through to the end of the following year.’ Add to the current second sentence after unpaid ‘at 31 March’. Sentence now reads: ‘No member whose subscription is unpaid at 31 March is entitled to any of the privileges of membership.’ Both amendments agreed by KC on 23 August 2018. |
| 2 October 2018 | Changes required by the KC, extract from letter dated 23 August 2018.
In reviewing the constitution, we have identified some areas which require updating to conform with Kennel Club Regulations for registered Societies. We would therefore suggest that these changes are made at the earliest opportunity. Rule 10a Expulsion of Members – Please delete “any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under” and “for the duration of the suspension and or disqualification” and amend the first paragraph of this rule to read “Any member who shall be disqualified under the Kennel Club Rule A11j (5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11j (9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society.” Rule 14 Amendments to Rules – Please amend this rule to read “Rules of the Society may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting. The notice for which is to contain specific proposals to amend rules. Any proposed alterations to the rules cannot be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been notified and approved of the alterations. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.” Agreed by the committee on 2 October 2018 and ratified by members at AGM on 8 April 2019 . |