TENDRING TWINNING ASSOCIATION RULES
Date agreed by the Executive Committee (EC): October 2016
Validated by Annual General Meeting (AGM): 3 May 2017
Date of Next Review: October 2019
1. NAME
The Association shall be known as ‘Tendring Twinning Association’.
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims of the Association shall be to foster International understanding through the formation of friendship links between Valence, Biberach and Swidnica by encouraging educational, cultural, sporting and social exchanges and any other activities which will assist to foster good relations between the four towns.
The objectives are to initiate and co-ordinate twinning within Tendring District; this will be to raise and hold funds from subscriptions, events and when appropriate, grants. Whenever possible, events should be budgeted to produce a surplus for the Association. The Association will organise and promote social and fund-raising events for members and friends of the Association.
3. MEMBERSHIP
i) Membership of the Association shall be open to any person, organisation, business or commercial undertaking interested in the objectives of the Association. All applications for membership shall be submitted to the EC and the EC’s decisions whether or not to accept an application shall be final. There is a membership form on the web site, and hard copies available to all committee members.
ii)The following shall be the categories of membership: single; family – to include spouse/partner and their children up to and including 18 years of age. The Life membership will no longer be an option, although this will be sustained for those already with this status.
iii)Confidentiality
The TTA Confidentiality Policy will be provided to any member on request.
4. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions will be payable yearly in advance and shall become due on 1st April each year. The EC shall determine in March each year the subscription for the forthcoming year.
5. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
i) The general management of the Association shall be deputed to an EC, which shall have full control over the affairs and assets of the Association.
ii)The EC shall consist of not less than six members nor more than fifteen members of the Association including the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Minutes Secretary who shall be elected annually at the AGM.
iii) The EC shall have the power to co-opt such additional members of the Association as it considers either necessary or desirable to serve as members of the EC, but such co-opted members shall be without voting powers.
6. CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN
The AGM of the Association shall each year shall appoint from its membership a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman of the Association. At all meetings of the Association the Chairman shall preside. In event of the Chairman the Vice-Chairman shall preside. In event of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman both being absent, the meeting shall elect from those present a Chairman for the duration of the meeting.
7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Association shall hold an AGM at the beginning of May on a date to be agreed by the EC or as soon as thereafter as is reasonably practical.
8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting may be called by the EC at any time and by not less than ten members of the Association, or one quarter of the membership, whichever is the fewer, by submitting to the Chairman a requisition signed by them, and specifying the business to be transacted.
9. QUORUM
At meetings of the EC, three persons, and at all general meetings, ten persons entitled to attend and vote shall form a quorum, except in the necessity to dissolve the Association, when the quorum should be 70% membership.
10 ACCOUNTS
The financial year of the Association shall commence on 1st April and end 31st March. At the end of each financial year the Association’s accounts shall be duly prepared by the Treasurer, be approved by an independent examiner, and submitted to the AGM. A copy of the Financial Policy and Procedures can be requested by any member from the Chairman.
11. VOTING
Only members of the Association whose subscriptions have been paid shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Association. Voting at all meetings shall be by a show of hands and a simple majority shall determine the outcome of a proposition. In the event of a tied vote the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote. For Affiliated Group members (who are bone fide members of the group), and also in the case of family membership, two persons, shall be entitled to vote at meetings of the Association.
12. RULES
These rules may only be altered at an AGM or at a Special General Meeting called specifically for that purpose. For any alteration to these Rules at least seven days due notice, in writing, is to be given by the Chairman.
For information: DISSOLUTION: if at any General Meeting, a Resolution for the Dissolution of the Association be passed by a majority of the Members present and such a Resolution shall, at a Special General Meeting held not less than twenty-one days thereafter, at which not less than two-thirds of the members present, be confirmed by a Resolution passed by a majority of two-thirds of the Members present, the Executive Committee shall thereupon, or on a future date as shall be specified in the Resolution proceed to realise the property of the Association and, after discharge of all liabilities, shall prepare a Scheme for the remaining assets amongst agreed Charities. The Scheme shall be submitted for approval at a Special General Meeting of the Association, and upon approval, the assets shall be distributed in accordance with the Scheme. Upon the completion of such division, the Association shall be involved.