Maidenhead and District Chamber of Commerce

The Rules Of The Maidenhead and District Chamber Of Commerce

Name

1. This association shall be called the Maidenhead and District Chamber of Commerce and is hereinafter referred to as the Chamber.

Objects

2. The objects for which the Chamber is established are for the association of traders, merchants, manufacturers, professional persons and others to consider and promote by lawful measures, plans and schemes as may be calculated to further improve and secure the trading and commercial interest of businesses in Maidenhead and the surrounding district.
   
   
   1. to collect and circularise information relating to trade and commerce for the use of its members to assist them in their business.
   2. to advance and promote commerce and technical education.
   3. to initiate measures to diffuse information relating to sound and fair principles of trading and to create and foster a spirit of goodwill, friendship and unity, by holding meetings, debates and other functions, to provide facilities for social and business intercourse between its members and all who are interested in the objects of the Chamber.
   4. to do all or any acts and things which in its opinion may be conducive or incidental to the aforementioned objects or for more conveniently carrying out the same.

Membership

3. Membership of the Chamber shall be open to all individual persons, firms and companies interested or engaged in any recognised business, trade, profession or vocation in Maidenhead and district.
4. Every candidate for membership shall be proposed by at least two members. Election to membership shall be by a majority vote of those present at an Executive Committee meeting or at a General Meeting.
5. The Executive Committee or a General Meeting shall have power to refuse application for membership without assigning a reason.

6.  
   1. Every member shall pay an annual subscription which has been approved by a resolution at a General Meeting dealing only with subscriptions. Subscriptions for members joining on or after September 2010 shall become due on the anniversary of their joining each year. Subscription renewal dates for existing members will remain as they are at present.
   2. Any member who shall fail to pay the current subscription within four months of the due date shall cease to be a member.
   3. Any payment to the Chamber by way of purported subscription in a sum less than the current subscription shall be accepted by the Chamber as a donation only and shall not entitle the payer to any form of membership.
7. The Chamber in General Meeting can elect as Honorary Members, without payment of any further subscription either for one or more years or for life, any member who in the opinion of the Chamber has rendered signal service to the Chamber. Honorary Members shall be counted for all purposes as Members of the Chamber with the exception that they may not vote on changes to the annual subscription.
8. The Executive Committee shall have power to cancel any membership without giving an explanation but for the purposes of this rule a vote of not less than two thirds of those Executive Committee Members present at its usual monthly meeting shall be necessary.
9. The Officers of the Chamber shall consist of the President, Deputy President, Vice President, Deputy Vice President, Immediate Past President, Honorary Treasurer and Secretary.

10. The general management of the affairs of the Chamber (except such business as in accordance with these rules shall be conducted at a General Meeting only) shall be conducted by an Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) which shall consist of the Officers of the Chamber together with not more than 30 other members of the Chamber (hereinafter referred to as Ordinary Members of the Committee). The Committee shall meet at least once a month except during the month of the AGM or by arrangement or agreement. Additional meetings may be called by the Secretary and shall be called if required by the President or any six members of the Committee. 10 members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.

11. A General Meeting of the Chamber (hereinafter referred to as the Annual General Meeting) shall be held in February of each year or within 14 days thereafter. At any General Meeting of the Chamber only Members of the Chamber who are not in arrears with payment of their current Annual Subscription shall be entitled to vote. At meetings of the Committee only members of that Committee shall be entitled to vote. At all meetings of the Chamber and of the Committee, persons entitled to vote shall have one vote only on every question to be decided by vote. In case of an equality of votes, the Chairman or other member presiding at the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. All voting shall be by show of hands but any ten members before such vote is taken may require that it shall be by ballot. Unless otherwise provided in any rule, all questions to be decided by vote at a meeting of the Chamber or of the Committee shall be decided by simple majority vote of those present and entitled to vote.

12. The Committee from time to time may appoint from among their number such sub-committees as they may deem necessary or expedient and may depute or refer to them such of the powers and duties of the Committee as the Committee may determine and all questions concerning membership from time to time of any sub-committee shall be determined by the Committee.

13. Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be elected to serve until the third Annual General Meeting after that at which they were elected. All members shall automatically retire from the Committee at the end of the third year of their membership thereof but shall be eligible for re-election. The Annual General Meeting shall elect so many Ordinary Members as are required to replace those who have automatically retired as aforesaid. The Annual General Meeting may elect Ordinary Members of the Committee to replace any who have ceased during the previous year to be members of the Committee provided that vacancies have not been filled by the Committee as hereafter mentioned. The Annual General Meeting may also elect any additional Ordinary Members of the Committee provided that the maximum number of Ordinary Members mentioned in Rule 10 is not exceeded.

14. The President, Deputy President, Vice-President, Deputy Vice President and Honorary Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall serve until the next following Annual General Meeting and the said Officers shall be eligible for re-election at the next following Annual General Meeting. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Committee.

15.  
    1. Nominations for Officers for election at the Annual General Meeting shall be made in writing to the Secretary not later than 10th January of each year.
    2. Nominations for Ordinary Membership of the Committee of persons other than those retiring from the Committee under Rule 13 shall be made in writing to the Secretary not later than 10th January.
    3. In the case of members who are due to retire under Rule 13 it shall be assumed that they wish to stand for re-election at the appropriate Annual General Meeting and they shall be entitled to stand unless notice of their unwillingness so to stand is received by the Secretary not later than 10th January.
16. A copy of the report of the Treasurer of the Accounts of the Chamber shall be sent to every member with an Agenda of business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting not later than 14 days before the date of such meeting.

17. The Committee may co-opt any member that wishes to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
18. The Committee shall fix the remuneration of the Secretary from time to time. The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Committee and shall also keep a correct roll of members of the Chamber and of the Committee and shall generally carry out the instructions of the Committee in all matters relating to the work of the Chamber.
19. The President may at any time and shall at the request of any ten members stating the business for which it is required convene an Extraordinary General Meeting for any specific purpose.
20. In the absence of the President, Deputy President, Vice President and Deputy Vice President at any meeting the members present shall elect a Chairman to preside for that meeting.
21. Any member of the Committee who is absent for the meeting of the Committee for a period of six consecutive calendar months shall cease to be a member of the Committee. The Secretary shall report the name of any such person to the following meeting of the Committee and the Committee shall either approve a reinstatement for such a period as they may direct or direct a notification to be sent to such person who shall be entitled to place before the Committee at their next meeting in writing or personally, any reasons for non-attendance and the Committee shall have the power, if they so think fit, to resolve that such person shall be re-instated as a member of the Committee.
22. Any member of the Chamber shall have the right to submit a Notice of Motion in writing to the Secretary, which, if received in time shall be placed on the Agenda for the next meeting of the Committee. The Committee with the approval of the whole of the members present shall have power to consider any matter notwithstanding that it shall not be on the Agenda for that meeting. No matter shall be considered at an Annual General or an Extraordinary General Meeting unless it shall appear on the Agenda for that meeting except by permission of the Chairman and after the business on the Agenda is concluded.
23. No alterations of these rules shall take place except by a majority vote of the members at an Annual General Meeting or at a special meeting held for that purpose. Members desirous of proposing any amendment or alteration must give at least six weeks' notice in writing to the secretary.

Rules updated: 9 March 2011

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