Newark & District Photographic Society

Rules

1. Management
   1. Committee meetings and General Meetings shall be chaired by the President or, in their absence where meetings cannot be deferred, by the Secretary or Treasurer in that order of precedence.
   2. Committee members are to be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), taking office after its closure, and shall serve until the next AGM. Committee members shall be eligible for reelection. In the absence of nominations for all Committee positions being received prior to the AGM, or if positions remain vacant after voting, nominations may be invited from the floor by the President.
   3. Committee members may occupy any offices the Committee may deem necessary from time to time.
   4. The Committee shall have powers of co-option which may allow the total size of the Committee to exceed the limit already established. Members co-opted to fill vacancies on the Committee shall serve until the next AGM but shall be eligible for re-election. Members co-opted for participation in one or more Sub-Committees only shall not be eligible to attend meetings of the main Committee except by invitation.
   5. The Committee shall have the power to appoint Sub-Committees and shall determine their terms of reference. All acts and proceedings of such Sub-Committees shall be reported back to the Committee as soon as possible.
   6. The President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of any Sub-Committee they are not otherwise members of.
   7. The Committee may invite any member or non-member to attend all or part of any General Meeting, Committee meeting, or Sub-Committee meeting they would not normally be entitled to attend. Any such individuals shall not count towards the quorum nor be eligible to vote on any business.
   8. The Committee shall have the power to appoint Working Parties and shall determine their terms of reference.
   9. Focus Groups may be formed at the request of or with the approval of the Committee and shall focus on a specific well defined area of interest. They shall operate as semi-autonomous subgroups of the membership but shall be subject to oversight by the Committee who may intervene in any aspect of their operation.
2. Decision Making
   1. Committee meetings shall be deemed to have reached a quorum when any five members of the Committee are present.
   2. An emergency resolution of the Committee may be passed through votes at meetings of the President or Secretary and at least two other Committee members (to provide an independent witness of each vote recorded) or in writing to the Committee as a whole.
   3. A resolution of the Committee, except an emergency resolution, must be passed at a Committee meeting that is quorate through a vote or general consent by virtue of the absence of any objection being considered a unanimous vote in favour.
   4. In the case of an equality of votes in favour of and against any motion the Chair shall have a second or casting vote that can be employed to resolve the deadlock. The only bar to its use being through the successful challenge supported by a simple majority of all other members present that the Chair appears not to be acting in good faith but to be serving their own interest.
   5. Any nominations for Committee and motions, including alterations to the rules, not presented by and on behalf of the Committee must be proposed and seconded by members of The Society and in the hands of the Secretary at least 21 days before the AGM. Candidates shall not be eligible for election in their absence without their proven prior consent.
   6. The Secretary shall give members at least seven days' notice of any motions for consideration at the AGM.
   7. No motion shall be heard that was not previously submitted in accordance with any other rule unless instigated or agreed by the Chair. Nor shall any motion be taken forward without having been proposed and seconded by members who are entitled to vote.
   8. No amendment to a motion shall be taken without being proposed and seconded by members who are entitled to vote or while an existing amendment has yet to be put to a vote or which seeks to nullify the existing motion. If an amendment is passed by simple majority of members who, being entitled to vote, do so in person it shall displace the previous motion and become the new motion to which further amendments may be applied.
   9. Members shall be given reasonable opportunity to debate any motion or amendment subject to the time available to conclude all remaining business of the meeting. The proposer and seconder of any motion or amendment shall have a right of reply.
   10. A motion shall be considered withdrawn if support is withdrawn by the proposer or seconder with none taking their place.
   11. Distance votes (in writing) shall be allowed for General Meetings but must be received by The Secretary prior to the day of the meeting and shall be replaced by an abstention with regard to any motions that have been amended during the course of the meeting.
   12. Members must identify conflicts, or personal interests, and recuse themselves from related votes and be considered to have abstained.
   13. Extraordinary General Meetings may be called by the Committee or may be requested by at least six members entitled to vote at a General Meeting who should inform the Secretary (in writing) of the subject to be discussed and must be held within 28 days of receipt of this request. The Secretary shall give members at least 14 days' notice of the date, time, place, and subject for any Extraordinary General Meeting.
3. Activities and Events
   1. The Society's main programme of events shall be published before the start of each season and except under exceptional circumstances run between the beginning of September and the end of April. The events shall wherever possible be held on a day of the week and at time and place within or near to Newark, Nottinghamshire that has been agreed at the AGM. The Committee may amend the programme after its publication provided any amendment is communicated to the members of The Society as early as possible.
   2. Activities additional to those in the published programme may be organised by the Committee or by Sub-Committees, Working Parties, or the Chair and Coordinators of Focus Groups, who shall report to and gain approval for activities from the Committee. They shall take place at any appropriate time and place provided they do not clash with the published programme or, wherever practicable, each other.
   3. No event shall be arranged by the Committee, Sub-Committees, Working Parties, or the Chair and Coordinators of Focus Groups, without ensuring that appropriate insurance cover has been obtained and that any restrictions on any insurance are adhered to so as not to invalidate this cover.
4. Fees and Finance
   1. The Annual Subscription & Attendance Fees for Members and the Guest & Visitor Fees shall be set by the Committee for the following season at the AGM.
   2. The Committee may introduce additional charges for individual meetings as it deems appropriate. This will not apply to members of clubs visiting for inter-club competitions.
   3. The Statement of Accounts must be signed off by an appropriate independent examiner, appointed for this purpose by the Committee, who cannot have held any office within The Society in the financial year(s) they examine or hold any office within the Society while acting as examiner. The Statement of Accounts for the previous season and an interim report for the current season shall be presented at the AGM.
   4. The Statement of Accounts must be adopted by an ordinary resolution and if not adopted a new version shall be drawn up by the Treasurer in office after the AGM and signed off by an appropriate independent examiner subject to the same constraints already identified before being presented for adoption at another General Meeting prior to The Society's next AGM. Where the Statement of Accounts has not been adopted a motion may be taken that the Committee be instructed to replace the independent examiner with either another of the Committee's choosing or, subject to their availability, one identified as part of the motion.
5. Membership
   1. Anyone wishing to join The Society, including returning members with a gap in membership, must complete a membership form and have their application approved by the Committee.
   2. The subscription of existing members shall be payable by October 1st and members who are in default at this time, after the circumstances have been considered, may no longer be deemed to be a member. New members and members returning after a gap in membership shall be required to pay their subscription upon approval of their application. The subscription of any member joining after January 1st shall be reduced by one-third.
   3. Membership, with all of its associated benefits and any obligations, shall be backdated to the date of application and exist for the life of the member or until such time as the Committee receive notification of their resignation, their membership is terminated, or The Society is dissolved.
   4. Members must inform The Society as soon as possible of any changes to the contact details held for them.
   5. Members may be granted Honorary Life Membership by an ordinary resolution at a General Meeting in appreciation for services rendered to The Society and if granted shall be exempt from payment of any annual subscription. Honorary Life Membership shall be non-transferable and exist for the life of the member provided The Society is not dissolved and they have not had their membership terminated.
6. Non-Members
   1. Members may bring personal guests to any of The Society's meetings except General Meetings and those of its Focus Groups provided said guests are not currently disqualified from membership or otherwise barred from attendance. Members must pay the appropriate attendance fees for their guests, for whom they shall be responsible at all times between arrival at and departure from the meeting venue.
   2. Visitors may attend any of The Society's meetings except General Meetings and those of its Focus Groups provided they are not currently disqualified from membership, or otherwise barred from attendance, and on payment of the appropriate fee. Such attendance shall be limited to that of an observer only and no more than four such visits may be made in any season.
7. Conduct and Discipline
   1. Members, anyone wishing to join The Society, and anyone else attending any of The Society's meetings shall be expected to conduct themselves appropriately; failure to do so may result in punitive measures being taken against them. Example reasons for punitive measures include: nonpayment of Annual Subscription or Fees; disruption at meetings; any form of bullying or intimidation; character or conduct likely to bring The Society into disrepute; offensive or unreasonable behaviour; or any unlawful action.
   2. Any individual may be excluded or ejected from any single meeting with good reason. Reasons for exclusion or ejection may include but are not limited to those outlined as example reasons for punitive measures above.
   3. The Committee may with good reason bar any guest or visitor from attendance of meetings for a fixed period or in perpetuity by an emergency resolution. Reasons for barring attendance may include but are not limited to those outlined as example reasons for punitive measures above. The affected party (where they have supplied contact details) and where applicable the member whom they were a guest of must be given written notice stating the reason(s) for barring attendance along with any conditions or timeframes that apply.
   4. The Committee may with good reason refuse the membership application of any individual by an emergency resolution. Reasons for refusing membership may include but are not limited to those outlined as example reasons for punitive measures above. The affected party must be given written notice stating the reason(s) for refusing their membership.
   5. The Committee may with good reason restrict or suspend the membership of any member by an emergency resolution. Reasons for restricting or suspending membership may include but are not limited to those outlined as example reasons for punitive measures above and may potentially result in consideration of termination of membership. The affected party must be given written notice stating the reason(s) for restricting or suspending their membership along with any conditions or timeframes that apply.
   6. A person whose membership has been restricted or suspended has the right to be heard by the Committee, accompanied by another member as a witness if they wish, within 28 days of being notified. The Committee must take reasonable steps to accommodate the member's availability and where their preferred time is not feasible then at least 7 days' notice of the first of at least three possible dates must be provided.
   7. The Committee may with good reason and by an emergency resolution terminate the membership of any member who is suspended once they have been heard, have declined to be heard, or after 28 days.
   8. Members must be given written notice of any decision to lift any restrictions or to reinstate or terminate their membership, stating the reason(s) and any conditions or timescales that apply.
8. Safeguarding
   1. Individuals under the age of 18, or who are otherwise classed as vulnerable, may only attend meetings in the company of a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult approved of by a parent or guardian.
   2. Though The Society shall take reasonable steps to identify and warn of the presence of nudity or potentially distressing images in any lecture or presentation, or at any visit, all present must accept the possibility of exposure to such images and individuals under the age of 16 years shall only be accepted with the consent of a parent or guardian who accepts and agrees to them viewing such materials. Individuals under 18 years may not attend photo shoots featuring nude or partially nude models; this does not constitute age discrimination.
   3. Locations for visits that prove inaccessible to those with limited mobility shall be reported as such in the programme and any publicity.
9. Dissolution, Refunds, and Assets
   1. In the event of the dissolution of the Society each member shall receive a refund of one-twelfth of the subscription paid for the season for each full month remaining, prorated as a share of any surplus if these are insufficient to cover the refunds due. Any remaining surplus assets shall be transferred to the North & East Midlands Photographic Federation to be held in trust and available at the discretion of the Executive Committee of said Federation for the benefit of any society which may be created in the area formerly covered by the Society. In the event of the Federation not wishing or not being able to receive the funds and other assets of the Society they shall be given to a charitable organisation nominated by the retiring Committee.
10. Interpretation of Rules
    1. The Society's Rules take precedence over any and all of The Society's competition rules or Standing Rules and Rules of Procedure.
    2. The Society's competition rules take precedence over any and all of The Society's Standing Rules and Rules of Procedure.
    3. The Society's Standing Rules take precedence over The Society's Rules of Procedure.
    4. The Society's competition rules and definitions may not be altered in any way except by an ordinary resolution of a General Meeting or as provided for in the General Competition Rules.
    5. The Society's Standing Rules and Rules of Procedure may not be altered in any way except by an ordinary resolution or emergency resolution of the Committee.
    6. The Committee shall have powers to deal with any matter not covered by The Society's Constitution, Rules, Standing Rules, or Rules of Procedure.