Northern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club

NORTHERN COUNTIES STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER CLUB

RULES AND REGULATIONS

• NAME. The Club shall be called the Northern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club.

• OBJECTIVES. The objective shall be to promote all things found to be desirable in the interests of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club by:

• MEMBERSHIP. Applications for membership must be made on the appropriate form and applicants must be proposed and seconded by two Members of the Club and elected, or balloted for, by the Committee at one of their meetings, or by a Sub-Committee consisting of Officers of the Club plus Members of the Committee to a total of five receiving and reviewing membership applications and accepting them where appropriate.

Acceptance shall be by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. Applications for membership must be accompanied by the Annual Subscription that shall be such an amount as agreed by the Members in General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club. Subject to the provisions above mentioned, the applicant shall enjoy full rights of membership up to and including the next 31^st December, and thereafter on payment of an annual subscription as above, payable by 1^st April and subject to the continued observance of the Club’s Rules. Honorary Life Vice Presidents, enjoying life membership without payment of subscriptions, may be elected at a General Meeting in recognition of outstanding services to the Club. No Member under the age of 16 years shall be eligible to vote at a General Meeting. The Society must make a list of Members and their addresses available for inspection if so requested by the Members of the Club or by the Kennel Club. No Member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if the Member shall fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 1^st April his/her name shall be automatically erased from the Register. Acceptance back on the Register will be dependent upon a new application.

Upon application, any person over the age of 65 and having 10 years continuous membership, shall be entitled to free membership of the Northern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club.

• EXPULSION OF MEMBERS. Any Member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(4) and/or any Member whose dog/s is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Society for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification. 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 interests of the Society, the Committee 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 him/her of 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 is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members of the Society and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of the Society except that he/she may, within two calendar months of the date of such Meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

• OFFICERS & MEMBERS. The Club shall consist of President, Chairman, Hon.Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Show Secretary, a committee of not less than ten and an unlimited number of Members.

• COMMITTEE. The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of not less than ten and not more than fifteen Members who will retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election. The President, Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Show Secretary shall be ex officio Members of the Committee. Meetings shall be held as often as deemed necessary and five shall form a quorum for the transaction of business. The Committee shall be empowered to co-opt temporarily or at the will of the Committee, any individual for any special reason of benefit to the Club or to fill any casual vacancy in the Officers and/or Committee. The Committee shall be elected by all Members present at the Annual General Meeting, by vote or ballot. The Committee shall be empowered to appoint such sub-committees and ad hoc sub-committees as it may deem necessary. No person whilst an un-discharged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of, or hold any office or appointment within, a Kennel Club Registered Society.

At Committee or General Meetings, the Chairman, in the event of equality of votes, shall have an additional or casting vote except in the election of Judges, when if there is equality of votes for first place, balloting on an eliminating principle will take place with those Judges trying to succeed being voted on again. If equality again is reached, only then will the Chairman exercise the casting vote.

All Committee meetings shall be minuted and these minutes passed at the following meeting as a true and correct record by those Committee members who were present at said meeting. All Committee meeting content past, present and future shall remain confidential within the Committee, this is to include all written information and verbal conversation.

• FINANCE. A Bank account shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signatories of two Officers of the Club from a panel of four, although no two signatories shall be resident in the same household. The Hon Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the Club. An Accountant shall be appointed at each AGM who shall prepare the Club’s accounts for the ensuing year. A vacancy in the Office of Accountant occurring during the year, shall be filled by the Committee appointing a replacement. The financial year of the Club shall be form 1^st December to 30^th November. The Treasurer shall keep a Register of Members.

• GENERAL MEETINGS. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at the beginning of each year to receive the Report of the Committee and the Certified Annual Accounts, to elect Officers and Committee for the ensuing year and to discuss any motion placed on the published Agenda by the Committee or such other Motions from Members as shall have been communicated to the Hon. Secretary in writing not later than the preceding 1^st January. Notice of a General Meeting shall be given to each Member not less than fourteen days prior to such a Meeting. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be accompanied by a copy of the Certified Annual Accounts. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General meeting unless Notice thereof appears on the Agenda, with the exception of routine matters, or those which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent. A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Hon Secretary if twenty five Members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting 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 at a Special General Meeting.

• KENNEL CLUB FINAL COURT OF APPEAL. The kennel Club shall be the final Court of Appeal in all matters of dispute.

• FEDERATION OF CLUBS. The Club shall not form any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

• CLUB PROPERTY. The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Club’s assets and the outcome of the meeting shall be notified to the Kennel Club. The named Officers and Committee at the time of any such meeting shall be responsible for ensuring that a final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Club be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months.

• ALTERATIONS TO THE RULES. The Rules of this Club may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and such alterations may not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and given its approval to the alterations. Full Notice of any proposed alterations must be published on the Notice convening the Meeting. Any mandatory changes or additions to the Rules made by the Kennel Club will be brought into effect as directed by the Kennel Club. All such changes will be brought to the attention of all Members.

• INTERPRETATION OF RULES. The Kennel Club shall be final authority for the interpretation of these Rules and all things relative to Canine and/or Club Matters.

• SELECTION OF JUDGES FOR THE CLUB’S ANNUAL SHOWS. Judges for the NCSBTC Limit, Open and Championship Shows shall be chosen by Committee from Members’ nominations duly proposed and seconded and following proven criteria.

• ANNUAL RETURNS. The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of Registration and that by the 31^st July each year other returns, as stipulated in 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. These returns must include a list of Members and their addresses. The Officers acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.