LJC

 Approved at the Annual General Meeting

held at Edinburgh Chess Club

on 28 August 2014

CONSTITUTION OF LOTHIAN  JUNIOR  CHESS

1   NAME

1.1       The name of the organisation shall be ‘Lothian Junior Chess’, hereafter referred to as ‘LJC’.

2   OBJECTS

2.1       The objects of LJC are to foster and promote the game of chess amongst schoolchildren throughout the Lothians. 

2.2       In particular LJC aims to:

(a)     organise tournaments for teams and individuals;

(b)     arrange training and/or coaching events;

(c)     improve the standard of chess in players of school age in the Lothians;

(d)     encourage the formation and continuation of school chess clubs;

(e)     liaise with any appropriate body involved in the promotion of chess for schoolchildren.

2.3       LJC shall be a non-profit making organisation.

3   MEMBERSHIP

3.1       LJC shall consist of four classes of Member:

            (a)     ‘OFFICER BEARERS’, being the Chairman, Treasurer and the Secretary for the time being holding office under Section 6;

            (b)     ‘COMMITTEE MEMBERS’, being the members of the Committee other than the Officer Bearers.

            (c)     ‘REPRESENTATIVES’ of 'Member Clubs', being such chess clubs as have been admitted to membership under clause 3.2;

            (d)     ‘OTHER MEMBERS’ who, although not necessarily associated with a specific school, have an interest in junior chess.

3.2       Club Membership shall be open to any school chess club within the Lothians from which either one team or an individual player has entered any LJC tournament held in the twelve months preceding the Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’).

3.3       Club Membership will lapse if a Club has no participant in any LJC event in the twelve months prior to an AGM.

3.4       Each Member Club should appoint a Representative, who may act with full voting rights at General Meetings.  The name and address of the Representative, and of any change of Representative, must be notified in writing to the LJC Secretary. 

4   COMMITTEE

4.1              Between General Meetings the affairs of LJC shall be conducted by a Committee, in accordance with the Constitution and Rules currently in force.

4.2       All classes of Member shall be eligible to serve on the Committee.

4.3       The Committee shall have a maximum of ten Members.  Members of the Committee will be appointed at an AGM, candidates having given their prior agreement, and will serve for a period of two years (except as provided by clause 4.4 below), after which they will be eligible for re-election.

4.4       At the AGM to be held in 2015, half of the Committee will stand down, but will be eligible for re-election. 

4.5       The Committee shall have the power to:

            (a)     prescribe and publicise such Rules as it deems necessary for the satisfactory handling of LJC affairs;

            (b)     appoint Sub-committees from within its members and to co-opt onto the Committee and any Sub-committees such persons as it deems advantageous to the well-being of LJC;

            (c)     co-opt members to fill any vacant position amongst Officer Bearers until the next AGM.

4.6       The Committee shall meet at least twice between Annual General Meetings.

5   OFFICE BEARERS

5.1       The Office Bearers of LJC shall be a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall each serve for a period of one year.

5.2       Tasks, such as Tournament Organiser, Webmaster, Fund Raiser etc may be allocated by the Office Bearers as deemed proper.

5.3       Nominations from amongst the current membership to be elected as an Office Bearer will be taken at the AGM.  Nominations must be seconded and must have the explicit agreement of the candidate.  Former Office Bearers are eligible for election to any post.

6     ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

6.1       The Annual General Meeting shall in normal circumstances be held in August each year.  Should the Committee decide that the AGM must be delayed it must be held no later than the last week in September of the same year.  The AGM will be open to all Officer Bearers, Committee Members and Representatives of Member Clubs, and to any other interested person.

6.2       The Agenda of the AGM shall include:

(a)     the Treasurer’s Report, which shall include a Statement of Accounts approved by a suitable person {see Clause 6.2(c) below} for the previous financial year ending on 30 June, a forecast for the forthcoming year, and recommendations for competition fees and any subscriptions fees;

(b)     the election of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee Members;

(c)     the appointment of an Honorary Accounts Examiner to serve for the ensuing year;

(d)     other matters of which due notice has been given.

7     EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS

7.1       An Extraordinary General meeting (‘EGM’) shall be called on receipt by the Secretary or Chairman of a request signed by at least four Members.  The EGM shall take place within four weeks of receipt of the request and all Members will be notified of the arrangements and the subject of the request not less than two weeks prior to the date set.  The business of the meeting shall be restricted to one topic.

8     CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

            AGMs and EGMs

8.1       The Secretary shall give each Member a minimum of two weeks’ notice of the place, date, and hour of, and the business to be transacted, at any AGM or EGM.

8.2       General Meetings shall be chaired by the Chairman.  In the absence of the Chairman, the Members present may choose an acting Chairman from among their number.  Any Sub- committee shall elect its own Chairman.

8.3       The quorum shall be five of those entitled to be present and entitled to vote.

8.4       Each Office Bearer shall have one vote.  Each Member in good standing present shall have one vote, with the proviso that no Club shall have more than one vote.  The Chairman shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.

8.5       Voting shall normally be by show of hands, but a secret ballot shall be held at the request of any one Member present.

8.6       All decisions require a simple majority of those present.

8.7       Any Member unable to attend from an AGM or EGM may appoint a Substitute with full voting rights by giving notice in writing to the Secretary or Chairman not less than 24 hours        before the start of the meeting.

8.8       The Chairman or Acting Chairman shall have power to accept for consideration any matter of which due notice had not been given if, and only if, he deems the matter to be of extreme urgency and that it is in the interests of LJC that the matter be considered without delay. 

Committee and Sub-Committee Meetings

8.9       The same general principles shall apply as for AGMs and EGMs, with the exception of clause 8.3.  The quorum for the Committee shall be three of those entitled to be present, and for a Sub-Committee two of those entitled to be present.

9     FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

9.1       The principal source of income will be entrance fees levied on those entering competitions, but the Committee will seek such grants or other funds as may be available for the development of Junior Chess.

9.2       There will be no charge for membership unless introduced by a decision at a General Meeting.

9.3       Funds shall be held in a bank account for which the Chairman and Treasurer will be named as signatories.

9.4       Non-routine expenditure in excess of £100 on any one occasion shall be approved by the Committee.  Expenditure of less than £100 shall be at the joint discretion of the Chairman and Treasurer.

10   CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

10.1     Lothian Junior Chess is committed to promoting a safe environment in which children can enjoy taking part in chess.

10.2     LJC will ensure this commitment by following and promoting the Chess Scotland Child Protection Policy and Procedures.

11   CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

11.1     Changes to this Constitution may only be made at a properly called Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.  Motions to change the Constitution must be presented in writing to the Secretary at least four weeks before the Meeting, and circulated to Members at least two weeks before the Meeting.

12   DISSOLUTION

12.1     LJC may be dissolved by a simple majority vote at an AGM or EGM.  Assets shall be passed to Chess Scotland on the understanding that they will be returned if LJC, or a similar body to promote chess for children in the Lothian area, is later re-established.

(end)

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