SHREE PANCHAL GNATI MANDAL UK
CONSTITUTION
1. NAME
1.1. We shall
be known as the “Shree Panchal Gnati Mandal – U.K.”
2. PLACE
2.1. The
Mandal has no headquarters and therefore all correspondence shall be addressed
to the Secretary or President at their private addresses.
3. OBJECTIVES
3.1. The
objectives of the Mandal shall be to uphold and honour our society, religion,
and education with the aim to forward these in the right direction. To create unity and friendship by way of
holding functions at appropriate religious, festive and other times as seen fit
by the committee.
3.2. The
official language to be used shall be Gujarati; other languages may be used for
clarification purposes.
4. MEMBERSHIP
4.1. Any
person on or after their 18th birthday shall be eligible to become a member of
the Mandal.
4.2. Persons
under the age of 18 shall be able to take full participation in the community,
but shall not be able to vote, nominate or stand for the committee or trustees.
4.3. The
entrance fee will be £2 to join the Mandal.
An annual membership fee will be charged, the amount being reviewed as
and when necessary by the committee.
4.4. A person,
having been a continuous (see paragraph 5.4 below), fully paid up member for
the previous five years, may make an application to the Treasurer for life
membership upon payment of twenty (20) times the annual membership fee. The Treasurer shall discuss the application with
the committee at the next appropriate committee meeting and the member shall be
notified whether the application has been accepted or rejected. The committee is under no obligation to give
any reasons for the rejection.
4.5. Any
member wishing to leave the Mandal will forfeit the annual membership fee,
entrance fee and any donations made to the Mandal.
5. RULES
5.1. Any
member of the Mandal will be able to vote, nominate or stand for the positions
of Trustee or in the committee.
5.2. Any
member may help or participate in any functions held for the community.
5.3. All
members may have access to the updated Mandal’s books in the presence of the
secretary or treasurer. No copies of any
material will be allowed. The Mandal’s
books will be updated prior to the AGM.
5.4. Any
member not paying the annual subscription by 30th September shall have their
current membership invalidated. To
rejoin, the member shall have to renew his membership by paying the entrance
fee and clearing any past unpaid membership fees. In these instances, the member shall be
regarded as a new member for the purposes of paragraph 4.4 above.
5.5. Any
member wishing to leave the Mandal shall do so by writing to the secretary.
6. MEETINGS
6.1. The
Mandal shall meet once a year for an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to transact
the ordinary annual business of the Mandal namely: –
6.1.1. The
minutes for the last AGM to be read and if approved to be put forward for
approval.
6.1.2. The
reading of the annual report of the President.
6.1.3. The
reading of the annual report of the Secretary.
6.1.4. The
reading of the annual report of the Treasurer together with the Annual account
of the Mandal in accordance with paragraph 18 below.
6.1.5. To appoint
a suitably qualified person to act on a Scrutiniser of the accounts as prepared
by the Treasurer.
6.1.6. To elect a
new committee every three years in accordance with paragraph 15 below.
6.1.7. To elect
new trustee in accordance with paragraph 15 below.
6.1.8. Any other
business, as notified by the committee.
6.2. A member
wishing to bring before the AGM any motion not relating to the ordinary annual
business of the Mandal may do so provided:
6.2.1. that
notice in writing of the proposed motion be sent or given to the Secretary and
be received by him not later than 14 days before the date of the AGM; and
6.2.2. that the
proposed motion relates to matters affecting the Mandal or the running of the
Mandal.
6.3. In all
meetings, the President or in his absence the Vice-President or in his absence
the Secretary shall be chairman. Upon
the election of a new committee, a trustee shall be Chairman until the new
committee is elected.
6.4. In all
meetings, the chairman has the complete authority to ask a member to leave the
meeting, if in his opinion, the member is disrupting the meeting.
6.5. Any
member wishing to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) must first obtain
the signature of at least one-third of the total members of the Mandal and:
6.5.1. that
notice in writing of the proposed motion be sent or given to the Secretary and
be received by him not later than 30 days before the date of the proposed EGM;
and
6.5.2. that the
proposed motion relates to matters affecting the Mandal or the running of the
Mandal or for the benefit of the community.
6.5.3. upon such
a request, the Secretary must convene a committee meeting within 14 days of
receiving the proposed motion and convene an EGM within 21 days of receiving
the proposed motion. The trustees must
be present at the committee meeting.
7. COMMITTEE
7.1. Members
to the committee shall be appointed by the members at the AGM. The post of a committee member shall last for
3 years. Any member, except for the
trustees, may stand to be elected to the committee. The committee shall consist of no fewer than
9 members and no more than 15 members.
7.2. Upon
re-election, the committee shall meet within one month of the AGM.
7.3. The new
committee shall be elected for 3 years.
All committee members may stand for re-election.
7.4. Any
member may volunteer to join the committee at any time. The appointment will be at the discretion of
the existing committee.
7.5. A
committee member may upon obtaining signatures of at least one-third of the
committee, call upon the President to call a committee meeting within 21 days.
7.6. Any
committee member unable to attend a committee meeting shall be required to
notify the Secretary in writing 7 days before the meeting. In the absence of the Secretary, the
Assistant-Secretary shall be contacted.
8. PRESIDENT
– RIGHTS AND DUTIES
8.1. The
President is to be appointed by the elected committee at the first committee
meeting following re-election for duration of not more than three years.
8.2. The
principles of the Mandal to be borne in mind for the progress of our community.
8.3. To chair
the committee meetings along with the AGM and any EGM.
8.4. To bring
about committee meeting as and when necessary.
8.5. With the
agreement of a simple majority of the committee members present, the President
may cancel or postpone the meeting.
8.6. To take
whatever action on any committee member during a committee meeting as is seen
appropriate.
8.7. Dutifully
administered any community work
8.8. To submit
a report to the members at any AGM.
9. VICE PRESIDENT
9.1. To help
with the duties of the President and to act on his behalf in his absence.
10. SECRETARY
10.1 The
Secretary is to be appointed at the first committee meeting following
re-election for duration of not more than three years.
10.2. To
administer all meetings and events with the help of the President, or in his
absence the Vice-President.
10.3. To prepare
minutes for all AGM, EGM and all committee meetings.
10.4. To submit
minutes and notices of meetings of all AGM, EGM and committee meetings to all
committee members, the trustees and the scrutiniser.
10.5. To
administer any events and functions called.
10.6. To
acknowledge all communications received from members and respond to them after
consultations with the President and fellow committee members
10.6. To submit
a report to the members at any AGM.
11. ASSISTANT SECRETARY
11.1. To help
with the duties of the Secretary and to act on his behalf in his absence.
12. TREASURER
12.1 To obtain
membership fees at the time due.
12.2. To take
account of all income and expenditure for the whole year.
12.3. To prepare
an annual account showing income and expenditure and movements on all cash,
bank and building society accounts and an annual report and submit the same to
the members before an AGM.
12.4. To
question and obtain receipts for all expenditure.
12.5. To obtain
the approval of the committee for expenditure in excess of £300 or any other
sum as decided by the committee.
12.6. To keep a
record of all capital expenditure and their estimated values.
12.7. Ensuring
that all items belonging to the Mandal are adequately insured.
12.8. To make
available all records to any member upon a written request with at least 14
days notice.
12.9. The
Treasurer is to be appointed by the elected committee at the first committee
meeting following re-election for duration of no more than three years.
13. ASSISTANT TREASURER
13.1 To help
with the duties of the Treasurer and to act on his behalf in his absence.
14. SCRUTINEER
14.1 To
scrutinise the accounts of the Mandal as prepared by the Treasurer to ensure
agreement with the underlying books and records.
14.2. To advise
on financial matters as appropriate.
14.3. To attend
all committee meetings, AGM and EGM as seen fit by the scrutiniser.
15. TRUSTEES
15.1 There
shall be at least 3 trustees of the Mandal and each appointment shall last for
5 years.
15.2. To take
charge of the property, books and records of the Mandal.
15.3. To attend
the first committee meeting following the appointment of a new committee. Thereafter, the trustees may, at their
desecration, attend and give advice at any committee meetings. They must, however, attend all committee
meetings where a member has asked for an EGM to be held (see paragraph 6.5.3).
15.4. To attend
any AGM and any EGM.
15.5. To elect a
chairman from amongst the trustees to oversee the appointment of a new
committee.
16. QUORUM
16.1 At an AGM
or EGM, at least one-third of the total of the previous year’s members must be
present within one hour of the start of the meeting. If the quorum is not present, the committee
may, at their discretion, cancel the meeting or carry on with the meeting after
another half an hour, with the members then present.
16.2. In
committee meetings at least two-thirds of the members need to be present within
30 minutes from the start of the committee meeting. If the quorum is not met, then the meeting is
to be postponed to another appropriate date.
If again the quorum is not met, then the meeting is to continue with the
committee members that are present.
17. VOTING
17.1 Members
may vote on any motion by raising their hands or by a ballot paper
procedure. All motions at an AGM and EGM
will be decided by a simple majority vote.
18. FINANCIAL YEAR END
18.1 The
Mandal’s financial year shall commence on each 1st April and end on the
following 31st March.
19. ELECTION
19.1 Before any
elections, a trustee shall be elected chairman for the election and an
assistant elected to take minutes of the election.
19.2. Committee
members shall be elected at the AGM.
19.3. The committee
shall carry out work in accordance with the constitution for a maximum of three
years. All committee members may stand
for re-election.
19.4. Following
the appointment of a new committee, the posts of President, Secretary and
Treasurer, must be appointed from the new committee by the members at the
AGM. If two or more committee members
are nominated for any posts, a vote shall be taken by the show of hands of all
members present at the AGM. In the event
of the same number of votes being cast for a post, a paper ballot shall be
held, with the chairman having the casting vote.
19.5. At the
first committee meeting following the AGM, the posts of Vice-President,
Assistant-Secretary and Assistant-Treasurer shall be filled by the committee
members. If two or more committee members are nominated for any posts, a paper
ballot shall be held, with the chairman having the casting vote.
20. RESOLUTIONS
20.1 A member wishing to bring before the annual
meeting any motion relating to the ordinary annual business of the Mandal may
do so by first addressing the chairman.
20.2. Members have the right to suggest improvements
to any resolutions passed at an AGM or EGM.
20.3. Any serious matter affecting the running of
the committee or of affecting the community shall be discussed by the committee
and the trustees.
20.4. Any changes to the constitution shall be
submitted to all members at least 21 days before the convening of an Annual
General Meeting. The proposed changes
shall not come into force until formally approved by the members at the AGM
either in the form of a show of hands and/or a paper ballot.