Rules of the EABTC

The Club shall be called the East Anglia Border Terrier Club

The objects of the Club are to promote the welfare, furtherance of the breed, provide information and help for owners of Border Terriers in the East Anglian region.

Any person considered sympathetic to the objects of the Club shall be eligible for membership and each candidate shall be proposed and seconded by an existing member of the club, except in the case of foundation members. The Committee shall be responsible for the election of members and their decision by a simple majority of those Committee members present at a committee meeting shall be final. Applications for membership cannot be ratified until a proper application form duly completed as proposer and seconder, being fully paid up members of the Club, has been received by the Secretary together with payment of the first year’s subscription. Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately on acceptance of membership, joint member shall have one vote for each member of the partnership, family membership shall include two adults over the age of 18 years and an unlimited number of children under the age of 18 years. Family membership shall have one vote for each of the two persons over the age of 18 years, junior members shall be members under the age of 18 years and shall not be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Club. Postal or proxy voting shall not be allowed. The method of voting by members shall be by a show of hands unless specified in the agenda to the meeting that there will be a secret ballot.

The management of the Club shall be conducted by the officers, being a President, an unlimited number of Vice-Presidents, a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and a Committee. All officers with the exception of the President and Vice Presidents and Committee members shall hold office for one year and be eligible for re-election. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and Committee Members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall consist of a maximum of fifteen members, including the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who are ex officio members of the Committee. Committee members will hold office for a period of three years of whom five shall retire annually on a three-year rotation, and who shall be eligible for re-election.

Five members of the Committee including officers shall form a quorum. The President and Vice-Presidents shall hold office for a five-year period before requiring re-election, the President and Vice Presidents shall not be entitled to vote in committee meetings. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members into the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next General Meeting of the Club at which election of officers and Committee take place. No individual who has been a member for less than one year may be elected to the Committee. No person, whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society. Meetings of the Committee, which shall be chaired by the Chairman, or in his/her absence, the Vice Chairman, shall be held as often as deemed necessary but at least every four months. If neither the Chairman nor Vice Chairman be present at a Committee Meeting, the members present shall elect a Chairman for that meeting.

Nominations for Officers and Committee must be submitted to the Secretary in writing at least 15 days before the Annual General Meeting with the approval of the candidate, and being proposed and seconded by two fully paid up members of the Club.

The financial year shall commence on 1st January in each year, when subscriptions shall become due. The annual subscription for single members, joint membership for two persons in one household or partnership, family membership and junior membership shall be such amounts as agreed by members in General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club., any alterations will become effective on the 1st January next following the Annual General Meeting, except that a member elected between 1st October and 31st December in any year, the payment of the first subscription shall cover membership subscription to 31st December of the ensuing year. No member whose subscription is unpaid for the current year shall be entitled to the privileges of membership or to vote at any meeting of the Club, and if the member shall fail to pay the outstanding subscription by the 31st December of the current year his/her name shall be automatically erased from the register. Acceptance back on the register will be dependent upon a new application and payment of back arrears.

A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all revenues shall be deposited and from which all withdrawals shall be made only on the signature of two officers one of whom shall be the Treasurer or the signature of the Chairman of the Committee and the Treasurer. The Committee shall also be empowered to instruct the Treasurer to open a deposit account in the name of the Club with a bank or building society with similar signature requirements to the main bank account.

The Committee shall appoint a qualified accountant as auditor, or two auditors with accountancy experience, to audit the income and expenditure account and balance sheet of the Club each year. The appointment of the auditor(s) shall be confirmed by the members at each Annual General Meeting.

A General Meeting of the members shall be held between 1st January and the 30th April every year, when officer, auditor(s) and the retiring Committee members for the ensuing year shall be voted for, and the audited income and expenditure account and balance sheet shall be presented and approved by the members. A copy of the current audited income and expenditure account and balance sheet shall be forwarded to any member upon request to the Secretary. A General Meeting of the Club may discuss any resolution duly placed on the Agenda of which 14 days prior written notice has been given to the Secretary. 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, not less than 21 days written notice will be given to members of an Annual General Meeting. Items for inclusion on the Agenda of an Annual General Meeting shall be made in writing to the Secretary 14 days before the date of the Meeting. The Agenda for an Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to members at the Meeting. A Special Meeting of the members of the Club may be called by the Committee or by the Secretary at the written request of any twelve members of the Club being entitled to vote at the time of the request. Twenty one days notice shall be given to all members of an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. No business other than that detailed on the Agenda can be discussed at a Special General Meeting. The Agenda for a Special General Meeting shall be circulated to members with the written notice of the meeting.

Winners of cups or trophies at any show of the Club need not be members of the Club but shall give a written receipt for the same, and be responsible for their safe return to the Secretary or Cup Steward at the end of the period for which they are entitled to hold them, and prior to the show at which they are next offered for competition. 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 notified to the Kennel Club. The Committee has power to hand over any cups or trophies that may be in the possession pf the Club, if and when it ceases to exist, to a Club or Society with similar interests. Upon cessation a final statement of accounts shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.

The rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General Meeting of the Club, the Agenda for which contains specific proposals to amend the rules. Any proposed alteration to the rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration.

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 Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification. If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club, be injurious to or likely to be injurious to the character or the interests of the Club, the Committee of the Club may, at a meeting the notice of which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Club 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 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 thereupon cease for all purposes to be a member of the Club, except that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such Meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

Any person elected a member of the Club and taking up his/her membership shall be deemed to have read the rules of the Club and be prepared to bide by them. Any matter not covered by the rules can be dealt with by the Committee.

The Club shall not join any Federation of Clubs or Societies with the exception of the National Terrier Federation (KC approved) or any other body which may from time to time be approved by the Kennel Club.

The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of registration and that by 31st July each year other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Club Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.

Data Protection Act: East Anglia Border Terrier Club membership name and address list is held on disk, the information on which is not accessible from any other network. . The information is used internally for routine administration and production of mailing labels. This membership list is required by the Kennel Club as part of the Annual Returns, but it will not be released to any other outside organisation.