Cottenham Park Allotments

Cottenham Park Allotments and Gardens Association Constitution

As amended on 6 May 2018

 

Name

1 The name of the Association is:

 

"The Cottenham Park Allotments and Gardens Association"

 

Objects

2 The objects of the Association are:

 

(a) to promote the interests of allotment holders and gardeners;

 

(b) to act in conjunction with the appropriate local authorities to ensure the good management, cultivation and protection of the allotment site;

 

(c) to make provision to meet the horticultural requirements of members by organizing trading facilities;

 

(d) to take whatever steps are practicable to make horticultural advice available to members.

 

Membership

3 The membership of the Association shall consist of (a) all plot holders and (b) gardeners whose application for membership is accepted by the Management Committee (garden members).

 

4 The Management Committee will have the right to terminate the membership of any member whose conduct is proved to their satisfaction to be detrimental to the interests of the members of the Association. Such termination must be communicated to the member concerned in writing. An appeal against a decision of the Management Committee may be made to a special General Meeting called in accordance with Paragraph 10 of this Constitution.

 

Subscriptions

5 Garden members will be required to pay an annual membership subscription the amount of which will be determined by the Management Committee.

 

Association Officers

6 The following officers will be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM):

 

(a) a President and Vice-President(s);

 

(b) a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Trading Manager.

 

Management Committee

7 (a) The affairs of the Association are to be conducted by a Management Committee consisting of the five officers named in Paragraph 6(b) and five other elected members. The Management Committee may co-opt members and appoint additional officers, the latter being subject to confirmation at the next AGM.

 

7 (b) If the post of an officer is left vacant, or becomes vacant, following an AGM, the Management Committee may appoint a member of the Association to that post. Such an appointment must be confirmed by members at the next General Meeting of the Association.

 

8 The Management Committee may set up such sub-committees as may be considered necessary and provide terms of reference subject to approval by the next AGM.

 

9 Management Committee meetings will be held at least every two months and five members will form a quorum.

 

General Meetings

10 The AGM, at which the Secretary's report and the independently examined accounts will be presented and the officers and Management Committee members elected for the following year, will be held at a time determined by the Management Committee or a General Meeting. Special General Meetings may be called by a decision of the Management Committee or at the written request of at least 10 members to the Secretary. Notice of a special General Meeting will identify the business to be conducted at the meeting.

 

11 Members shall be given at least 28 days' notice of a General Meeting. Notice will be deemed to have been given if published on the boards at the entrances to the allotment site throughout the 28 days before the meeting.

 

12 The quorum at a General Meeting will be at least 10 members. In the case of equal voting, the Chair will have the casting vote.

 

Funds

13 The funds of the Association are to be held in such accounts (a) as proposed by the Treasurer and agreed unanimously at a meeting of the Management Committee by its members or (b) as otherwise approved at an AGM. Cheques are to be signed by any two officers named in Paragraph 6(b) and any debit cards are to be held only by members of the Management Committee (other than the Treasurer) agreed unanimously at a meeting of the Management Committee by its members. The accounts will be independently examined and the Independent Examiner's report presented to the AGM. The Independent Examiner may not be an officer of the Association but may be a member of the Association.

 

Changes to the Constitution

14 Changes to the constitution may be made only at a General Meeting provided that at least two-thirds of the members present vote in favour of a change and provided that at least 28 days' notice has been given to members.

 

15 Any matters not provided for in this Constitution will be dealt with by the Management Committee at their discretion.

 

Dissolution

16 If in the event of the winding up or the dissolution of the Association there remains, after the satisfaction of any debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, this shall not be paid to or distributed to the members of the Association, but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution having objects similar to those of the Association and which prohibits the distribution of its or their income among its members.

 

Approved at the AGM

6 May 2018