THE RULES OF THE ASSOCIATION INCORPORATING THE RESOLUTIONS APPROVED AT THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON 12th MAY 2011
1 The name of the Association shall be the Leeds Geological Association.
2 The objects of the Association shall be to advance the education of the public in geology and allied sciences, more specifically in the North of England, with particular emphasis on Yorkshire, by holding meetings for the delivery of public lectures, by field meetings and by such other means as the Council of the Association may from time to time determine.
3 The Association shall have the following categories of membership:
Ordinary Membership – open to any adult person (i.e. aged 18 years or over)
Associate Membership – this category being open only to other named adult persons residing at the same address as the Ordinary Member.
Student Membership – this category being open only to persons who are in full-time education.
Temporary Membership – being open to persons who are not otherwise members of the Association who attend a Field Meeting, membership being for the duration of that meeting.
Honorary Membership – in accordance with Rule 7
All categories of member shall enjoy equal rights and privileges of membership except that Associate Members and Temporary Members shall not be entitled to receive copies of the Association’s Newsletters and other publications.
All Members other than Temporary Members shall have notice of all meetings but Associate Members shall be deemed to have received notification of meetings sent to the Ordinary Member.
It is the Member’s responsibility to keep the Membership Secretary advised of their up-to-date contact details. Communications to Members may be either by post or e-mail.
4 Membership of the Association shall be open to all persons who are interested in furthering the said objects and who shall pay such rates of subscription as the Association shall from time to time decide.
5 The amount of the subscription in respect of each category of membership for the forthcoming calendar year shall be determined by resolution of the Association at each Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. All subscriptions, with the exception of those paid by Temporary Members, shall be payable in advance on the first day of January in each year. Subscriptions (also referred to as day fees) payable by Temporary Members shall be paid at the commencement of the Field Meeting which they attend.
6 Any member whose annual subscription is three months in arrears shall be sent a reminder by post in the following month (i.e. in April) to the member’s last known address, as advised by that member. If the subscription is five months in arrears that member shall be considered to have terminated their membership of the Association at the end of that month. New members who join and pay a subscription between 1st November and 31st December shall not be required to pay a subscription for the year commencing the following 1st January.
7 Any person who has rendered signal service to the Association or who is distinguished for the pursuit of the objects of the Association may, on the recommendation of the Council, be elected to Honorary Membership by the members in General Meeting.
8 The management of the Association shall be vested in the Council, drawn from the Association’s Ordinary, Associate and Honorary Members, consisting of the President, the immediate past President, the Vice Presidents (if any), the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer and, normally, the Membership Secretary, the Lecture Secretary, Field Visit Secretary and the Field Visit Report Secretary, together with such numbers as shall be determined by the Association’s members each year, such Council being elected by the Association’s members at each Annual General Meeting. The Head of the School of Earth & Environment or of a succeeding department of the University of Leeds, or a member of the School’s academic staff nominated by the Head shall be an ex-officio member of the Council.
9 Two students representing the School of Earth & Environment, or of a succeeding department of the University of Leeds, may attend Council meetings as observers and be consulted on matters which might affect students of that department but shall take no part in the management and control of the Association. Such student representatives shall be nominated by the Head of the School of Earth & Environment or of a succeeding department of the University of Leeds, or by the member of the School’s academic staff nominated by the Head who is the ex-officio member of the Council.
10 Council may invite members to assist it in carrying out specific tasks which it has resolved should be implemented but shall retain overall management and control of those tasks.
11 The Council, of whom five shall form a quorum, shall meet when summoned by either the President or the Honorary Treasurer or the Honorary Secretary or by any three members of the Council.
12 The Honorary Treasurer shall receive and keep an account of all funds of the Association and shall present to the members at each Annual General Meeting a statement of the accounts of the Association made up to the previous 31st October audited by an Auditor appointed by members in General Meeting. A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Association. All cheques shall be signed by two signatories, one of whom shall be the Honorary Treasurer.
13 The property of the Association, including all its income, shall be paid or applied solely to the aforementioned objects of the Association and no part thereof shall be distributed to any member of the Association by way of profit, provided that nothing in this Rule shall prevent the payment of reasonable remuneration to any person (not being a member of the Council) for services rendered or work done to or for the Association whether or not such a person is a member of the Association.
14 The Honorary Secretary shall, as directed by the Council, make arrangements for the organisation and conduct of all meetings.
15 Minutes shall be taken of the proceedings of the General, Special and Annual General Meetings and meetings of the Council and entered regularly in the minute books.
16 General Meetings shall normally be held in Leeds for transacting the business of the Association and for the delivery of public lectures. Field Meetings, at which the general business of the Association may be transacted, shall be held wherever the Council may direct. No less than fourteen days’ notice of forthcoming meetings shall be given to members by the Honorary Secretary.
17 A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the President, the Council or any twelve members. At least fourteen days’ notice of such a meeting shall be given by the Honorary Secretary and the objects of the meeting shall be stated therewith. At such meetings, other than one called under Rule 19, twenty members shall be a quorum.
18 An Annual General Meeting shall be held in each calendar year for the purposes of the election in accordance with Rule 8 of the President and others to form the Council to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. At all such meetings, twenty members shall be a quorum.
19 The Association shall not be dissolved except at a Special General Meeting summoned for such purpose of which one month’s notice has been given by post to all members. The resolution of dissolution shall require a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting. Any property of the Association which remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be paid or transferred to such other institution or institutions being registered as charities and recognised as such by the Charity Commission and having charitable objects similar to those of the Association as the members may decide by resolution of those present. No part of the aforesaid surplus property shall be paid or transferred to or distributed among any member of the Association beneficially.
20 These Rules shall not be altered except by Special General Meeting of which fourteen days’ notice shall be given; such notice to include the full text of the proposed additions, deletions or alterations to the Rules.