Last amended 2017. Previous amendment 2002.
1. Name and Objects
1.1 The Society shall be called “The Kentish Cat Society” (KCS). The objects of the KCS shall be to promote an active interest in the welfare and protection of all cats and provide guidance to members. To hold open all-breed shows, offer trophies and to support the shows held by other clubs.
As a non-profit making organisation, the KCS is exempt from being required to register under the Data Protection Act 1988. The KCS will comply with the Act regarding personal information which it may hold.
The KCS shall be bound by the rules and byelaws of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).
2. Membership
2.1 The KCS shall consist of an unlimited number of annual, long-term, honorary members and life members. Membership of the KCS shall imply acceptance of the rules of the KCS.
2.2 Types of member
2.2.1 Annual Members. Annual subscriptions shall be paid on joining and thereafter on 1st January each year, except that members joining at or after the show in October shall not be liable to pay a further subscription for the year immediately following.
2.2.1.1 Annual Joint. Joint members are two members living at the same address.
2.2.1.2 Annual Single.
2.2.2 Long Term. After three years, a member may pay a long-term (ten-year) subscription.
2.2.3 Honorary. At the discretion of the committee.
2.2.4 Life members have paid the appropriate subscription by 31st December 1990.
2.3 Membership Voting Rights. Honorary members and members under the age of 16 shall not be entitled to vote at meetings and shall not be eligible for election to the committee.
3. Application for Membership
3.1 Applications may be made at any time on the membership application form and the membership subscription shall be paid at the date of application. Prefix applications will only be only be signed after one full year of membership of the KCS.
3.2 All applications for membership shall be considered, and if approved by the Committee, their names and contact details shall be recorded.
3.3 The Committee do not need to give a reason for refusal of membership.
3.4 Any member suspended under GCCF rules must apply for re-election after the expiry of the suspension.
3.5 To comply with the GCCF Byelaws Article 4, in the event of membership being granted, the Council shall have disciplinary powers per its Constitution over the KCS and members thereof.
3.6 To comply with the GCCF Byelaws Article 5, any member (including life and honorary members) suspended under Article 12 of the Byelaws and wishing to rejoin after expiration of the suspension, must apply to the Committee for re-election.
4. Resignations
4.1 A member may withdraw from the KCS on giving notice to the Honorary Secretary in writing. The retiring member shall have no claim whatever against the KCS and shall be liable for the subscription for the year in which notice is given.
5. Committee and Officers
5.1 The affairs of the KCS shall be conducted on behalf of the members by three elected officers and by twelve elected members of the KCS (fifteen including the officers) who shall form the Committee and who may alone vote at its meetings.
The officers shall be the Chairman, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer. The officers shall serve for a period of three years, one retiring each year in rotation.
Elected Committee members shall also serve for a period of three years, a group of four retiring each year in rotation.
Save for the Chairman, the officers and other elected Committee members shall be eligible for immediate re-election.
The Chairman shall be eligible for immediate re-election for one further term of office only. The officers and Committee members due for election in any year and any delegate(s) to the GCCF shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting, taking up office at the end of that meeting.
5.2 The President shall be elected for the ensuing year at the Annual General Meeting. Vice-Presidents may be proposed and elected at any Annual General Meeting as the members see fit. The President and any Vice-Presidents shall have the right to attend and speak at any Committee meeting.
5.3 Nominations to fill officer and Committee vacancies and for delegate(s) to the GCCF must be received by the Honorary Secretary not later than 4 weeks preceding the Annual General Meeting. Delegates, if not members of the Committee, shall automatically be co-opted to membership of the Committee for their period of office.
5.4 The Committee may co-opt members of the KCS to fill vacancies on the Committee until the following Annual General Meeting. Co-opted members may vote. At its first meeting, the Committee shall appoint from among its members the Vice-Chairman, the Honorary Cups Secretary, the Honorary Membership Secretary, the Honorary Welfare Officer, the Honorary Webmaster and others to such position as from time to time it may deem to be necessary.
6. Powers of the Committee
6.1 All matters at Committee meetings shall be decided by a simple majority of voting members present. The Chairman may exercise a casting vote but otherwise shall have no vote.
6.2 The Committee shall have power to elect or refuse membership of the KCS, to resolve any matters not covered by these or GCCF rules, to suspend or to expel any member or official.
7. Duties of Officers
7.1 The elected officers and those appointed by the Committee to other offices shall act generally under the authority of the Committee; their duties shall include the following:
7.2 The Honorary Secretary shall conduct correspondence on behalf of the KCS, shall keep contact with the GCCF, shall hold an up-to-date register of members, shall service meetings as stated in rules 8 and 9 and shall keep minutes of those meetings.
7.3 The Honorary Treasurer shall hold all monies received on behalf of the KCS in accounts opened on authorisation of the Committee, shall present a financial report to the Committee at each meeting and shall render annually to the Committee a statement of income and expenditure and a balance sheet covering the financial year. The Honorary Treasurer shall also defray on behalf of the KCS all expenses properly and necessarily incurred by the officers and members of the Committee and such expenses incurred by KCS members as are considered appropriate by the Committee. All cheques or bank transfers for more than an amount agreed by the Committee shall be signed or authorised by two of the Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and Chairman. Cheques or authorisations up to that amount shall require one of these signatories only, normally that of the Honorary Treasurer.
7.4 The Honorary Cup Secretary shall keep a record of all trophies held by the KCS. Members shall be responsible for the care of KCS trophies and shall deliver them to the Honorary Cup Secretary when due.
7.5 The Honorary Membership Secretary shall receive applications for membership of the KCS and submit them to the Committee for approval and, if approved, shall inform new members of their acceptance and supply them with a copy of the rules.
7.6 The Honorary Welfare Officer exists to help all members with cats that are in need, for whatever reason:
- Act as a co-ordinator with both local and specialist breed rescue organisations.
- Give members guidance regarding the welfare of any cat. Give general advice to owners.
- Assist with re-homing, communicating with breed clubs if cats are pedigrees.
- Help people who wish to adopt a cat and advise on the care and welfare of their cats.
- Home visits before placing a cat in a new home.
- Communicate with cat charities that need help with funding and discussing with the committee as to what action if any needs to be taken.
7.7 The Honorary Webmaster shall maintain the website in accordance with the instructions and requests of the Chairman, Committee and Show Managers, also adding such items of interest from GCCF as are relevant to members, ensuring that the domain name and other fees and charges are up to date.
8. General Meetings
8.1 The Annual General Meeting of the KCS shall be held as early as possible before the end of May and at a time and place fixed by the Committee. Notice of the date and location of the AGM must be published by the end of January. Items for the agenda must be submitted to the Honorary Secretary by the end of January.
The agenda to be published no less than 14 days before the AGM.
Quorum for the AGM shall be five members of the committee including one officer plus five fully paid up non-committee members. Voting by proxy shall not be permissible at any meetings (except as stated under rule 14).
Only members as in 2.2 shall be entitled to vote.
8.2 The business conducted at the meeting shall include the adoption of the accounts for the preceding financial year which have been checked by an independent examiner, approved by the Committee, the setting of subscriptions, the appointment of the independent examiner who will check the next year’s accounts and the elections of those noted in paragraph 5 above.
8.3 A Special General Meeting shall be called at any time upon requisition signed by no fewer than twelve members of the KCS, specifying the exact business for which such meeting is required and which shall be the only business to be conducted. Expenditure incurred shall be borne by the signatories unless subsequently the Committee shall agree to reimburse it from KCS funds.
9. Committee Meetings
9.1 The Committee shall meet to discuss the business of the Society at least four times a year. The quorum for Committee meetings shall be five including one officer. Notice of each Committee meeting and its agenda shall be dispatched to each member of the Committee at least fourteen days prior to the meeting. A current financial report must be produced at or prior to the meeting.
10. Finance
10.1 The KCS’s financial year shall be from the 1st January to 31st December.
10.2 Any member whose subscription is in arrears after the last day of February shall be suspended from membership until the current subscription has been paid
11. Show Management
11.1 For each year of their Show Management, Show Managers, who are not members shall automatically become Honorary Members and shall be co-opted as members of the Committee unless already serving in that respect.
11.2 The Show Management shall be responsible to the Committee for all show income and expenditure and for any assets held for show purposes. Show Managers shall be under the same constraints as the Honorary Treasurer for the opening and use of bank accounts, including the requirement of issuing cheques or payments under a single or double signature. The officers shall be included as signatories on the Show bank account.
12. Trophies
12.1 Trophies and KCS rosettes shall only be awarded to fully paid up members.
12.2 Any member who fails to return a trophy (i) on time and (ii) in an acceptable condition may, at the discretion of the Committee, be barred from holding trophies and be liable for the cost of any repairs or replacement.
12.3 All trophies are the property of the KCS.
13. Revision of the Rules
13.1 Any proposed alteration of or addition to the rules must be confirmed and sanctioned by a vote of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for the purpose.
14. Dissolution of the KCS
14.1 Fourteen days’ notice of any proposal to wind up the KCS shall be given in writing to the members and a Special General Meeting called. At this Special General Meeting, but at no other meeting, members shall be allowed to vote by proxy.
14.2 If the motion to dissolve the KCS is confirmed by more than two-thirds of the members voting (including those voting by proxy), the KCS’s liabilities shall be discharged and any balance of the funds shall be divided equally among cat welfare organisations to be agreed by the members present. Trophies shall be returned to their original owners wherever possible and, if not possible, disposed of as agreed by the Committee.
15. Surrender of Books, Records etc.
15.1 All officers, officials and members who, under these rules, have custody of any books, documents, records, property or monies belonging to the Society shall, on request, surrender them to the Committee. |
