Club rules

1 The roles within the club

The Chair

Is responsible for the overall running of the Club and for leading the weekly meetings.

The Vice Chair

Is responsible for covering in the Chair's absence and assisting all other Committee members where necessary.

The Secretary

Is responsible for organising the breakfast venue, taking meeting fees and issuing receipts accordingly, keeping attendance records and notifying members of any changes or alterations to the meetings. Also jointly responsible with the Membership Secretary for the bank account, recording all financial transactions and producing an Income and Expenditure account at the AGM, which has been independently reviewed by the Treasurer.

The Membership Secretary

Is responsible for keeping membership details up to date, collecting subscriptions when due and advising the Committee and the Club of any changes. Also welcoming visitors to the meetings, accepting applications from potential new members and processing those applications. Also jointly responsible with the Secretary for the bank account, recording all financial transactions and producing an Income and Expenditure account at the AGM, which has been independently reviewed by the Treasurer.

The Meeting Co-ordinator

Is responsible for planning the programme of weekly meetings, ensuring that members deliver at least one presentation to the Club a year either about their business or on a topic of interest to the Club, booking relevant Guest Speakers and diarising discussion sessions. Also jointly responsible with the Social Secretary for organising any Seminars the Club may choose to run.

The Social Secretary

Is responsible for a programme of social events throughout the year as well as co-ordinating the Club's attendance at any external functions. Also jointly responsible with the Meeting Co-ordinator for organising any Seminars the Club may choose to run.

The Treasurer

Is responsible for providing independent and objective assurance that the Club's finances are being managed correctly. Also, in conjunction with the Secretary and Membership Secretary, responsible for producing a final Income and Expenditure account at the AGM.

Other roles will be allocated to members at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

2 The election of the Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee comprises the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Membership Secretary, Meeting Co-ordinator, Social Secretary and the Treasurer.
2. Election of the Executive Committee takes place once a year at the AGM, held on the first Friday in March.
3. Any member may volunteer for a position and will be elected by a show of hands.
4. Committee Members, except for the Treasurer, will hold office for a maximum of one year but can stand for election to an alternative post in the subsequent year. Members may not serve on the Committee for more than 2 consecutive years.
5. If a Committee Member resigns before the end of the year, an election will be held as soon as possible to replace them.
6. Committee Members are volunteers and will receive no remuneration, but will not pay for membership of the Club during their year of office.
7. Committee Members are entitled to be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses incurred in carrying out their roles.
8. At least 4 members of the Executive Committee must be present at a meeting for a quorum if any decisions are to be made.

3 Membership and attendance

1. Membership is open to any individual representing a local business, trading as a sole trader, partnership or limited company, with acceptance of membership at the discretion of the existing members, and a final decision, in the event of disagreement, being made by the Executive Committee.
2. The member will be the owner, partner, director or other lead decision maker of the organisation they represent.
3. Only one member from each business classification will be granted membership at any one time.
4. Classifications with specialist components may be divided accordingly after consultation with the original member of that classification. The final decision remains with the Executive Committee.
5. Regular attendance is required as a basic commitment, but where attendance is not possible only a substitute from the member's business can attend in the member's absence.
6. Membership will be reviewed if attendance levels consistently fall below 60%. If the Executive Committee feels a member's attendance rate below that level is not acceptable, the Members will be asked to vote on whether that membership should be revoked.
7. Membership fees are included in the monthly meeting fee.
8. Membership of the Club will be limited to 35 active members at any one time. Prospective members may apply to join and will be placed on a waiting list until a vacancy becomes available.
9. If the club has reached its capacity of 35 active members, the Members and Executive Committee can use their discretion to accept applications from any role not already represented in the club that would be of great benefit to the club.

4 Meetings

1. The Members and Executive Committee will decide the frequency, day and venue of Club Meetings.
2. The Secretary will collect the agreed meeting fees from each member or visitor. This fee is set by the Executive Committee and is subject to change.
3. Members are required to advise the Secretary by the agreed time before the meeting if they are unable to attend, are sending a substitute or are bringing a guest.

5 Visitors

1. So that the Club may grow to its maximum membership as advised by the Executive Committee, members are encouraged to invite prospective new members to the meetings, provided that the classification of the visitor's profession is vacant.
2. Visitors will be required to pay the relevant meeting fee in full.
3. Visitors can apply to join the club on or after their third visit. Their membership application must be approved before their fourth visit.
4. If their application is approved, the Membership Secretary will invoice them for the relevant pro-rata membership fee for the remainder of that year, i.e. until the annual renewal of all membership fees on 1st February.

6 Finance

1. The Secretary, in conjunction with the Membership Secretary, shall be responsible for maintaining complete records of income and expenditure.
2. The Executive Committee can authorise expenditure of up to £100 on any one item without needing the approval of the Members. Expenditure over that amount must be authorised by the Members at a weekly meeting.
3. The Secretary, in conjunction with the Membership Secretary, shall be responsible for any other funds generated and in their control.
4. The annual membership fee will be reviewed at the AGM each year.
5. The financial year runs from 1st February to 31st January.
6. A regular review of accounts will be carried out by the Treasurer on behalf of the Members.
7. Meeting fees for members are charged monthly and are paid in advance by standing order into the Club's bank account.
8. Meeting fees for visitors are charged per visit and are paid either by BACS in advance of, or by cash or cheque on arrival at, the relevant meeting.
9. Any work carried out or service provided by a Member in their professional business capacity on the instructions of the Executive Committee should be remunerated at an agreed rate.
10. If any Member has a good, costed proposal for using some of the Club's financial reserves, it should be forwarded to the Secretary. If the Executive Committee then feels that the proposal is viable, it will be submitted to the Members for consideration.

7 Charitable support

1. At the AGM each year the Members will vote on whether to support a Charity or Charities during the following financial year, and which they will be.
2. Charities nominated at the AGM must have given at least one presentation to the Club during the preceding year, will have been asked if they wish to be nominated as the Club Charity, and will have been made aware that if their nomination is successful they will be required to become members of the Club for the duration of the tenure and abide by all Club rules, including attendance at meetings, but will not be required to pay either a membership fee or meeting fees.
3. The maximum tenure of the Club's charitable support per organisation is 2 years.
4. At the AGM, members will also vote on the size of a donation to be paid out of Club funds to the nominated Charity or Charities at the following AGM, i.e. at the end of their tenure. The Club may choose to add to that donation by raising money through fundraising activities during the coming year, with the amount raised being added to the Club's donation at the following AGM.

8 Current charges

As at 1st March 2024, the following charges are in place:

• £75

  Joining membership fee, one-off

• £60

  Member's meeting fees, per calendar month

• £15

  Visitor's meeting fee, where applicable

Your first two visits as a guest are free. More on the Joining and costs page.

9 Matters of concern

Should any matters of concern arise, members should contact the Chair in confidence with a view to resolving the matter. Should the matter not be resolved satisfactorily, a complaint should be made in writing to the Secretary, who will arrange an Executive Committee meeting. The Chair will report back to the member.

10 Data protection

1. It is the Club policy to comply with all applicable requirements of current data protection legislation including the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (“GDPR”) in force from time to time and any applicable national implementing laws, regulations and secondary legislation, as amended or updated from time to time, in the UK and then any replacement legislation in the UK to the Data Protection Act 1998 and the GDPR, whereupon all member details and records are confidential and for the purpose of Club records only.
2. Data will be processed fairly and lawfully.
3. Data will be collected and processed for only one or more specified purposes.
4. Data held will be adequate for its purpose or purposes but not excessive or irrelevant.
5. Data will be accurate and, where required, up to date.
6. Data will not be kept for longer than necessary.
7. Data will be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subject.
8. Data will be kept securely, and the Club will guard against its loss.
9. By joining the Club, members are giving their consent for their data to be held and processed as above.

How the website handles your information is explained in our privacy policy.