Constitution

(Approved by the Charity Commission and ratified by the AGM in June  2018)

1. Name. The name of the Society shall be the Greenwich Society
2. Objectives. The Society is established for the public benefit for the following purposes in the area principally within London SE10 and also the surrounding area, (hereafter referred to as “the area of benefit”) to secure the preservation, protection and enhancement of the built environment and the landscape and improvement of the physical and natural environment and in the furtherance of such objectives:-

(a ) to encourage high standards of  development and architecture within the relevant area,

(b) to act as a co-ordinating body and to co-operate with the Local Authority and other organisations, charities and persons

(c) to act as a focus for informed discussion and agreement on all issues relating to  the quality of life for those living, working in, or visiting Greenwich, and to seek actively to achieve such objectives as are decided on,

(d) to hold meetings, lectures and exhibitions,

(e) to publish papers, reports and other literature and to promote research into subjects directly connected with the objects of the Society,

 (f) to raise funds by way of subscription, donation or otherwise

(g) to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the aforesaid objects

(h) to use any income received by the Society only for the objectives indicated above

3. Membership: Membership of the Society is open to all residents within the relevant area or other persons interested in Greenwich and the objects of the Society. Members are either (a) individual members who have paid their current subscription, or (b) corporate members who are approved by the Executive Committee and who have paid their current subscription.
4. Subscriptions Members, (both individual and corporate) shall pay such subscription as the Executive Committee shall determine from time to time. It shall be payable on or before January 1st each year or the on-line annual renewal date. Membership shall lapse if the subscription is unpaid six months after becoming due.

3. Executive Committee:

(a)        The management of the Society and the administration of its funds and assets shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee.

(b)        The Executive Committee shall be the Charity Trustees and should consist of the following; the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer and not more than 12 other members of the Society.

(c)        Any member of the EC who misses more than 3 meetings without good cause shall be deemed to have forfeited their position

(d)        Any member may be liable to expulsion on a two thirds vote of the EC

(e)        All appointments to the Executive Committee together with the appointment of the officers of the Society shall be made at the Society’s Annual General Meeting. In the event of their being more than one candidate for any position, the election shall be by secret ballot, with corporate members having a single vote. In the event of a position on the Executive Committee becoming vacant, the existing members may nominate such person as they decide to hold that position until the next AGM.

(f)         Appointments of officers and EC members shall be for a period of three years. Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen shall serve no more than two consecutive terms of three years.

(g)        The EC may co-opt members at any time, who shall be subject to election at the AGM following their co-option.

(h)        The quorum for a meeting of the EC shall be a minimum of 5 members present

6. Meetings of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year, and its discussions and decisions shall be duly minuted.
7. Delegation to Sub-Committees The business of the Society shall be managed by the Executive Committee but it shall appoint such sub-committees as it thinks fit and determine their terms of reference, powers and composition. Decisions of the sub-committees shall be reported back to, and ratified by, the Executive Committee as soon as practicable.

6. Administration of the Society’s business: The Executive Committee shall, out of the Society’s funds, pay all proper and reasonable expenses of the Society. No officer or Executive Committee member shall receive any remuneration but may be reimbursed for any expenditure properly incurred on behalf of the Society.
7. Annual General Meeting - An Annual General meeting shall be held each year with at least 21 days prior notice to members. The business of the Annual General Meeting is (a) to appoint the officers of the Society where vacancies arise, (b) to appoint members of the Executive Committee where vacancies arise, (c) to receive and approve the Hon Treasurer’s Report and (d) to receive the Chairman’s and Hon Secretary’s report on the Society’s year.
8. Special General Meeting - On the written request to the Hon Secretary of not less than 30 members of the Society a Special General Meeting shall be held to discuss any issue
9. Investments All money at any time belonging to the Society and not required immediately for its purposes, shall be invested by the Executive Committee upon such investment, security or property as it considers fit.
10. Charity Commission The Society shall be registered with the Charity Commission.
11. Amendments: This Constitution may be amended by a two thirds majority of the members present at an Annual General Meeting, on not less than 21 days notice in writing having been previously given to the Hon Secretary in writing as to the nature of such amendment
12. Winding up. The Society may be dissolved by a two thirds majority of the members present at an Annual General Meeting, (not less than 21 days notice having been given to the Hon Secretary of such a proposal), or a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. In the event of dissolution the Society’s funds shall be transferred to such other charitable institution with objects similar to those of the Society as the Executive Committee shall decide.

20 June 2018