(1) Membership is open to individuals over eighteen or organisations who are approved by the trustees.

(2) (a) The trustees may only refuse an application for membership if, acting reasonably and properly, they consider it to be in the best interests of inTurn to refuse the application.

(b) The trustees must inform the applicant in writing of the reasons for the refusal within twenty-one days of the decision.

(c) The trustees must consider any written representations the applicant may make about the decision. The trustees’ decision following any written representations must be notified to the applicant in writing but shall be final.

(3) Membership is not transferable to anyone else.

(4) The trustees must keep a register of names and addresses of the members which must be made available to any member upon request.

Termination of membership

Membership is terminated if:

(1) the member dies or, if it is an organisation, ceases to exist;

(2) the member resigns by written notice to inTurn unless, after the resignation, there would be less than two members;

(3) any sum due from the member to inTurn is not paid in full within six months of it falling due;

(4) the member is removed from membership by a resolution of the trustees that it is in the best interests of inTurn that his or her membership is terminated. A resolution to remove a member from membership may only be passed if:

(a) the member has been given at least twenty one days’ notice in writing of the meeting of the trustees at which the resolution will be proposed and the reasons why it is to be proposed;

(b) the member or, at the option of the member, the member’s representative (who need not be a member of inTurn) has been allowed to make representations to the meeting.

General Meetings

(1) inTurn must hold a general meeting within twelve months of the date of the adoption of this constitution.

(2) An annual general meeting must be held in each subsequent year and not more than fifteen months may elapse between successive annual general meetings.

(3) All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called special general meetings.

(4) The trustees may call a special general meeting at any time.

(5) The trustees must call a special general meeting if requested to do so in writing by at least ten members or one tenth of the membership, whichever is the greater. The request must state the nature of the business that is to be discussed. If the trustees fail to hold the meeting within twenty-eight days of the request, the members may proceed to call a special general meeting but in doing so they must comply with the provisions of this constitution.

Notice

(1) The minimum period of notice required to hold any general meeting is fourteen clear days from the date on which the notice is deemed to have been given.

(2) A general meeting may be called by shorter notice, if it is so agreed by all the members entitled to attend and vote.

(3) The notice must specify the date, time and place of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. If the meeting is to be an annual general meeting, the notice must say so.

(4) The notice must be given to all the members and to the trustees.
 

Quorum

(1) No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present.

(2) A quorum is:

(a) members entitled to vote upon the business to be conducted at the meeting; or

(b) one tenth of the total membership at the time,
whichever is the greater.

(3) The authorised representative of a member organisation shall be counted in the quorum.

(4) If:

(a) a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting; or

(b) during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting shall be adjourned to such time and place as the trustees shall determine.

(5) The trustees must re-convene the meeting and must give at least seven clear days’ notice of the re-convened meeting stating the date time and place of the meeting.

(6) If no quorum is present at the re-convened meeting within fifteen minutes of the time specified for the start of the meeting the members present at that time shall constitute the quorum for that meeting.

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Chair

(1) General meetings shall be chaired by the person who has been elected as Chair.

(2) If there is no such person or he or she is not present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for the meeting a trustee nominated by the trustees shall chair the meeting.

(3) If there is only one trustee present and willing to act, he or she shall chair the meeting.

(4) If no trustee is present and willing to chair the meeting within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding it, the members present and entitled to vote must choose one of their number to chair the meeting.

Adjournments

(1) The members present at a meeting may resolve that the meeting shall be adjourned.

(2) The person who is chairing the meeting must decide the date time and place at which meeting is to be re-convened unless those details are specified in the resolution.

(3) No business shall be conducted at an adjourned meeting unless it could properly have been conducted at the meeting had the adjournment not taken place.

(4) If a meeting is adjourned by a resolution of the members for more than seven days, at least seven clear days’ notice shall be given of the re-convened meeting stating the date time and place of the meeting.

Votes

(1) Each member shall have one vote but if there is an equality of votes the person who is chairing the meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may have.

(2) A resolution in writing signed by each member (or in the case of a member that is an organisation, by its authorised representative) who would have been entitled to vote upon it had it been proposed at a general meeting shall be effective. It may comprise several copies each signed by or on behalf of one or more members.

Representatives of other bodies

(1) Any organisation that is a member of inTurn may nominate any person to act as its representative at any meeting of inTurn.

(2) The organisation must give written notice to inTurn of the name of its representative. The nominee shall not be entitled to represent the organisation at any meeting unless the notice has been received by inTurn. The nominee may continue to represent the organisation until written notice to the contrary is received by inTurn.

(3) Any notice given to inTurn will be conclusive evidence that the nominee is entitled to represent the organisation or that his or her authority has been revoked. inTurn shall not be required to consider whether the nominee has been properly appointed by the organisation.