The Welsh Division 

CONSTITUTION OF CARAVAN AND MOTORHOME CLUB _________________________ DIVISION

Date: [Insert]

Name

1. The Division shall be named the ‘[Insert] ______________ ‘. It is hereinafter called ‘the Division’.

2. The Division oversees the following areas and Centres of the Caravan and Motorhome Club:

         

Objectives

3. The objective of the Division shall be:

a. To provide a means whereby the Caravan and Motorhome Club interests of all members living in the area may be fostered.

b. To represent general matters of Club or Centre interest to the Club Council.

c. Coordinate the activities of the constituent Centres and promote them with the wider membership.

d. To provide a forum to discuss and solve local issues at a local level and be the first point of contact for constituent Centres.

e. The Division will contact the Governance Office should they be unable to resolve any issues at a local level.

Management

4. The affairs and activities of the Division shall be controlled and managed by a Divisional Team comprising:

a. Chair, Deputy Chair, Administrator, Treasurer, and Digital Champion. They shall be elected each year at the Annual General Meeting of the Division and shall form the Elected Team. If the Elected Team members are Member Representatives this will not affect the quota in (c)

b One delegate is appointed from the Centre Committee[1] of each Centre within the area.

c. Up to six Member Representatives, being current Club members, and not registered with any Centre, and approved by the Club’s Executive Committee. They may serve a maximum of three consecutive years and then re-apply for selection by the Executive Committee via the Governance Office.

5. All elected positions may normally serve a maximum of three consecutive years.

After completing a three-year term of office, a member may offer themself up for election again in a different role.

a. There is a process to remove someone from a position of office which involves a vote of no confidence by a quorum of the Divisional Team, which must be approved by the Executive Committee.

6. Any member of the Club living in a Division or registered with a Centre in that area as defined in paragraph 2 shall be eligible to become an elected member in a Division. Members with the appropriate skills are encouraged to apply.

(Terms of Reference are available as a separate document)

7. The Executive Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Club shall be ex-officio members of the Divisional Team. Members of the Executive Committee and Nominated members living in the area may be in attendance with the right to speak but not to vote. The Director General, or their representative, may also be in attendance with the right to speak, but not to vote.

8. Should a vacancy occur in the elected members of the Divisional Team during the year, the team may co-opt a member to fill the vacancy. A co-opted member has the same rights as an elected member.

9. At Divisional Team meetings, 30% of those eligible to vote shall form a quorum

10. The Divisional Team will be required to meet the Objectives in paragraph 3 above.

11. An elected team member of the Division is not able to hold a position on a Centre Committee unless approved by the Executive Committee.

Meetings

12. Annual General Meetings (AGM) shall be held at such time and place as the Divisional Team decides, provided that every AGM shall be held not more than fifteen months after the holding of the last preceding AGM.

a. The AGM should be held before the Caravan and Motorhome Clubs’ AGM to ensure the newly-elected Chair can attend Club Council meetings afterwards.

13. The Annual General Meeting of each Division shall be open to all members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. However, only those Club members resident in the designated area of the Division and those members of the Centres that make up the area shall be entitled to speak and vote. It shall be at a time and place fixed at the preceding Divisional Annual General Meeting or by the Divisional Team.

a. At the meeting, an annual summary, created by the team, and the Treasurer shall report on the Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet duly audited for the preceding financial year.

b. Nominations for elected positions, signed by the nominee, must be received in writing by the Administrator of the Division not later than 28 days before the Annual General Meeting.

14. Notice of the Annual General Meeting, specifying the time, place, main objectives and any special motions of the meeting shall be submitted by the Division’s Administrator in time for publication in the Club Magazine and via other channels. Non-receipt of the Club Magazine shall not be grounds for invalidating the meeting.

15. Notices of Special Motion for the Annual General Meeting must be lodged with the Administrator not less than 28 days before the meeting.

16. A Special General Meeting (SGM) of the Division shall be called by the Administrator on receipt of either:

a. Instructions from the Divisional Team

Or

b. A request in writing giving 28 days' notice signed by not fewer than twenty-five Full members of the Division, such request setting out the purpose for which a Special General Meeting (SGM) is desired. Not less than 14 clear days’ notice must be given to members. The Notice calling an SGM shall set forth clearly the purpose for which the meeting is being held.

17. At all General Meetings (AGM and SGM), ten members, with voting powers, shall form a quorum.

18. At all General Meetings, the Chair of the Division shall preside; failing that, another elected member. In the absence of both, the meeting shall elect an interim Chair.

19. The Divisional Team will hold at least three inclusive meetings each year either in person or using other methods of communication, in addition to the AGM.

a. At least three additional meetings, such as peer-group meetings, should be facilitated using other methods of modern communication.

b. Any meeting needs to be agreed in advance with a distributed Agenda. It should be inclusive to all attendees and can cover topics of interest to those present.

Voting Powers

20. At the Divisional Annual General Meeting, each qualified member (see paragraph 13 above) shall, on the proof of current Club membership have one vote.

21. In votes for office at the AGM when more than one nomination is received, voting shall be by secret ballot.

22. Voting at Divisional Team Meetings on all motions, amendments and questions shall be determined by a show of hands or by using a digital voting option unless a poll is demanded by the Chair of the meeting or by three members present.

23. At both General Meetings and Divisional Team Meetings, the Chair of the meeting shall have a second, and casting vote, for use in the event of a tie.

Finance

24. Each Division will receive an annual grant from Club funds to defray agreed administrative costs. The amount of such a grant will be determined by the Executive Committee. Grants will be subject to periodic review.

25. The financial year of the Division shall end on the 31st day of December.

26. The books and accounts of the Treasurer shall be examined by an Independent Examiner.

27. The Independent Examiner, properly qualified, not a member of the Divisional Team, shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The Independent Examiner’s expenses will be defrayed by the Club.

28. No member may pledge the Credit of the Division unless authorised by the Divisional Team.

Representation on Club Council

29       The Division’s Chair shall be the appointed representative on Club Council. If unable to attend a Club Council meeting, the Division’s Chair shall appoint one of the other elected team members to attend in their place

Alteration of Constitution

30. Proposals for amendments to the Constitution shall be made only at a General Meeting of the Division by a vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting at such meeting and shall be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

a. Not less than ‘three calendar months’ notice of motion to make such additions or amendments shall be given in writing to the Administrator. The motion shall be made known to the members by publishing either the motion or a statement.

b. The power to decide amendments to the Constitution is vested solely in the Executive Committee under Club Bye-law 35.2 and any agreed amendments will be complied with and will have to apply to all Divisions.

31. Any Division may seek the agreement of the Executive Committee, via the Governance Team, to raise any exceptional circumstances which might impact its ability to meet the requirements of a particular section of the constitution.

Code of Conduct

32       The Divisional Team will agree to read the Committee Code of Conduct at the first meeting following the AGM, and it will be noted that they agree to follow it as part of the role that they have undertaken.

Approved by the Executive Committee: 25 March 2024 (Ref)