|
Portmahomack Harbour Users Group
|
|
The group shall be known as the Portmahomack Harbour Users Group (“The Group”) This Constitution is effective from August 2019 The aims of The Group are:-
To promote increased and responsible use of the Portmahomack harbour facility and adjacent areas. To work with Highland Council and Tarbat Community Council in order to secure the long-term future of the harbour. To provide a forum for open dialogue between leisure and commercial users to ensure the best interests of all parties are served. To provide local administration of the harbour and its facilities as agreed with Highland Council Harbours.
To make the harbour an attractive port of call for summer sailing traffic.
To encourage the next generation of users to contribute actively to the environmental management of the harbour and adjacent areas.
Membership
The users’ group shall consist of ordinary members There is no structure of hierarchy within The Group, excepting that The Group shall be managed by an appointed Committee. Membership is open to Portmahomack harbour berth holders and those on the waiting list for a berth. Any person wishing to become a member should complete a membership request form, providing email and contact details as noted and send to the Secretary. All harbour users will be encouraged to become active members of The Group. A list of members will be kept by the Secretary. Any member may resign membership at any time, by writing to the Secretary. Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. The Group reserves the right to rescind the membership of any member behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Committee, before a final decision is made.
Meetings:-
Annual General Meeting · The Group financial year shall end on 31st August. The Group annual general meeting shall be held in September of each year. · All members will be notified in writing at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time. · The Committee will present the accounts of the Portmahomack Harbour Users Group for the previous year. · The Officers and Committee for the next year will be elected. Any proposed agenda items must be given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting’
Special General Meetings · The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least eight other members, giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request. · The meeting will take place within twenty-eight days of the request. · All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post. The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
General Meetings · General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 6 months or more often if necessary. · All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of the membership or 5 members, whichever is the greater number.
All items that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made according to the majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote. Minutes of Users Group meetings will be recorded for all meetings and agreed at each subsequent meeting. Committee The membership will, at each AGM, elect/re-elect the officers of The Group and a committee. Service as an officer or committee member is without limit of time but is subject to annual re-election. The committee shall consist of 5 members. The current Users Group Committee is shown below and will be posted on the Group Website. The officers’ roles are as follows: · Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings. · Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of Minutes and the distribution of all papers. The Secretary shall also be responsible for keeping records of members. Treasurer, who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts.
In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected at the next General Meeting.
Subscription There is no membership subscription. However, for specific projects all boat owners may be requested to make voluntary contributions towards the cost of work carried out. An annual subscription may be introduced and will be an agenda item at each Annual General Meeting (AGM). Harbour dues payable to Highland Harbours are not within the subscription remit of The Group. Working parties Working parties may be convened for specific tasks and may enlist the help of non-members. All working parties will be agreed at the next General Meeting. Finances An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Payment signatories will be nominated by the Committee. The signatories must not be related, nor members of the same household.
Payments will be signed by two of the signatories: one to be the treasurer.Payments for sums up to £100 can be signed by the treasurer only) For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque. For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by the two signatories and held by the treasurer.
Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting.
All money raised by or on behalf of Portmahomack Users’ Group is only to be used to further the aims of The Group, as specified in this Constitution.
Amendments to the Constitution Amendments to the Constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting
Dissolution If a meeting, by a majority, decides that it is necessary to close down The Group a Special General Meeting will be called to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve The Group.
If it is agreed to dissolve The Group, any and all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation or given to some other organisation having objectives similar to those of The Group. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.
Data Protection
The Group understands that personal information provided is important. The Group operates under a Privacy Policy which can be found on the group website. A printed copy can be provided on written request to the Secretary.
This Constitution was agreed at the Inaugural General Meeting of the Portmahomack Harbour Users’ Group on:-
Dated 19th August 2019 |
|
Group Structure, Constitution and Privacy Policy |
|
The Group was formed in autumn 2019 to co-ordinate user’s views and desires and to work with the Highland Council and the local council to developand better maintain the harbour. Details are given in the Group’s Constitution below. Members details and personal information held by the group are subject to to a Privacy Policy also laid out below. |