Articles of Association

 

 

THE COMPANIES ACTS 1985 AND 1989

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE AND NOT HAVING A SHARE CAPITAL

Articles of Association of

LANCASHIRE COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES

.....................................................

Interpretation

1. IN these articles:

"the Charity" means the company intended to be regulated by these articles;

"the Act" means the Companies Act 1985 including any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;

"the articles" means these Articles of Association of the Charity;

"clear days" in relation to the period of a notice means the period excluding the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;

"executed" includes any mode of execution;

"the memorandum" means the memorandum of association of the Charity

"office" means the registered office of the Charity;

"the seal" means the common seal of the Charity if it has one;

"secretary" means the secretary of the Charity or any other person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Charity, including a joint assistant or deputy secretary;

"the trustees" means the directors of the Charity (and "trustee" has a corresponding meaning);

"the United means Great Britain and

"Kingdom" Northern Ireland; and words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender Subject as aforesaid words or expressions contained in these Articles shall unless the context requires otherwise bear the same meaning as in the Act

 

Members

2.1 The subscribers to the memorandum and such other persons or organisations as are admitted to membership in accordance with the rules made under Article 61 shall be members of the Charity No person shall be admitted a member of the Charity unless his application for membership is approved by the trustees

There shall be two categories of member - Full Member and Observer Member

Full Membership shall be open to all self governing youth organisations which have been in existence at least a year which publish an audited statement of accounts and which subscribe to the Objects of the Charity and other agencies working in the interests of young people and subscribing to the Objects of the Charity

Observer Membership shall be open to agencies concerned with young people but which are not eligible for Full Membership

Local Education Authorities may apply for Full Membership or Observer Membership

2.2 Unless the trustees or the Charity in general meeting shall make other provision under Article 61 the trustees may in their absolute discretion permit any member of the Charity to retire provided that after such retirement the number of members is not less than two and that notice in writing of the member's wish to retire has been received by the secretary not less than fourteen clear days prior to the annual general meeting

General meetings

3. THE Charity shall hold an annual general meeting each year in addition to any other meetings in that year and shall specify the meetings as such in the notices calling it; and not more than fifteen months shall elapse between the date of one annual general meeting of the Charity and that of the next PROVIDED THAT so long as the Charity holds its first annual general meeting within eighteen months of its incorporation it need not hold it in the year of its incorporation or in the following year The annual general meeting shall be held at such times and places as the trustees shall appoint and shall include:-

(a) The election of trustees the membership of Committees and the appointment of representatives on outside bodies

(b) The election of a President and a Vice-President

(c) The appointment of Auditors Bankers and Solicitors

(d) The presentation of an audited statement of account

(e) The amount of the membership subscriptions

All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings

Not less than three general meetings shall be held in each year

4. THE trustees may call general meetings and on the requisition of not less than five Full Members pursuant to the provisions of the Act shall forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting for a date not later than eight weeks after receipt of the requisition If there are not within the United Kingdom sufficient trustees to call a general meeting any trustee or any five Full Members of the Charity may call a general meeting The President and Vice-President shall be allowed to attend meetings but shall not be entitled to vote

Notice of general meetings

5. AN annual general meeting and an extraordinary general meeting called for the passing of a special resolution appointing a person as a trustee shall be called by at least twenty-one clear days notice All other extraordinary general meetings shall be called by at least fourteen clear days' notice but a general meeting may be called by shorter notice if it is so agreed:

(1) In the case of an annual general meeting by all the members entitled to attend and vote; and

(2) In the case of any other meeting by a majority in number of members having a right to attend and vote being a majority together holding not less that 95 per cent of the total voting rights at the meeting of all the members

The notice shall specify the time and place of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted and in the case of an annual general meeting shall specify the meeting as such

The notice shall be given to all the members and to the trustees and auditors

6. THE accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting

Proceedings at general meetings

7. NO business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present Ten persons entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted each being a member or a duly authorised representative of a member organisation and representing not less than five organisations which are Full Members of the Charity shall constitute a quorum For the purposes of calculating the quorum the trustees shall be included

8. IF a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting or if during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place or to such time and place as the trustees may determine

9. THE chairman of the trustees or in his absence another trustee shall preside as chairman of the meeting save for the annual general meeting when the President or in his absence the Vice President shall chair the meeting but if neither the chairman nor any other trustee be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting and willing to act the members present shall elect one of their number to be chairman

10. IF a member is to be elected as chairman of a meeting under the preceding article the person shall be a representative of a Full Member

11. A trustee shall notwithstanding that he is not a member be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting

12. THE chairman may with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place but no business shall be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than business which might properly have been transacted at the meeting had adjournment not taken place When a meeting is adjourned for fourteen days or more at least seven clear days' notice shall be given specifying the time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice

13. A resolution put to the vote of a meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands a poll is duly demanded Subject to the provisions of the Act a poll is duly demanded:

(1) By the chairman; or

(2) By at least three members having the right to vote at the meeting;

14. UNLESS a poll is duly demanded a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has been carried or carried unanimously or by a particular majority or lost or not carried by a particular majority and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution

15. THE demand for a poll may be withdrawn before the poll is taken but only with the consent of the chairman The withdrawal of a demand for a poll shall not invalidate the result of a show of hands declared before the demand for the poll was made

16. A poll shall be taken as the chairman directs and he may appoint scrutineers (who need not be members) and fix a time and place for declaring the results of the poll The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll is demanded

17. IN the case of an equality of votes whether on a show of hands or on a poll the chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition any other vote he may have

18. A poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken immediately A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken either immediately or at such time and place as the chairman directs not being more than thirty days after the poll is demanded The demand for a poll shall not prevent continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which the poll is demanded If a poll is demanded before the declaration of the result of a show of hands the demand is duly withdrawn the meeting shall continue as if the demand had not been made

19. NO notice need be given of a poll not taken immediately if the time and place at which it is to be taken are announced at the meeting at which it is demanded In other cases at least seven clear days' notice shall be given specifying the time and place at which the poll is to be taken

Votes of members

20. SUBJECT to Article 17 every Full member shall be entitled to appoint four representatives to attend meetings (two of whom must be under twenty five years of age) and each representative shall have one vote Every Observer member shall be entitled to appoint two representatives to attend meetings (one of whom must be under twenty five years of age) but such representatives shall not be entitled to vote

21. NO member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless all moneys then payable by him to the Charity have been paid

22. NO objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive

23. A vote given or poll demanded by the duly authorised representative of a member organisation shall be valid notwithstanding the previous determination of the authority of the person voting or demanding a poll unless notice of the determination was received by the Charity at the office before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote is given or the poll demanded or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise than on the same day as the meeting or adjourned meeting) the time appointed for taking the poll

24. ANY organisation which is a member of the Charity may by resolution of its Council or other governing body authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Charity and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the organisation which he represents as the organisation could exercise if it were an individual member of the Charity

Trustees

25. THE number of trustees shall be not less than thirteen but (unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution) shall not be subject to any maximum The trustees shall include a Chairman a Deputy Chairman an Honorary Treasurer and such other trustees as the members in general meeting shall determine from time to time A person appointed as a trustee does not need to be a member of the Charity but during any year either the Chairman of the Deputy Chairman must be a member

26. THE first trustees shall be those persons named in the statement delivered pursuant to section 10(2) of the Act who shall be deemed to have been appointed under the articles Future trustees shall be appointed as provided subsequently in the articles

Powers of trustees

27. SUBJECT to the provisions of the Act the memorandum and the articles and to any directions given by special resolution the business of the Charity shall be managed by the trustees who may exercise all the powers of the Charity No alteration of the memorandum or the articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the trustees which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given The powers given by this article shall not be limited by any special power given to the trustees by the articles and a meeting of trustees at which a quorum is present may exercise all the powers exercisable by the trustees

28. IN addition to all powers hereby expressly conferred upon them and without detracting from the generality of their powers under the articles the trustees shall have the following powers namely:

(1) To expend the funds of the Charity in such manner as they shall consider most beneficial for the achievement of the objects and to invest in the name of the Charity such part of the funds as they may see fit and to direct the sale or transposition of any such investments and to expend the proceeds of any such sale in furtherance of the objects of the charity;

(2) To enter into contracts on behalf of the Charity

(3) To purchase and maintain for any trustee such insurance as is permitted by clause 4 of the Memorandum of Association of the Charity

Appointment and retirement of trustees

29. AT the first annual general meeting all the trustees shall retire from office and at every subsequent annual general meeting all the trustees shall retire from office

30. No trustee shall hold the same office for more than five years consecutively

31. IF the Charity at the meeting at which a trustee retires by rotation does not fill the vacancy the retiring trustee shall if willing to act be deemed to have been reappointed unless at the meeting it is resolved not to fill the vacancy or unless a resolution for the reappointment of the trustee is put to the meeting and lost

32. NO person other than a trustee retiring by rotation shall be appointed or reappointed a trustee at any general meeting unless:

(1) He is recommended by the trustees; or

(2) Not less than fourteen nor more than thirty-five clear days before the date appointed for the meeting notice executed by a member qualified to vote at the meeting has been given to the Charity of the intention to propose that person for appointment or reappointment stating the particulars which would if he were so appointed or reappointed be required to be included in the Charity's register of trustees together with a notice executed by that person of his willingness to be appointed or reappointed

33. NO person may be appointed as a trustee:

(1) Unless he has attained the age of 18 years; or

(2) In circumstances such that had he already been a trustee he would have been disqualified from acting under the provisions of Article 38

34. NOT less than seven nor more than twenty-eight clear days before the date appointed for holding a general meeting notice shall be given to all persons who are entitled to receive notice of the meeting of any person (other than a trustee retiring by rotation at the meeting) who is recommended by the trustees for appointment or reappointment as a trustee at the meeting or in respect of whom notice has been duly given to the Charity of the intention to propose him at the meeting for appointment or reappointment as a trustee The notice shall give the particulars of that person which would if he were so appointed or reappointed be required to be included in the Charity's register of trustees

35. SUBJECT AS AFORESAID the Charity may be ordinary resolution appoint a person who is willing to act to be a trustee either to fill a vacancy or as an additional trustee and may also determine the rotation in which any additional trustees are to retire

36. THE trustees may appoint not more than three persons willing to act to be trustees either to fill a vacancy or as additional trustees provided that the appointment does not cause the number of trustees to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the articles as the maximum number of trustees A trustee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following annual general meeting If not reappointed at such annual general meeting he shall vacate office at the conclusion thereof

37. SUBJECT AS AFORESAID a trustee who retires at an annual general meeting may if willing to act be reappointed

Disqualification and removal of trustees

38. A trustee shall cease to hold office if he:

(1) Ceases to be a trustee by virtue of any provision in the Act or is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory reenactment or modification of that provision);

(2) Becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder illness or injury of managing and administering his own affairs;

(3) Resigns his office by notice to the Charity (but only if at least two trustees will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect); or

(4) Is absent without the permission of the trustees from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the trustees resolve that his office be vacated

Trustees' expenses

39. THE trustees may be paid all reasonable travelling hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of trustees or committees of trustees or general meetings or otherwise in connection with the discharge of their duties but shall otherwise be paid no remuneration

Trustees' appointments

40. SUBJECT to the provisions of the Act and to Clause 5 of the memorandum the trustees may appoint one or more of their number to the unremunerated office of Secretary of the Charity Any such appointment may be made upon such terms as the trustees determine Any appointment of a trustee as Secretary shall terminate if he ceases to be a trustee

41. EXCEPT to the extent permitted by clause 5 of the memorandum no trustee shall take or hold any interest in property belonging to the Charity or receive remuneration or be interested otherwise than as a trustee in any other contract to which the Charity is a party

Proceedings of trustees

42. SUBJECT to the provisions of the articles the trustees may regulate their proceedings as they think fit A Trustee may and the secretary at the request of a trustee shall call a meeting of the trustees It shall not be necessary to give notice of a meeting to a trustee who is absent from the United Kingdom Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes In the case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote The trustees shall meet not less than six times a year

43. THE quorum for the transaction of the business of the trustees may be fixed by the trustees but shall not be less than five which must include at least one of the Chairman Deputy Chairman and Honorary Treasurer

44. THE trustees may act notwithstanding any vacancies in their number but if the number of trustees is less than the number fixed as the quorum the continuing trustees or trustee may act only for the purpose of filling vacancies or of calling a general meeting

45. THE Chairman or in his absence the Deputy Chairman shall be the chairman of trustees' meetings But if there is no trustee holding such offices or if the trustees holding them are unwilling to preside or are not present within five minutes after the time appointed for the meeting the trustees present may appoint one of their number to be chairman of the meeting

46. THE trustees may appoint one or more sub-committees consisting of two or more persons for the purpose of making any inquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which in the opinion of the trustees would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by a sub-committee PROVIDED THAT all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committees shall be fully and promptly reported to the trustees

47. ALL acts done by a meeting of trustees or of a committee shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was a defect in the appointment of any person or that any of them were disqualified from holding office or had vacated office or were not entitled to vote be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified and had been entitled to vote

Persons not being members of the Charity may be elected or co-opted to serve on a committee provided always that the number of members of any such committee who are not members of the Charity shall never exceed one third of the total number of persons serving on that committee

Unless otherwise determined by the members at a general meeting the quorum at a committee meeting shall be two

48. A resolution in writing signed by all the persons entitled to receive notice of a meeting of trustees or of a committee shall be as valid and effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of trustees or (as the case may be) a committee duly convened and held Such a resolution may consist of several documents in the same form each signed by one or more of the trustees or (as the case may be) the members of the committee

49. ANY bank account in which any part of the assets of the Charity is deposited shall be operated by the trustees and shall indicate the name of the Charity All cheques and orders for the payment of money from such account shall be signed by at least two trustees of whom one shall be the Chairman the Deputy Chairman or the Honorary Treasurer

Secretary

50. SUBJECT to the provisions of the Act the secretary shall be appointed by the trustees for such term at such remuneration (if not a trustee) and upon such conditions as they may think fit; and any secretary so appointed may be removed by them

Minutes

51. THE trustees shall keep minutes in books kept for the purpose:

(1) Of all appointments of officers made by the trustees; and

(2) Of all proceedings at meetings of the Charity and of the trustees and of committees including the names of the persons present at each such meeting

The Seal

52. THE seal shall only be used by the authority of the trustees or of a committee of trustees authorised by the trustees The trustees may determine who shall sign any instrument to which the seal is affixed and unless otherwise so determined it shall be signed by a trustee and by the secretary or by a second trustee

Accounts

53. ACCOUNTS shall be prepared in accordance with the provisions of Part VII of the Act

Annual Report

54. THE trustees shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report and its transmission to the Commissioners

Annual Return

55. THE trustees shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Commissioners

Notices

56. ANY notice to be given to or by any person pursuant to the articles shall be in writing except that a notice calling a meeting of the trustees need not be in writing

57. THE Charity may give any notice to a member either personally or by sending it by post in a prepaid envelope addressed to the member at his registered address or by leaving it at that address A member whose registered address is not within the United Kingdom and who gives to the company an address within the United Kingdom at which notices may be given to him shall be entitled to have notices given to him at that address but otherwise no such member shall be entitled to receive any notice from the Charity

58. A member present in person at any meeting of the Charity shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting and where necessary of the purposes for which it was called

59. PROOF that an envelope containing a notice was properly addressed prepaid and posted shall be conclusive evidence that the notice was given A notice shall be deemed to be given at the expiration of 48 hours after the envelope containing it was posted

Indemnity

60. SUBJECT to the provisions of the Act every trustee or other officer or auditor of the Charity shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Charity against any liability incurred by him in that capacity in defending any proceedings whether civil or criminal in which judgment is given in his favour or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any application in which relief is granted to him by the court from liability for negligence default breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the affairs of the Charity

Rules

61.1 The trustees may from time to time make such rules or bye laws as they may deem necessary or expedient or convenient for the proper conduct and management of the Charity and for the purposes of prescribing classes of and conditions of membership and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing they may by such rules or bye laws regulate:

(i) the admission and classification of members of the Charity (including the admission of organisations to membership) and the rights and privileges of such members and the conditions of membership and the terms on which members may resign or have their membership terminated and the entrance fees subscriptions and other fees or payments to be made by members;

(ii) the conduct of members of the Charity in relation to one another and to the Charity's servants;

(iii)the setting aside of the whole or any part or parts of the Charity's premises at any particular time or times or for any particular purpose or purposes;

(iv) the procedure at general meetings and meetings of the trustees and committees of the trustees in so far as such procedure is not regulated by the articles;

(v) generally all such matters as are commonly the subject matter of company rules

61.2 The Charity in general meeting shall have power to alter add to or repeal the rules or bye laws and the trustees shall adopt such means as they think sufficient to bring to the notice of members of the Charity all such rules or bye laws which shall be binding on all members of the Charity PROVIDED THAT no rule or bye law shall be inconsistent with or shall affect or repeal anything contained in the memorandum or the articles

Signatures Names and Addresses of Subscribers

Dated:

Witness to the above Signatures:

Name:

Address:

Occupation:

Dated 1996

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

in respect of

LANCASHIRE COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES