RULES of the FIAT MOTOR CLUB (GB)

1.    NAME

The Club name is the FIAT MOTOR CLUB (GB).

2.     OBJECTS

The objects of the Club are to provide friendship and to bring benefits to the members in their day to day ownership or interest in cars made by Fiat and its associated companies.

3.      ADMISSION OF MEMBERS

3.1     Membership is open to anyone owning or having an enthusiasm for Fiat cars or associated marques.

3.2     Application for membership or membership renewal may be reviewed by the Committee at the next nearest committee meeting after the receipt of the application.  The Committee may decline any application without having to give a reason.  If an application is declined, then any subscription submitted with the application will be refunded in full.

3.3     Application for membership must be submitted on the Club's application form and accompanied by the appropriate subscription to the Membership Secretary.

4.      COMMITTEE

4.1     The management of the Club will be entrusted to a committee of up to 15 members of the Club.  The Club's Secretary must receive nominations of persons who wish to sit on the Committee at least one calendar month before the date of the Annual General Meeting to include seven Executive Officers plus eight committee members.  In the event of an equal number of votes for two or more members in a show of hands the Chairman shall choose the candidate(s) whom he feels is most suitable and his decision shall be final and binding on the meeting.

4.2     The members of the Committee elected in accordance with rule 4.1 shall have powers to pursue or undertake any matter which is genuinely believed to be for the benefit of the Club.

4.3     In order to be eligible for election to the Committee a member must:

4.3.1     be proposed and seconded by at least two members;

4.3.2     have been a member of the Club for at least one year or at the Committee's discretion;

4.3.3     not have been expelled from a similar club or organisation for dishonourable conduct or

otherwise have been found to have behaved in a fashion that may be likely to bring the Club into disrepute;

4.3.4   declare any interest in a car club that would or could lead to a conflict of interest with the interests of the Club.

4.4     The Committee must meet at least four times in each year and may meet at such other times as it determines.

4.5     At all meetings of the Committee one half of the total Committee shall be a quorum.

4.6     Failure to attend (unless previously agreed) two consecutive Committee meetings shall entitle the Committee to require the Committee member concerned to resign his/her position on the Committee.

4.7     Save for the positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, the Committee shall have absolute discretion to decide what executive posts are required, and who amongst them shall fulfil such positions.  The Committee may create subcommittees as it feels to he appropriate to benefit the purposes of the Club.

4.8     Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a simple majority of those present at a meeting where a decision falls to be made.  In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.  All members of the Committee present or not shall be bound by the decision and any member of the Committee not able to accept any decision as binding shall be required to resign his position and not to seek re-election.

In the event of any such member not voluntarily resigning, the other members of the Committee may terminate his/her membership of the Committee and may at their discretion consider expelling the member from the Club.  Similarly, should any irreconcilable differences occur between members of the Committee then those members concerned shall be required to resign their position and not seek re-election.

In the event of any such differences causing the discontinuance of the normal business of the meeting then the Chairman shall halt die meeting and reconvene only when the matter of resignations has been resolved.  In any period prior to the reconvening of the meeting the standing committee shall conduct the normal business of the Club.  In the event of there being insufficient remaining Committee members to form a quorum then the standing committee must advise the membership of the Club of the situation, seek nominations for Committee members and call a general meeting to elect a new Committee in accordance with the procedures laid down heretofore.

5.      CASUAL VACANCIES ON THE COMMITTEE

5.1    The Committee may at any time and from time to time fill any casual vacancies, subject to clauses 4.2 and 4.7.

5.2    Any member of the Committee so appointed holds office only until the next Annual General Meeting, but is then eligible for re-election.

5.3    The Committee may invite any person (whether a member of the Club or not) to attend a Committee meeting who they feel may bring advantages to the purposes of the Club, although such a person shall have no right to vote nor to count towards a quorum.

6.   STANDING COMMITTEE

6.1    The Committee shall appoint from its members a standing committee empowered to make decisions requiring immediate action where it is not practicable to wait for a Committee meeting to oversee the day to day running of the Club.

The standing committee is to have all the powers of the Committee and must report to the Committee at each committee meeting on its activities.

The standing committee shall include the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer together with at least three other Committee members preferably drawn from at least two regions.

6.2    The Committee shall at its discretion appoint regional organisers and model registrars.

6.3    Regional organisers shall be responsible for the day to day running of the Club's activities in their area subject to the approval of the Committee being sought for any activities involving the use of the name of the Club or its logos.  Area Organisers must keep the Committee informed of shows/events they are to organise/attend to ensure validation of Club insurance.

7.   MEMBERSHIP FEE

7.1    Every member must pay an annual subscription in each year as requested by the Club.

7.2    The subscription is deemed as a debt due to the Treasurer of the Club for the time being.

7.3    'Re Committee shall make recommendations on the appropriate subscription based on the running costs and liabilities of the Club to the Annual General Meeting, such recommendations to be the subject of an item in the agenda and notified to all members in advance of the meeting.

7.4    If any member fails to pay his/her subscription within 30 days after it becomes due and the Membership Secretary sends notice in writing to his/her address recorded in the Club records, calling on him/her to pay the subscription within seven days, and he/she has failed to comply, then the member shall be deemed to have resigned his/her membership and must thereafter re-apply for membership in accordance with clause 3.

8.   APPLICATION OF PROFIT

8.1       No money or property of the Club or any gain arising from the activities of the Club may be applied otherwise than for the benefit of the Club as a whole or for some charitable purpose chosen by a resolution of a general meeting.

8.2        Nothing herein shall prevent the reimbursement of properly incurred expenses (when supported by receipted invoices) incurred by anyone who has been duly authorised by the Treasurer to do so and such expenses are to be reported by the Treasurer to each Committee meeting.

8.3        Nothing herein shall prevent the Committee from employing (on such terms as the Committee may think fit) any person who it is felt will further or provide administration for the objects of the Club.

8.4        Nothing herein shall prevent the Committee from effecting such insurances as they feel to he appropriate for the provision of protection of the assets, members, officers or employees of the Club.

9.      ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

9.1     An Annual General Meeting of the Club must be called by the Club's Secretary with at least 2 calendar    months' notice and not more than 15 months must elapse between each Annual General Meeting.

9.2     At each Annual General Meeting:

9.2.1. Notification that the audited accounts are available will be published in the next Parliamo following their receipt by the Treasurer. Any member wishing to receive a copy prior to the AGM should notify the Treasurer.

9.2.2  the audited accounts for the previous year, ended on 31st December prior to the meeting must be presented and, if accepted, passed;

9.2.3  the Annual General Meeting shall appoint external auditors for the coming year;

9.2.4  the agenda of the Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to all members at least 28 days

before the date of the meeting;

9.2.5  the agenda shall consist of the matters referred to heretofore together with any other items proposed by the Committee or members;

9.2.6  proposals submitted by members must be in writing to the Secretary at least one month prior to the due date of the meeting and must be proposed and seconded. These two members must sign the proposal;

9.2.7  the Committee shall retain the right to reject proposals for inclusion in the agenda, which are of a frivolous nature, or to amalgamate similar proposals received from members;

in the event of rejection or amalgamation of proposals, the proposers will be advised in writing by the Committee of the action taken and the reason no later than the date of despatch of the agenda;

9.2.8  no matters will be discussed at an Annual General Meeting, nor decisions taken on any matter

which  is not on the agenda;

9.2.9  the final item on the agenda shall be the election of the Chairman and Executive Officers whose

appointment shall be effective from the time of the election and all documents such as minute books, cheque books, accounts, files etc. shall be handed over at the conclusion of the meeting.  It will however be the responsibility of the outgoing Secretary to prepare the minutes of the meeting.

9.3    All decisions to be made by the members shall be made on the basis of a simple majority of those members present at the meeting and those decisions shall be binding on all members of the Club.  However any resolution to dissolve the Club shall require at least a two-thirds majority of die whole membership of the club voting in person at the meeting called to consider such a resolution.  Should this not be possible then the existing Committee will caretake the running of the Club until a resolution is found.

9.4    A quorum at an Annual General Meeting shall consist of the Committee members and officers present at the meeting plus 25 other members.

9.5    Each member shall have one vote, which will be by a show of hands.

9.6    Only fully paid up members are allowed to attend and vote at AGMS.

10.    EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

10.1      An extraordinary general meeting may be convened at any time and may be called by the Committee or 25 members who are obliged to attend and bear the costs of calling the meeting.

10.2      An extraordinary general meeting must be convened within 90 days of the receipt of the last requisition.

10.3      A requisition must state the purpose for which such a meeting is required and must be submitted to the Secretary.

10.4      The procedures for an Annual General Meeting will apply to an extraordinary general meeting

save for the consideration of accounts and election of officers unless these are the subject of the requisition.

10.5      No matters will be discussed nor decisions taken other than that for which the extraordinary general meeting was requisitioned.

10.6      A quorum at any extraordinary general meeting shall consist of the Committee and officers present together with 25 other members.

10.7      Each member of the Club shall have one vote which shall be by a show of hands.

10.8      Only fully paid up members are allowed to attend and vote at EGMS.

 11.   CHAIRMAN

The Chairman of the Club shall preside at all meetings of the Club but if he/she is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting or has signified his/her inability to be present at the meeting the Vice Chairman will take charge of the meeting.

12.    EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

12.1    The Committee may expel any member who offends against the rules of the Club or whose conduct, in the opinion of the Committee, renders him/her unfit for membership of the Club.

12.2    Before any member is expelled the Secretary must give him/her at least 7 days' notice to attend a meeting with at least two members of the Committee and must inform him/her of the complaints made against him/her.

12.3   No member may be expelled unless:

12.3.1 he/she is first given the opportunity of appearing before the Committee members referred to in paragraph 11.2;

12.3.2   at least two thirds of the Committee are present to consider and vote on his/her expulsion;

12.3.3  the member against whom complaints have been made may attend the Committee meeting at which his/her expulsion is to be considered to explain his/her conduct should hashed wish, but may take no other part in the meeting, and must leave the meeting after giving his/her explanation even if otherwise qualified to attend the meeting.

13.        MODIFICATION OF CLUB RULES

No addition, subtraction or alteration of these rules may be made except by a resolution carried by at least two-thirds of the members present at a general meeting, notice of which contained details of the proposed alteration.

14.        HONORARY MEMBERS

14.1  The Committee may invite any person to become an honorary member of the Club provided that in their    view such a person will further or enhance the aims and purposes of the Club, or bring to it specialist skills helpful to the Club.

14.2      Members may send to the Secretary nominations for honorary membership for consideration by the Committee.  In such cases the Committee's decision is final and no reason for the decision need be given.

14.3      Honorary members do not pay a subscription and do not have a vote at meetings of the Club.

15.       THE CLUB NAME AND TRADE MARKS

Membership of the Club does not entitle anyone to use the Fiat Motor Club (GB) name or any of their trademarks or their logo for their own purposes.  Anyone found doing so or using the Club name without written authority from the Club as appropriate will be expelled from the Club.

16.       MONIES

16.1      All monies received by the Club should be banked in a timely fashion into the Club's bank account.

16.2      No bank, building society or other accounts are to be held in the Club's name without the express permission of the Club Treasurer and any such accounts must have at least 3 signatories of whom at least two must sign. The Club Treasurer must maintain an up-to-date list of all such authorised accounts as part of the Club's records and must ensure that full statements of all transactions on such accounts are obtained and that balances and transactions relevant to such accounts are included in the Club's annual accounts.  A member or officer of the Club found to be in breach of this rule shall be liable for instant expulsion and the Committee may at its discretion institute any legal proceedings it sees fit to recover misappropriated funds and/or information concerning unauthorised accounts or transactions.

16.3  No person may be a co-signee and in a relationship with another signee.  If a relationship is entered into after appointment, one of the signatories must stand down.

17.      TROPHIES

Trophies can only be awarded to members and remain the property of the Club and must be surrendered one month prior to representation or on the holder leaving the Club (whichever is the sooner).  In the event of a member winning any trophy on two consecutive occasions he/she shall be debarred from entering for one year.

18.      LIABILITY

The officers and Committee on behalf of the Club shall not be held responsible for any acts committed by any member, Committee member or those not officially designated to perform that act by the Club Committee.

19.    HEADINGS

The headings to these rules are for case of reference and are not to be taken into account in their interpretation.