Constitution

The Society shall be called Leicester Astronomical Society.

1) Objectives

  1. To encourage and inform persons interested in astronomy and related space subjects.
  2. To provide facilities for Members to further these interests.
  3. To keep abreast of current issues relating to astronomy and the Society’s activities.
  4. To encourage Members to assist others in the pursuance of the Society’s objectives.
  5. To maintain sufficient funds to ensure the ongoing financial stability of the Society.

These objectives are to be realised by:

  1. Providing a programme of lectures, visits and other activities as arranged from time to time by the Committee.
  2. The accumulation of astronomical instruments for use by the Society’s Members.
  3. The provision of a library of astronomical literature for use by Members of the Society, under the supervision of a duly appointed Librarian.
  4. The dissemination of advice and help in the construction or purchase and use of Members own instruments.
  5. Maintaining Members’ subscriptions and other charges at an adequate level.

2) Committee

The Society’s affairs shall be managed by a Committee comprising four Officers: President, Secretary, Treasurer and Librarian plus up to seven ordinary Committee Members, all of whom must be Members of the Society. The Committee shall also have the power to co-opt further Members to assist the Committee as the need arises.

Meetings of the Committee shall be held at the discretion of the President or in his/her absence, the Secretary.

Six Members of the Committee, including one Officer, are required to form a quorum.

All Members of the Committee shall hold office for a term of one year, with the exception of the Secretary who shall serve a three-year term of office.

The Committee shall have full authority over the Society’s affairs and finances. Voting amongst the Committee shall be by simple majority and in the event of a tie, the President shall have the casting vote.

The Committee shall be responsible to the Annual General Meeting at which, the elected Officers shall each submit a report to the Society’s Membership. The Treasurer’s Report shall include an audited statement of Income and Expenditure for the year in question, together with a Year-End Balance Sheet.

3) Election of the Committee and Voting at General Meetings

The election of Officers and Committee Members shall be held at the Annual General Meeting or at any other General Meeting convened for that purpose.

All Members of the Society shall have the right to nominate persons to serve on the Committee. Such nominations should be accompanied by the name of a seconder, and may be received at any time prior to the election.

All Members present at the General Meeting shall have the right to vote in the election and no
voting procedure shall be adopted which precludes this opportunity.

4) Membership

No qualification shall be required for Membership, but an application for Membership shall be deemed to be acceptance of the Society’s rules as determined by the Committee. A copy of the Society’s rules shall be made available to all prospective Members.

Any amendment of, or addition to, the Society’s Rules as decided upon by the Committee, must be notified to all current Members by an appropriate method.

Names and contact details shall be added to the Society’s Membership database. This shall only be used internally and shall not be disclosed to external bodies and shall be stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2018 (General Data Protection Regulation).

Membership of the Society shall entitle Members to receive due notice of all Society activities by appropriate methods and to attend all meetings, lectures and events of the Society.

Types of Membership:

  1. Ordinary.
  2. Student: persons aged 16 or under, or those over 16 providing proof of full-time education.
  3. Family: two or more people living at the same address.

Members aged 15 or under must be accompanied by a responsible adult, aged over 18, when attending Society meetings and events.

5) Refusal or termination of Membership

The Committee reserves the right to refuse Membership to any person or to terminate the Membership of an existing Member found to be in serious breach of the Society’s rules. Such action shall require the unanimous vote of at least a quorum of the Committee.

If any such breach concerns a member of the Committee, they shall not be permitted to vote on the matter.

No refund of subscription shall be payable to Members so excluded from the Society, or to a Member who resigns their Membership.

6) Subscriptions

Annual subscriptions shall fall due at the first meeting of each year.

New Members joining after the 1st August shall subscribe at the full applicable annual rate, but their subscription shall continue until the end of the following calendar year. This shall not apply to late renewals.

Members who have not renewed their Membership by the end of May shall be deemed lapsed Members and shall not be entitled to vote or to participate in the Society’s activities until their subscription is paid.

The amount of the annual subscription shall be recommended by the Committee and any proposed
alterations to the subscription rates shall be subject to the approval of the general Membership at
the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose.

7) Banking Arrangements

The Society’s funds shall be held in a Bank or Building Society Account in the name of Leicester Astronomical Society, and opened for the purpose. Payments from this account shall require authorisation by signatures from two of the following: the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer or an authorised Committee Member.

8) Meetings

Meetings of the Society shall normally be held twice per month, with the exception of July, when the Society shall be in recess, and December, when one meeting shall be held. Other meetings may also be arranged for specific purposes, as decided by the Committee.

At all meetings of the Society, the President shall preside. In the absence of the President, the Secretary shall preside, in the absence of both, a Committee Member shall preside. If this is not possible, the meeting shall be deferred or cancelled.

The Committee reserves the right to impose a charge for non-members attending Society meetings and events.

9) Observing Sessions and Public Outreach

These shall be arranged, as weather and location permits. Notice of cancellation of events shall be posted on social media and/or via a contact phone number.

10) Notice of General Meetings

Four weeks’ notice shall be given to all Members before the date of any General Meeting.

11) Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall take place in February of each year. At this meeting, the Officers whose positions are due for election and all ordinary Members of the Committee, shall resign after the Officers’ Annual Reports have been delivered. The Secretary shall preside over the election of the new Officers and Committee.

Voting shall be by a simple majority of Members present at the meeting. Tellers shall be chosen from those Members who are not standing for election.

The newly elected Committee Members shall assume their roles on completion of the election. In addition to the election of the Committee, an Auditor shall be appointed, who is not a Member of the Committee, to audit the accounts to be presented at the next Annual General Meeting. The appointment is to be approved by the attending Members in a simple vote.

12) Extraordinary General Meeting

An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called by either:

  1. The President.
  2. A quorum of the Committee.
  3. At least twenty paid-up Members, of the Society, or one third of the current paid-up Membership, whichever is the smaller.

13) Internet

The Society shall endeavour to maintain an online presence both with its own website and through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, in order to reach a wider audience than can attend meetings.

Details of forthcoming meetings, observing sessions and items of interest shall be published thereon. These facilities shall be administered by an individual appointed by and responsible to, the Committee.

14) Dissolution

Upon the Society being terminated or dissolved, the presiding Committee shall be empowered to donate any funds and other assets remaining after satisfactory settlement of its liabilities, to an organisation with the same or similar objectives to those of the Society.

15) Availability of Constitution

A copy of this constitution shall be made available to any Member upon request, and also in response to a request from any external organisation in connection with the pursuance of the Society’s objectives.

Rules of The Society

  1. Members shall be defined as those persons having a current paid Membership of the Society and those persons about to renew their Membership within the prescribed period.
  2. Members shall at all times, while attending Society meetings or events, or whilst representing the Society at an external meeting or event, conduct themselves in a manner that is not in any way detrimental to the Society.
  3. Members as well as guests, are required to ‘sign in’ to meetings in the attendance book provided for that purpose, and to ‘sign out’ or otherwise indicate their departure alongside their name.
  4. Those who have been a Society Member for less than three months are not permitted to borrow books or other publications from the Society library.
  5. Those who have been a Society Member for less than a year are not permitted to borrow equipment from the Society.
  6. Books, publications and equipment borrowed from the Society must be returned in the same condition as they were at the time of borrowing.
  7. The Committee reserves the right to refuse a request to borrow books, publications or equipment without explanation.
  8. The use of laser pointers at the Society’s observing sessions and outreach events, is not permitted.
  9. Members can use “Leicester Astronomical Society” as an affiliation, but this shall not imply endorsement by the Society. Any views expressed by Members of the Society shall not represent those of the Society.
  10. Any dispute as to the interpretation of these rules must be referred to the Committee, in writing, whose decision shall be final.

The Committee of Leicester Astronomical Society reserves the right to terminate the Membership of any person found to be in serious breach of the Society’s Rules.

25 January 2019