1.

NAME:- The name of the Association is the Yorkshire Beekeepers’ Association (Hereafter called the YBKA).

 

 

2.

OBJECTS:- To promote and further the craft of Beekeeping

 

 

3.

DISTRICTS:- A Federation of district Beekeeping Associations in “Yorkshire” (which term shall in this Constitution and Rules) mean the City of York and the counties of the North, East and West ridings of Yorkshire as legally constituted prior to coming into effect of the Teesside Order 1967.

 

 

4.

MEMBERSHIP: -A Member of the District Association shall be a Member of YBKA, but no person whose subscription to the District Association is unpaid for the preceding year shall be entitled to the privileges of Membership./ There shall be five kinds of Membership of the YBKA.

 

a)   Ordinary Members:- A Member of a District Association over eighteen of age and not an Honorary Member appointed by Conference shall be an Ordinary Member

 

b)   Honorary Members:- A Member of the YBKA who has performed distinguished or meritorious service of an outstanding nature in the furtherance of the objects of the YBKA and to the betterment of Beekeeping may be elected by the Conference to be an Honorary Member and shall be entitled to free life membership of YBKA.  Any recommendation shall be considered by the General Purposes Committee before submission to the Conference in any one year; except in very exceptional circumstances and with the full concurrence of the General Purposes Committee when two names may be submitted.

 

c)   Junior Members:- Beekeepers of the age of eighteen years or under may be Junior Members on payment of the Junior Capitation Fee.  This shall entitle them to all the privileges of membership.

 

d)   Associate Membership:- Open to any Ordinary Member of a District Association who desires to become a Member of the other Districts within the YBKA of which only one Capitation Fee is payable.

 

e)   Individual Membership:- Open to anyone on payment of the Individual Membership Capitation Fee.  Capitation fees for Individual membership shall be agreed annually at the AGM.

 

 

5.

CONFERENCE:- The GOVERNING BODY OF THE YBKA shall be vested in the Conference which shall meet at least twice per year and at other such times as the Chairman may direct, one of which shall be deemed to include the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

Conference will include:-

 

The President

All other elected Officers of the YBKA

One representative of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society

One representative of the National Farmers Union

Delegates Appointed be District Associations (who may vote)

Any person who is a member of a District Association (who may not vote other than at the Annual or Special General Meeting)

Honorary Members who have been elected by Conference

 

Ten shall for a quorum

 

 

 

 

 

6.

MANAGEMENT:- The Conference shall appoint annually the General Purposes Committee and any such ad hoc appointments as may be considered necessary and shall delegate such powers to them as it may think fit.  The Working Parties shall not take final action except where special authority has been given by Conference and approved.

 

THE GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE AND WORKING PARTIES APPOINTED ARE:

 

General Purposes Committee: - Shall act in all matters including finance and shall have as its main objects the supervision and welfare of the YBKA and the co-ordination of the work of the Working Parties of the Conference.  It shall be responsible for the agenda for the Conference Meetings, for arranging the time and place and fir sue notice to be given of all Conference and all YBKA meetings.  Care shall be taken that, as far as possible, all appointments adequately represent all areas covered by the YBKA.

The General Purposes Committee should consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, BBKA Delegate, YAS Representative, Editor of the Newsletter, Equipment Supplies Officer, Examinations Officer and the area Representatives for the said areas of Yorkshire deemed to include Cleveland, South, North, East and West Yorkshire and may in addition co-opt a maximum of six Members of Conference.

 

The Committee shall also:-

a)   Present a statement of accounts, duly audited, to the Annual General Meeting of the YBKA.

b)   Prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditure and present it to the Annual General Meeting. The treasurer shall collect all the money due to the YBKA and lodge it intact to the credit of the banking account specified by the Conference.  All payments shall be made by cheque or here practicable by credit transfer and duly signed by the Treasurer or in his absence by the Secretary.

 

c)   The Treasurer (or his deputy by the Conference for a specific purpose) only is authorised to receive money due to the YBKA and the official form of receipt bearing his signature (or his appointed deputy) only will be recognised.  Where a duly appointed deputy opens a special account for a specific purpose such accounts shall always be in the name of the YBKA and not to a private individual.

 

The following appointed working parties are:-

a)   Honey Show:- Shall have the duty of arranging honey shows and exhibitions.

 

b)   Conventions:- Shall have the duty of arranging day conventions, weekend schools and lecture tours.

 

c)   Education:- Shall have the duty of organising short Beekeeping courses and allied subjects.

 

d)   Research: Shall have the duty of advising the Membership on matters of research and items of special interest to Beekeeping. (Temporarily suspended)



e) Apiary and Great Yorkshire Show: Shall have the duty of maintaining the apiary site at the Great Yorkshire Showground providing demonstrations as prescribed by Conference

 

f) Handbook and Publications:- Shall have the duty of publishing a handbook at such times when finance permits as prescribed by Conference.

 

 

 

7.

MEETING OF THE GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE AND WORKING PARTY MEETINGS

 

The Chairman, Vice-chairman, General Secretary and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of every working party, and shall be given due notice of meetings.  Except in the case of the General Purposes Committee, the Chairman and Secretary of which shall be Chairman and Secretary for the time being of the Association; each Working Party shall elect its own Chairman, and may co-opt members of Conference, but such co-options shall not exceed fifty per cent, by number of the elected members and shall transact such business as may be required to it by Conference.

 

Except where special authority is given by the Conference a working party shall not take final action until a final report shall have been made to the Conference and approved.  Where such special authority is given a quorum shall be four.

 

A resolution in writing signed by all members for the time being (not absent abroad) of the General Purposes Committee of Conference shall be valid an effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Committee duly convened and held.

 

Meetings of Conference and the General Purposes Committee shall be convened by the General Secretary who shall cause proper minutes and reports to be taken of the proceedings.

 

 

 

8.

MEETINGS OF CONFERENCE:- At the meeting of Conference a simple majority of the members present shall be sufficient to carry or defeat a motion, except motions having relations to rules 6 and 15.  Any motion under rule 6 or 15 shall not be carried unless two thirds of the members present and voting shall vote in favour of the motion.

 

Any member may attend Conference, but only Honorary Members, Officers and Delegates who are present may vote.  Delegates appointed by their District Association on the basis of one vote for the first Ordinary Members or part thereof of that District with additional representation for every further twenty Ordinary Members.  However, any Member entitled to vote may have a free vote at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting.

 

Any person who is not a Member of the YBKA may attend any meeting of the Conference at the invitation of the Chairman.  Any such person may participate in the discussions of the business being transacted, but shall not vote thereon.

 

Any decision of the Conference properly arrived at under the Rules and Constitution of the YBKA shall be final and binding.

 

The conduct of meetings shall be by standing orders (WHICH DO NOT FORM PART OF THESE RULES AND CONSTITUTION).

 

Ten shall forma quorum.

 

 

 

9.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:- The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than the third Saturday in January in each year at such time and place as the Conference may appoint, to elect Patrons, The President, Vice-Presidents, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Examinations Officer, Environmental Officer, the Area Representatives for the District Associations, the Auditors for the ensuing year, the Honorary Legal Advisor, The National Farmers Union representative, Newsletter Editor, Equipment Supplies Officer together with any other officers deemed necessary.

 

A report of the year’s proceedings and a Statement of accounts duly certified by the Auditor for adoption or otherwise shall be presented to the meeting.

 

The Annual General Meeting may grant annually an Honorarium to any Officer of the YBKA.

 

a)      A Chairman who has been elected to that office in three successive years is therefore not eligible for re-election as Chairman until twelve months have elapsed but it is not inconsequence debarred from taking the chair at any meeting from which the President, Chairman or Vice-Chairman are absent.

b)      The Conference may elect a retiring Patron, President

 

 

 

 

10.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING:- A Special General Meeting may be called within six weeks of the receipt by the Secretary of a requisition signed by ten members of the YBKA, setting out motions to be proposed at the meeting.  The agenda of any Special General Meeting shall be announced at the time of giving notice of the meeting, and no propositions shall be considered at such a meeting except those detailed on the agenda.

 

 

 

11.

FINANCIAL YEAR:- The financial year of the YBKA and the District Associations shall end on the 30th September in each year.

 

 

 

12.

DISEASE:- Any member discovering or suspecting foul brood in their Apiary or any other Apiary shall forthwith inform the secretary of the District Association and the General secretary of the YKA and shall in any Apiary under their control, take and concur in the taking of all possible steps to eliminate the disease and minimise the risks of it s spread to others.  It is the duty of every member to acquaint themselves with the symptoms of all the manifestations, foul brood diseases; Varrossis and exotic pests, notifiable or otherwise.

 

 

 

13.

CAPITATION FEE:- Every District Association shall pay a Capitation Fee for each Ordinary member , Honorary Member and Junior Member at such uniform rates as may be fixed annually at the Annual General Meeting of the YBKA.

 

a)   The Capitation Fee for each Honorary Member of the YBKA appointed by Conference shall be paid from YBKA Association funds.

 

b)   The Capitation Fee for Country members shall be fixed at the Annual General Meeting of YBKA.

 

c)   A Capitation Fee shall be paid for each District Member; such sum is to be calculated on the number of subscriptions paid in each current year beginning 1st October not later than 30th November in that year.

 

d)   The Capitation Fee on the subscriptions then paid shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the YBKA and the balance of the Capitation Fee shall be forwarded by the 14th July of the following year.  The Capitation Fee paid and the said balance (if any) shall be shown as separate items in the accounts of each District.

 

 

 

14.

DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS:- Each District association shall elect its own Officers to administer its funds, and the District Secretary or Treasurer shall give a receipt for subscriptions paid.

a)   Each District Association may have its own Constitution and Rules but none shall contravene the Constitution and Rules of YBKA.

b)      Each District Association shall appoint one or more members to act as Visiting Advisers in that District.  The said District Association shall make its own Rules concerning remuneration and the conduct of visits.

c)      Each District association shall hold an Annual general Meeting prior to the Annual General meeting of the YBKA to elect its Officers and Representatives and transact its own business.

d)      The amount of the annual subscription payable by Members shall be decided by each District Association for its own area, payable in advance by 1st January.  A District Association may appoint subscribers as President or Vice-Presidents of their District at their discretion.  The Annual Capitation Fee at the normal rate shall be paid by the District Association in respect of each such Member.

e)      On a District association becoming defunct it shall be the duty of the District Secretary to send to the YBKA General Secretary all books, assets, papers and other documents for safe keeping. The balance of any bank account shall be handed to the YBKA Treasurer to be held in trust until such time as the District Association is revived or a similar Association is formed in the same area which is affiliated to YBKA.

 

 

 

15.

EXPULSION:- Conference shall have the power to expel from the YBKA any Member whose conduct they consider injurious to the welfare of the Association or its members.

 

 

 

16.

AFFILIATIONS:- Conference shall not affiliate with any other Organisation, except by the consent of the Annual General Meeting.  All such affiliations shall be reviewed at the Annual General meeting.

 

 

 

17.

INDEMNITY:-Those Members of the General Purposes Committee and Working Parties acting on behalf of the YBKA shall be indemnified against all action/s, proceedings, charges or losses and the like, whilst in the execution of their duties as may be practical to do so in Common Law.

 

 

 

18.

TRUSTEES:- The YBKA shall appoint five trustees, one or two whom shall be the Chairman or Secretary of the YBKA, to hold in trust any Assets, Equipment and the like of the Association, furthermore any monies shall be held in Trust by the YBKA Solicitor until such time as the YBKA is revised or a similar Association is formed.

 

 

 

19.

NEW DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS:- Any Member of YBKA may instigate the setting up of a New District Association.  The General Purposes Committee may grant sufficient funds to the new District Association as is deemed necessary.  Notwithstanding this, written application should be made to the general Secretary indicating the area the New District will serve, always provided that the New Districts presence does not conflict with a neighbouring Association of YBKA.

 

 

 

20.

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP:- A District Association may terminate its Membership of YBKA by giving twelve months notice in writing to the Annual General Meeting of the YBKA.

 

The notice shall commence following confirmation at the said Annual General Meeting.

 

The notice of termination may only be agreed upon provided that one third of the Members of the District Association present and voting at the meeting where the resolution is agreed upon.

 

A quorum for such a meeting shall be a minimum of one third of the District Associations paid up Membership.

 

The YBKA General Secretary or the appointed deputy will be invited to attend and be permitted to take part in the procedures of the meeting and fourteen days notice of the meeting will be given where such a resolution is to be debated.

 

 

 

21.

ALTERATIONS:- An alteration or amendment to this Constitution and Rules shall only be made at the Annual General Meeting.

 

 

Last Revised 8th November 2003

 

Prepared in this version

21st January 2007