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Eastcote

Eastcote Branch Bye-Laws

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION EASTCOTE BRANCH BYE-LAWS

1.1      The following Branch Bye-Laws are supplementary to The 2003 Royal Charter of Incorporation and Schedules of The Royal British Legion hereafter known as “The Royal Charter” and procedures as laid down in The Royal British Legion Membership Management Handbook. They shall be binding on the Officers and members of the Eastcote Branch of The Royal British Legion.

 

1.2      All proposed alterations and amendments to these Bye-Laws shall, after being passed by a two-thirds majority of those members present, qualified to vote and voting on the appropriate motion at the Annual General Meeting of the Branch, be submitted to the Greater London District Committee, or their successors, for approval and shall not come into force until they have received their approval.

 

TITLE

2.1      The Royal British Legion Eastcote Branch hereafter known in these Bye-Laws as “The Branch” in the Greater London District of The Royal British Legion. Branch Number BR 0915.

 

LOCATION

3.1      Branch meetings are held at Eastcote Royal British Legion Branch Headquarters, Southbourne Gardens, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 9SQ.

 

3.2      Branch meetings are held quarterly on the dates published on the branch meeting dates page, 8.15 pm start.

 

BRANCH STRUCTURE

 

4.1      The Officers of the Branch shall be the President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman (optional), Secretary and Treasurer. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary shall be elected at the Branch Annual General Meeting together with a Branch Committee of not less than three and no more than seven members.

 

4.2      The Branch Committee must appoint a Branch Community Support Committee or Branch Community Support Representative and a Treasurer at its first meeting following the Branch Annual General Meeting.

 

4.3      Additional Committee members e.g. Branch Standard Bearer, Social Secretary can be appointed as Branch activities require. A Poppy Appeal Organiser and Deputy Poppy Appeal Organiser(s) can also be nominated by the Branch for registration with The Poppy Appeal. The Poppy Appeal reserves the right not to accept the Branch nomination(s) for Poppy Appeal Organiser and/or Deputy Poppy Appeal Organiser(s) if circumstances warrant this. Such appointees have no Committee voting rights unless they have separately been elected as members of the Committee.

 

4.4      The Branch Committee may appoint a President to serve for as many years, in three year terms, as decided by the Branch Committee. The Branch President is an Officer of the Branch and is entitled to speak, but not propose, second or vote, at meetings of the Branch Committee.

 

4.5      The Branch Committee may appoint Branch member(s) as Honorary Vice-President(s) for Branch members who has/have previously given distinguished and conspicuous service to the Branch. A Branch Vice-President is entitled to speak, but not propose, second or vote, at any meetings of the Branch.

 

4.6      No member of the Branch Committee shall be elected or appointed to more than one Office or position on the Branch Committee, but this shall not exclude an Officer or member from undertaking one additional specialist function on behalf of the Branch Committee.

 

BRANCH COMMITTEE

 

5.1      The government and management of the Branch is entrusted to the Branch Officers and the Branch Committee of whom four shall form a quorum. They shall exercise a controlling oversight over the affairs of the Branch in accordance with the objects of The Royal British Legion and carry out any directives given by the Board of Trustees or the Greater London District Committee. The Branch Committee will meet at least quarterly, but preferably monthly, if it is to properly fulfil its obligations.

               

5.2      The duty of the Branch Committee is to actively promote the objects of The Royal British Legion within its geographical area as prescribed in The Royal Charter and such other duties that are listed in the Royal British Legion Membership Management Handbook.

 

5.3      The Branch Committee is elected at the Branch Annual General Meeting by

those members eligible to vote, for a period of one, two or three years, in

accordance with these Bye-Laws, and to take office from the close of the appropriate

Annual General Meeting.

 

5.4      Close family members (i.e. spouses, partners, children, parents and siblings as

well as spouses and partners of siblings) must not hold positions in which they

approve each other’s expenses or oversee and check the work of another. This

includes election/co-option of spouses in the roles of Chairman, Vice-Chairman,

Treasurer and Secretary.

 

5.5      Branch members are not allowed to hold office or be elected if:

 

  • they have an unspent conviction for an offence involving dishonesty deception.
  • they have been disqualified as a company director under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
  • are an undischarged bankrupt.
  • they have been removed from trusteeship of a charity by a court of law or by the Charity Commission.

 

5.6      The Annual General Meeting of the Branch shall be held as soon as possible, and within two months, after the close of The Royal British Legion's Corporate Financial Year ending 30th September, for the purpose of:

 

  • receiving Reports of Branch activities during the past year.
  • receiving the audited and previously (at the September Branch meeting) members approved Branch Financial Accounts for the Field Financial Year ending 30th June.
  • electing the Chairman, Vice-Chairman (optional), Secretary and Treasurer.
  • electing the Branch Committee for the ensuing year.
  • appointing the Branch Standard Bearer and possibly a Deputy.
  • appointing Delegate(s) to represent the Branch at the Annual General Meeting of the Greater London District Conference and The Royal British Legion National Annual Conference.
  • deciding upon any proposal or relevant matter, and transacting any other competent business, which has been duly submitted to the Meeting.

 

5.7      Every Branch must appoint Branch Community Support Committee or Branch Community Support Representative at its first meeting following the Branch Annual General Meeting.

 

5.8      Each Branch Community Support Committee or Branch Community Representative must submit a report on its actions to the Branch Committee for confirmation, or otherwise, bearing in mind the beneficiaries' confidentiality rights as per current General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). All welfare expenditure at Branch level should be under the authority of the Branch Officers as signatories.

 

5.9      The Branch can decide to set a joining fee and/or an annual subscription fee, both of which must be decided by the members present at the Branch Annual General Meeting. Each of these fees must not be less £1.

 

5.10   The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Branch and Branch Committee at which he/she is present, and he/she shall be the sole interpreter of The Royal Charter and of these Bye-Laws. In his/her absence the Vice-Chairman, if one elected, will preside. In the absence of both Officers the meeting shall elect a Chairman from the members present for that meeting. Exceptionally the Branch President may preside at the Branch Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting if a situation so warrants.

 

5.11   The Chairman, or other Member in the Chair, shall be entitled to vote on any question, and in the event of an equal number of votes being cast on any matter, the motion shall be 'not carried'. In the event of a tied vote for an election to Office, the members will be invited to vote again by secret ballot, and if this procedure still produces a tie, the matter shall be decided by lot. There shall not be a "casting vote" from the Chair.

 

5.12   No Branch Officer shall be in arrears with his/her subscription, except on pain of forfeiture of the Office held.

 

5.13   The Branch Chairman has the right to ask a Branch Committee member to relinquish his/her office if there is an evident conflict with The Royal British Legion’s mission, values and objects, or where there is failure to accept a majority decision of the Branch Committee.

 

5.14   The Branch may, at a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose, by resolution of the Branch Committee, or at the request of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Branch, remove from Office any of its Officers, or Committee member(s), and may elect another Branch member in place of any Branch Officer or Committee member so removed, or who has resigned, or ceased to be a member of the Branch.

 

5.15   If a Branch Officer misses three meetings, without presenting extenuating circumstances, he/she may be asked to step down.

 

5.16   In the event of a vacancy arising on the Branch Committee the same shall be filled for the remaining period of the year by appointment of the Branch Committee which will be subject to notification at the next Branch General Meeting.

 

MEMBERS

 

6.1      Membership, and the administration thereof, of the Branch is as per Rules 1 to 4 of The Royal Charter.

 

6.2      A member may at any time resign from the Branch upon giving the Branch Secretary notice in writing of his/her wish. At the same time the member shall return to the Branch Membership Secretary their Membership Card and Legion Badge (if applicable). Resignation must not be accepted if the member concerned is the subject of an investigation at whatever level within The Royal British Legion.

 

6.3      A former member of the Branch may not claim back the subscriptions or other money he/she has paid to the Legion except as a loan.

 

6.4      A member wishing to transfer Membership to another Legion Branch for whatever reason. must advise the Branch Membership Secretary of the Branch willing to accept the transfer immediately in order that the prescribed administrative action is taken.

 

6.5      A member must, on changing their place of residence, inform The Royal British Legion Membership Services Department of their change of postal address via the Membership Self Service portal or telephone Call Centre.

 

DATA PROTECTION

7.1      The Royal British Legion needs to collect and use certain types of information about the people with whom it deals in order to operate. These include current, past and prospective members, beneficiaries, Royal British Legion employees, volunteers, supporters and others with whom The Royal British Legion conducts its charitable business. We have a legal duty under the General Data Protection Regulations falling into the wrong hands.

 

7.2      The Eastcote Branch of The Royal British Legion will ensure that we treat members personal information lawfully and correctly through appropriate management and application of the policies and procedures as laid down in The Royal Charter and The Royal British Legion Membership Management Handbook. To this end, the Eastcote Branch fully endorses and adheres to the Data Protection Principles, as set out in current General Data Protection Regulations.

 

7.3      In accordance with the current General Data Protection Regulations, Eastcote Branch Officers are responsible for the security and confidentiality of any membership data received from The Royal British Legion Head Office, the Greater London District Committee or from an individual member.

 

LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY

 

8.1      The Branch Committee shall have no power, express or implied, to pledge the credit of The Royal British Legion, nor to incur any financial liability whatsoever in the name of, or on behalf of, The Royal British Legion or any Officer of The Royal British Legion, without the specific or delegated authority of the Board of Trustees.

 

LETTER HEADING

 

9.1      All correspondence shall bear Eastcote Branch's title and address, The Royal British Legion's Registered Charity Number 219279, together with the Branch's Royal British Legion computerised serial number BR 0915 in clear legible characters. The signatories of all correspondence shall clearly designate their appointment in legible and prominent characters. The Royal British Legion's Registered Charity Number must be printed on all cheques. No one is authorised to use The Royal British Legion headed paper in a manner which may be mis-leading or may give the recipient the impression that they have a Contract with the corporate body of The Royal British Legion.

 

FUND RAISING

 

10.1   The Branch and members are prohibited from raising funds in the name of The Royal British Legion for purposes other than those defined in the objects in Article 3 of The Royal Charter or from using The Royal British Legion titled headed notepaper or accommodation for such a purpose. Any funds raised contrary to this Rule and credited to any Legion Account shall only be used in accordance with Article 3 of The Royal Charter.

 

10.2   Any funds raised by the Branch during the period 14th October to 14th November ("Closed Period") must be credited to The Poppy Appeal. All monies received or raised for the Branch General Fund shall be disbursed and/or invested strictly in accordance with instructions from the Board of Trustees.

 

PROPERTY & TRUSTEESHIP

 

11.1   No loan or grants for the purchase or improvement of property are available from The Royal British Legion Head Office. However, they can assist by acting (in the name of the Board of Trustees) as Custodian Trustees, which is continuing Trusteeship, or by providing free legal advice and paying The Royal British Legion’s solicitors costs (but not VAT and individual expenses), for the first vesting of property in The Royal British Legion Trustees for the Branch.

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

12.1   Upon the dissolution of the Branch, and its removal from The Royal British Legion’s Register of Branches, any Branch assets shall be rendered up to The Royal British Legion Head Office for those assets to be used for the purpose of The Royal British Legion generally.

 

12.2   All matters not mentioned herein shall be settled by reference to The Royal Charter. In any question of interpretation, the matter should be referred to the Director General through the Secretary to the Membership Council, as should any question to which these Bye-Laws do not apply.