RCTA Constitution

RCTA Constitution

1. Name

The name of the group shall be The Roving Canal Traders Association or RCTA.

2. Aims

The aims of the Roving Canal Traders Association will be:

• to be a collective voice for all registered Roving Canal Traders
• to provide advice to current and newly registered roving canal traders, as well as those interested in becoming registered Roving Canal Traders
• to support the Canal & River Trust to improve accessibility for registered Roving Canal Traders
• to hold waterside events that provide opportunities for registered Roving Canal Traders
• to promote trading activities
• to aim to increase membership levels on an ongoing basis.

3. Membership

There are three categories of membership:

• Associate membership.
• Full membership.
• Honorary membership.

3.1. Associate membership is available to those who:

• are over the age of 18
• are in the process of applying for a Roving Canal Trader Licence with CRT
• at the discretion of the committee, are invited to help the association by providing support, skills, knowledge and experience
• are past members who wish to maintain contact and support the association

Associate membership is free and is renewed annually.

An application for associate membership and renewal is approved at the discretion of the committee. An associate member cannot be co-opted onto the committee or undertake another role as specified in the constitution.

Associate members cannot:

• vote at general meetings
• have access to Full Member benefits.

3.2. Full membership is available for up to two people, aged over 18, per boat registered with CRT as holding a current Roving Canal Trader Licence, of whom one must be a licence holder.

Full membership begins on successful completion of the application process, payment of the membership fee and receipt by RCTA of any required documents.

Membership can be renewed annually on the anniversary date of joining on receipt of a current CRT Roving Canal Trader Licence and other required documentation.

• A Full Membership will have one vote per registered boat/business at an AGM/SGM.
• Full membership must be held for 3 months before being able to vote at AGMs or SGMs.
• Both people will have full access to other member benefits.

There will be an annual membership fee which will be agreed for the following year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and will be payable by all Full Members.

3.3. Honorary membership is awarded at the discretion of the committee to acknowledge a special benefit or service provided by an individual. Honorary membership is free and renewed annually at the discretion of the
committee.

An honorary member can:

• hold a committee position
• be a trustee
• vote at a general meeting
• have access to full member benefits.

A list of all members will be kept by the membership secretary.

3.4 Ceasing to be a member – Voluntarily.

Members may resign at any time, in writing, to the membership secretary. Any member who has not paid their membership fee for one month will be contacted by the committee, who will then decide whether that member is deemed to have resigned.

3.5 Ceasing to be a member – Non voluntarily.

Any personally directed offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, either verbally or written, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in this way, or breaking the RCTA Code of Conduct, will be sent a copy of RCTA’s Zero Tolerance document, may be asked not to attend further meetings, or to resign from the group, if an apology is not given, or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Trustees, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

Physical assaults shall be reported to the police, and the offender immediately suspended from the RCTA, until both police and committee investigations are complete.

4. Equal Opportunities

The Roving Canal Traders Association will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.

5. Trustees and Committee

The business of the group will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than four times a year.

The Committee will consist of 9 members, and be composed of 3 Trustees and 6 Statutory Committee Members. Up to 9 additional members may be co-opted onto the committee at the discretion of the committee.

Committee Members may take on multiple roles. Trustees may also take on multiple roles, but only one Trustee position.

The Chair, Secretary and Treasurer hold office for one year, and are then eligible for re-election. Statutory Committee Members hold office for two years and are then eligible for re-election.

The roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and Statutory Committee Members are fixed, unless changes have been approved by an AGM or SGM. Other committee roles or titles may be changed and updated from time to time to meet the requirements of the Association. Details of committee roles are given in appendix 1.

In the event of a Trustee standing down during the year, a replacement will be elected by a Special General Meeting of members.

In the event of a committee member who is not a Trustee standing down during the year, the committee may appoint a replacement.

Any committee member not attending a meeting without an apology for three months will be contacted by the committee, and asked if they wish to resign.

The committee meetings will be open to any member of Roving Canal Traders Association wishing to attend, who may speak but not vote.

6. Meetings

6.1 Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held annually, but no later than fifteen months from the previous AGM.

Meetings may be held at both physical and virtual locations at the discretion of the committee.

All members will be notified by email at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda.

Members who send their apologies a minimum of one week prior to the meeting shall be allowed to vote on any expected issues in the agenda. Nominations for the Committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting as per the agenda for that meeting.

The minimum attendance for a physical AGM will be 15% of the membership, or 15 members, whichever is the greater number. Should too few people attend, then a general vote shall not take place and the committee shall continue to carry out the business of the group.

For a virtual/online AGM the assumption is that all members eligible to vote will be receiving the same information therefore are potentially participating.

6.2 At the AGM

The Committee will present a report from various volunteers of the work done for/by Roving Canal Traders Association over the year. The Committee will present the accounts of Roving Canal Traders Association for the previous year.

The Trustees and Committee members due for election will be elected. Any proposals given to the Secretary at least seven days in advance of the meeting will be discussed, provided they have been notified to all members in the remaining week prior to the meeting. Any new proposals arising during the AGM, and which have not been circulated to all the membership, will be considered at a subsequent SGM or AGM.

6.3 Special General Meetings

The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee, or at least twelve other members, giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request. The meeting will take place within 21 days of the request.

All members will be given two weeks notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone or email. Meetings may be held at both physical and virtual locations at the discretion of the Committee.

Any proposals given to the Secretary at least seven days in advance of the meeting will be discussed provided they have been notified to all members in the remaining week prior to the meeting. Any new proposals arising during the SGM, and which have not been circulated to the membership, will be considered at a subsequent SGM or AGM.

Members who send their apologies a minimum of one week prior to the meeting shall be allowed to vote on any expected issues in the agenda. The voting window will be notified in the agenda sent out for that meeting, depending on physical or virtual location.

The minimum attendance for the Special General Meeting will be 15% of the membership, or 15 members, whichever is the greater number.

6.4 Rules of Procedure for meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly, and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached, the subject may be carried forward to the next AGM/SGM, or a vote will be taken, then a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the numbers of votes cast on each side are equal, the Chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

7. Finances

An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Two signatories, who should be responsible for any bank accounts and any banking system deemed necessary, will be nominated by the Committee, one to be the Treasurer, the other a Trustee. The signatories must not be related, nor members of the same household.

Records of income and expenditure will be the responsibility of the Treasurer, and an annual financial statement given at every AGM.

Any pre-agreed reasonable expenses shall be reimbursed.

Travel to Annual General Meetings, or Special General Meetings, are excluded from reimbursement in all circumstances.

All money raised by, or on behalf of, the Roving Canal Traders Association, is only to be used to further the aims of the Association, and other canal based charitable organisations, wherever possible, as specified in section 2 of this constitution.

Income from Membership and Markets shall always be kept separate. Any large expenditure, or charity donations over £1,000, must be agreed by the committee & the members.

A monthly summary of income & expenditure should be offered to the trustees, steering committee & members.

8. Amendments to the Constitution

Any amendments to all or part the Constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting, or a Special General Meeting.

Any proposal to amend all or part of the Constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing.

The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

Any proposal to amend the Constitution will require a two-thirds majority of of votes submitted.

9. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close the Association, it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the Association.

If it is agreed to dissolve the Association, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a similar charitable organisation.

This organisation is to be chosen at the meeting which agrees the dissolution, and must be within the ethos of RCTA.

 

The voted amendments to parts of the Constitution have been accepted at the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Roving Canal Traders Association on:

Date: 04/07/2024

Name and position in group:
Signed: Chair Lorraine Parker,

Name and position in group:
Signed: Secretary. Sue Meades

 

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Appendix 1

Details for committee roles can be found here.

Appendix 2

Additional details for Treasurer and Trustee roles can be found here.