The Manchester Anglers’ Association
Rules
Adopted on the 11th January 2020
1. – TITLE: This Association shall be called “THE MANCHESTER ANGLERS’ASSOCIATION”.
2. – OBJECTS: The objects of the Association are (a) to further such measures as may tend to promote the practice of angling and the breeding and preservation of fish;(b) the renting or acquisition of any water or waters which the Council may consider eligible for the purposes of the Association, and (c) to afford the Members opportunities of meeting together in a social manner for the exchange of ideas and experiences.
3. – COUNCIL: The business affairs of the Association shall be conducted by a Council, which shall consist(In addition to any Members ex-officio under Rule 4 hereof) of a President, an Honorary Treasurer, an Honorary Secretary, and not more than six Members, all of whom shall be elected(by ballot if the number of nominations exceed the number of vacancies) at the Annual General Meeting of the Association, and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, when they shall retire, but shall be eligible for re-election.
4. –VICE-PRESIDENTS: The Council shall elect out of their own number or otherwise, not more than two Vice-presidents, who shall be Members of the Council by virtue of their office.
Elections to the Office of Vice-President shall take place at the meeting of the Council next following the Annual General Meeting and Vice-President so elected shall hold office until the same meeting the following year, when he shall be eligible for re-election. No Vice-President shall hold such office for more than two years consecutively.
5. –NOMINATION OF OFFICERS AND COUNCIL: Every nomination of officers and Members of the Council for the next ensuing year shall be communicated to the Hon. Secretary prior to the commencement of the Annual General Meeting in each year, and no nomination shall be taken after such commencement. No person shall be eligible for election as an Officer or Member of the Council unless he has been so nominated or elected by the Council to fill a vacancy under rule 6 hereof.
6. –CASUAL VACANCIES: Any vacancy on the Council occurring either during the year, or by reason of insufficient nominations having been made, may be filled by the Council.
7. – COUNCIL MEETINGS: The Council shall meet at such times as the President and Honorary Secretary shall deem necessary, in pursuance of these rules or otherwise, to call them together. Any three members of the Council, if they so wish, may call a Council meeting by notice in writing to all Council members. Four members of the Council shall form a quorum.
8. –NOMINATION OF NEW MEMBERS: Any person wishing to apply for membership of the Association shall be proposed by one and seconded by another member of the Association to each of whom the person shall be personally known and each of whom must be a member of the Association of not less than three years standing. Any new member admitted by this process will spend a one-year probationary period before they are approved by the Committee as full members. Alternatively, an applicant may supply two written references from Officials of organizations to which the applicant belongs. Any new member admitted by this process will spend a two-year probationary period before they are approved by the Committee as full members. The Council shall have the right to elect or reject such persons. The number of members shall be limited at the discretion of the Council.
9. –ELECTION BY BALLOT: The Council shall by ballot taken, as they think fit, accept or reject a nomination or written application and two adverse votes shall constitute rejection.
10. – WHEN NAME ENTERED: Each new Member shall have his election notified to him or her by the Honorary Secretary and shall be required to remit to the Honorary Treasurer his or her entrance fee and the annual subscription payable by him or her. His or her name shall not be entered on the list of Members until the same shall have been paid.
11. -WHEN ELECTION VOID: If the entrance fee annual subscription so payable shall not be paid within one month from the date when election is notified to the candidate, the election shall become void.
12. -RESIGNATION OF MEMBERSHIP: Any member wishing to resign his membership must give notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary on or before 31st December.
13. -EXPULSION/SUSPENSION: the Council shall have the power to expel or suspend for such period as the Council shall decide any member for conduct which is, in the opinion of the Council, injurious or tends to be injurious to the interests of the Association, or its objects, or its Members or angling in general, or which contravenes these rules or any Regulations made by the Council. Before any penalty is imposed, disciplinary committee consisting of the President and any two members of the Council shall enquire into the Member’s conduct and the Member will be given a reasonable opportunity to defend and justify his or her conduct in writing or by appearing before the disciplinary committee. The disciplinary committee will, after considering the facts, decide any penalty to be applied. The decision will be based on a simple majority vote. All Members must abide by that decision and an expelled Member shall forfeit all rights and privileges of membership, but shall remain liable for any outstanding subscription or other debts due to the Association which became payable or were incurred before the date of the expulsion. The decision of the disciplinary committee shall be sent to the Member by the Honorary Secretary in writing within seven days of making the decision and the Member within twenty-eight days of the decision may appeal in writing to the full Council who will review the findings of the disciplinary committee and may reduce or increase the penalty imposed. The decision of the Council shall be final.
14. –HONORARY MEMBERS: Any person who may have rendered an essential service to the Association or to anglers in general, or to whom the Association may desire to pay a merited compliment, may be elected by the Council as a Life Member, or admitted to them as and continue to be an Honorary Member for such time and upon such terms and the Council may from time to time determine.
15. -LIMIT OF MEMBERS: The Council shall have power to limit the number of Members should they deem it necessary or advisable to do so, but shall give notice to members in case they resolve upon a limit.
16. – RENTING OR ACQUISITION OF WATERS: The Council shall have the power from time to time to make arrangements and negotiate for the renting or acquisition of any water which they consider eligible for the purposes of the Association.
17. -ENTRANCE FEE AND SUBSCRIPTION: The Entrance Fee and Annual Subscription of the Association shall be such as the Council may from time to time by regulation prescribe. Annual Subscriptions are due on 1st January each year. Junior members under 18 years of age shall only be charged half of the subscription rates and the Entrance Fee for Junior Members shall be waived until such time as they be transferred to senior membership,, when they shall become liable for the full Entrance Fee to the Association, but apart from fishing, Junior members shall not have the rights of or standing as Members.
18. -WHENEVER THE Association has more than one water under its control the following regulations shall be observed.
(a) The Council may from time to time limit the number of members for each water.
(b) Any member nominated for all the waters shall have priority over any Member nominated for a less number of waters.
(c) A Member subscribing for any water shall, if there be a vacancy, be entitled to join for any other water also upon notifying the Honorary Secretary and enclosing his or her subscription.
19. – NON FISHING MEMBERS: the council may from time to time elect such number of “non-fishing” Members (not exceeding ten at a time) as they shall think fit, at such Entrance Fee (if any) and subscription as they may by regulation from time to time prescribe, and such Membership shall confer full rights of Membership of the Association, with the exception of fishing in such rivers or waters as the Association may from time to time hold or rent.
20. –MEMBERS ELECTED AFTER AUGUST 30TH. Members (other than non-fishing Members) elected after August 30th shall pay on Election in respect of the current year, only one-half the annual subscription moneys payable for the year.
21. –UNPAID SUBSCRIPTIONS: (a) No member whose subscription moneys for the preceding year are unpaid at the date of the Annual General Meeting shall be entitled to participate in the proceedings of the Association or to vote at the Annual General Meeting. Any member whose subscription shall be in default on the date of the Annual General Meeting shall at the discretion of the Council forfeit his membership (b) All subscriptions shall be deemed a debt due to the Honorary Secretary for the time being, who may at the discretion of the Council sue for the same.
22. – RE-INSTATEMENT OF MEMBERS IN DEFAULT: The Council may in their discretion reinstate any Member whose membership has been forfeited under the provisions of Rule 21 hereof, upon any outstanding subscriptions being paid and a satisfactory explanation being made to them.
23. –REGULATIONS: The Council shall have power to make and from to time alter, such Regulations for the management of any fishery in the hands of the Association as they may think desirable. Such regulations shall appear on the Fishing Tickets.
24. – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held not later than 31st March in each calendar year.
25. – SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING: Special general Meeting shall be held at the discretion of the Council, or on the requisition of any six Members of the Association, any such requisition being in writing sent to the Honorary Secretary.
26. . – POLL: If not less than one-third of the Members present at any Annual or Special Meeting shall demand a poll upon any resolution submitted to the Meeting (other than a resolution for the election of an officer), then the Meeting shall be adjourned to a convenient time and place to be fixed by the President and Honorary Secretary shall post to the address of each Member within seven days after the date of such circular, to state in writing whether he is favour of or against such resolution. And at such adjourned meeting the votes for or against shell be counted up, and shall be of the same force and effect as if the members so voting had been present at the original meeting and had voted accordingly. The non-receipt by any member of such circular shall not invalidate the poll so taken as aforesaid.
27. -ALTERATION OF RULES: No new rule or alteration of these rules shall be made except at a Special General Meeting of the Association called by the Honorary Secretary for the purpose by not less than seven days’ Notice stating the general objectives thereof sent to each member.
28. -AUDITORS: Prior to each Annual General Meeting the accounts for the previous year shall be audited by an Auditor or Auditors, who shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting. The Accounts shall be submitted at each Annual General Meeting.
29. -The President, Honorary Secretary, and the Honorary Treasurer respectively, shall be ex-officio members of the council and any sub-committee.
30. - Every member shall receive a copy of these rules.
31. - These Rules and the fishing and other regulation made from time to time by the council under the authority of these rules shall be binding upon every member.
32. - Any matter not specifically or definitely provided for in the foregoing rules may be dealt with by the council, and their decision in the matter shall be final.
33. - PROPERTY: All the property and assets of the Association (other than banking accounts and cash which shall be under the control of Honorary Treasurer and the Council) shall be vested in not less than two nor more than four member of the Association as Trustees for the Association. The trustees shall be appointed by the Members of the Association at an Annual or a Special General meeting of the Association and shall hold office until resignation, death, bankruptcy, ceasing to be a member of the association or until he or she is removed from office by a resolution passed at an Annual or a Special General Meeting of the Association. The trustees shall deal with the property and assets of the Association towards carrying out the objects of the Association as directed by the council, of which an entry in the minute book of the Council shall be conclusive evidence.
The Trustees and any officer of the association and any member of the Council shall not incur any personal liability for any duties or actions properly carried out on behalf of the Association and shall be indemnified against any risk or expense out of the property and assets of the Association.
34. – DISSOLUTION: If at any meeting of the Association a resolution is passed calling for the dissolution of the Association, the Honorary Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting of the Association to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution. If at that Special General Meeting, the resolution for the dissolution of the Association is carried by at least two thirds of the members present at the meeting, the Council shall thereupon, or at such later date as shall have been specified in the resolution proceed to realise the assets of the Association and discharge all debts and liabilities of the Association. After the discharge of all liabilities any proceeds of the dissolution shall be paid to one or more recognised organisations or charities with similar objects to the Association or involved in the furtherance of angling generally selected and designated by the council of the association.
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