Standing Orders

1. QUORUM

1. All meetings shall begin at the time stated on the notice summoning the meeting, subject to a quorum being present.
2. A Quorum for any General Meeting shall consist of 10 members
3. A Quorum for a Committee Meeting shall be a majority of its voting members.
4. If within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for a meeting to commence, a Quorum is not present, the meeting shall be dissolved and those members incurring travelling expenses may be reimbursed from Branch Funds.
5. If during the course of the meeting, the number of members present does not constitute a Quorum, the meeting shall be dissolved forthwith.

2. ORDER OF BUSINESS.

1. An agenda shall be prepared by the appropriate Secretary (or Deputy) in conjunction with the Chairperson, to be published on the notice summoning the meeting.
2. Any member desiring to introduce any item under ‘Any Other Business’ (AOB) for consideration of the meeting should normally notify such business to the Chairperson at the commencement of the meeting. The Chairperson shall exercise discretion in admitting it to the agenda or confine the member to giving notice of motion to be brought to the next appropriate meeting. A motion shall not be placed before the meeting on an item raised under AOB except where the issue has arisen after the agenda has been published and which is genuinely urgent. Advertised business shall in any case take preference over AOB.
3. The duration of all meetings shall not be longer than two hours.
4. If Standing Orders are suspended to increase the length of time that a meeting can be held, then only thirty (30) minutes extra will be allowed.

3. MINUTES

The minutes of the previous Meeting shall be circulated, and no motion or discussion shall be allowed on the Minutes except in regard to their accuracy, whereupon they shall be adopted and signed by the Chairperson. Reports may be given and the meeting shall then be at liberty to ask questions with regards to Matters Arising Not Covered by the Agenda.

4. RULES OF DEBATE/SELECTION OF SPEAKERS

When more than one member wishes to speak, the order of precedence shall rest with the Chairperson. Members, if appropriate, should clearly identify themselves before commencing to speak. All speeches must be made “Through the Chairperson”. The speaker must confine the contribution to the subject under discussion.

5. PROPOSITIONS AND AMENDMENTS

Every proposition or amendment must be moved and seconded by Members actually present at the meeting. Only one amendment may be introduced at a time. If no amendment(s) succeed, the meeting returns to the original motion.

6. CHAIRPERSON’S RULING

The ruling of the Chairperson on any question under the Standing Orders or on points of order or explanation shall be final, unless challenged by at least four members, and unless two thirds of the members present vote against such ruling.

7. VOTING

1. Voting at all meetings shall be by a show of hands, except where a ballot of the meeting is demanded before the question is put.
2. The eligibility of a member to vote at a Meeting shall be decided by the register held by the branch
3. The Chairperson shall not vote on any matter except where there is an equal number of votes cast on each side, when the Chairperson will then have the right to exercise a casting vote.
4. If it is obvious that a number of members have abstained, the Chairperson may ask for these to be recorded.

8. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS

Any of the foregoing Standing Orders may be suspended on a vote of two thirds of Members present.

March 2019