BRANCH RULES

The following shall be the Rules governing the Branches of the Association:

1.   Branch Officers

  • Each Branch shall elect the following officers for the ensuing year:-
  • A Ringing Master, whose duties shall be to take charge of the ringing at all Branch Meetings and, if the Branch Chairman is not present, to act as Chairman. He/she shall endeavour to further the art of change ringing and promote the interests of the Association within that Branch.
  • A Deputy Ringing Master, whose duties shall be to deputise within the Branch at the Ringing Master’s request and assist in the discharge of the Ringing Master’s duties.
  • A Secretary, whose duties shall be to make all necessary arrangements for Branch meetings and carry out all other Branch secretarial work keeping an up to date list of branch members.
  • A Treasurer whose duties shall be to collect the subscriptions of all members in the Branch, pay official expenses connected with Branch meetings, to ensure that the accounts are up to date and at the end of each year, to send the same, together with the balance of monies received, to the General Treasurer.
  • A Chairman, whose duties shall be to take the Chair at all business meetings of the Branch.
  • One Central Council Representative to be elected in accordance with Rule 16(ii) of the main Association Rules.
  • Up to four other members to serve on the Branch Committee.
  • A Training Officer, which post shall be optional and whose duties shall be to assist the Ringing Master in all matters relating to training.
  • Should any Branch Office fall vacant at any time the Branch Committee may appoint a Branch Member to fill the position until the next Branch business meeting.

2.   Transfer of Duties

Newly elected Officers and Committee Members of the Association and its Branches shall assume their duties at the end of the meeting at which they are elected. Retiring Secretaries and Treasurers shall be allowed one month in which to complete and hand over their books to their successors.

3.   Branch Committee

The affairs of each Branch shall be managed by a Branch Committee consisting of the Officers listed in Branch Rule 1. The Association’s Master and General Secretary shall be ex-officio members of such Committee. The Chairman of Branch Committee Meetings shall be the Branch Ringing Master.

The Branch Committee shall meet once a year within one month prior to the date of the Branch Annual Meeting and at other times as shall be deemed necessary.
Four Members (not including ex-officio members) present shall form a quorum.
All meetings of Branch Committees shall be open to members of the Association registered by name as Ringing Members within the Branch in question, subject as follows:

  1. A Ringing Member within the Branch shall give reasonable notice to the Branch Secretary of his or her intention to attend the next meeting of the Branch Committee as an observer and the Branch Secretary shall thereupon inform such Ringing Members of the date and time of the forthcoming Branch Committee meeting and reasonable accommodation for the attendance of observers at such meetings shall be provided.
  2. The Branch Committee shall have power to exclude observers during the discussion of a matter which in its view raises an issue of confidentiality.
  3. No member of the Association who attends a meeting of a Branch Committee as an observer shall address or take part in the business of the Branch Committee.

4.   Ringing Stewards

Branch Committees may nominate for election at a Branch Meeting such number of Ringing Stewards as the Branch Committee deems necessary, such Ringing Stewards to retire at the following Branch Annual Meeting. The duties of the Ringing Stewards will be to assist the Branch Ringing Master in the co-ordination of ringing and instruction in the Branch, and such Stewards shall be under the direction of the Branch Ringing Master.

5.   Branch Meetings

  • Three Business meetings of each Branch shall be held in the year, at which new members shall be elected in accordance with Association Rules and any other necessary Branch business transacted. The last meeting in each year shall be the Branch Annual Meeting at which the Officers of the Branch shall be elected. Practices may be arranged as desired.
  • Fifteen Ringing Members present shall form a quorum.
  • The Members who shall be entitled to speak and vote at Branch Meetings shall be those Ringing Members who are registered by name at any tower within the particular Branch or designated as “Unattached” within it. An Associate Member shall be entitled to speak, but not to vote, at any meeting of the Branch under which his/her membership is registered.

Association Officers shall also be allowed to speak at any Branch Meeting.

6.   Alteration of Rules

No alteration, deletion or addition to Branch Rules shall be made except at a General Meeting of the Association. No amendment to the Rules shall have the effect of causing the Belfry Repairs Fund to cease to be a Charity at Law.

Scroll to Top