ONE

NAME

The Name of the Association shall be the GATESIDE and DISTRICT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (hereinafter called “the Association”).

TWO

OBJECTS

(a). The Association shall promote the well-being of the community resident within the parish of Edenshead in the County of Fife, West of a line Leden Urquhart - Wellfield - Corston Mill (all Inclusive) - Drumdreel (exclusive), (hereinafter called “the neighbourhood”) without distinction of sex or political, religious or other opinions.

The objects of the Association shall be:-

• The advancement of education;

• The advancement of citizenship or community development;

• The advancement of there arts, heritage, culture or science;

• The advancement of public participation in sport;

• The provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended.

The Association’s specific purposes shall be: -

• To manage, maintain and improve the Gateside Memorial Hall, which shall be available for use by all members of the community.

• To manage the Hall for the use of all residents of Gateside and environs, including use for meetings, events, lectures and classes, voluntary associations, and for other forms of education, training, recreation and leisure time activity, with the object of improving conditions of life for the community.

• To organise and promote and other community-based activity which the members shall consider to improve the conditions of life for the community and/or promote community participation.

(b). To maintain and manage the War Memorial Hall (previously owned by the Gateside War Memorial Society) as a Community Centre, and to co-operate with the Local Statutory Authority in the maintenance and management of the Centre, for activities in furtherance of the above objects or any of them.

The Association shall be non-party in politics and non-sectarian in religion.

THREE

MEMBERSHIP

The Name of the Association shall be the GATESIDE and DISTRICT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (hereinafter called “the Association”).

FOUR

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

Individual membership shall be open, irrespective of political party, nationality, religious opinion, race or colour to:-

• All persons aged eighteen and over living in the neighbourhood who shall be called Full Members.

• All persons under the age of eighteen living in the neighbourhood who shall be called Junior Members.

Junior Members shall not have the right to vote at members meetings but may elect from among themselves two representatives to the Committee (to be constituted as provided by Clause Eight hereof) who shall each have full voting rights.

• Well-wishers anywhere who shall be called Associate Members. Associate Members shall have no voting rights.

The manner in which Associate and Junior members elect their representative shall be determined by the Committee from time to time.

FIVE

GROUP MEMBERS

Individual membership shall be open, irrespective of political party, nationality, religious opinion, race or colour to:-

• All persons aged eighteen and over living in the neighbourhood who shall be called Full Members.

• All persons under the age of eighteen living in the neighbourhood who shall be called Junior Members.

Junior Members shall not have the right to vote at members meetings but may elect from among themselves two representatives to the Committee (to be constituted as provided by Clause Eight hereof) who shall each have full voting rights.

• Well-wishers anywhere who shall be called Associate Members. Associate Members shall have no voting rights.

The manner in which Associate and Junior members elect their representative shall be determined by the Committee from time to time.

SIX

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

The Committee shall have the right for good and efficient reason to terminate the membership of an individual member or of a Constituent body or Section provided that the individual member or person representing the body or Section shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a decision is made.

SEVEN

SUBSCRIPTIONS

All members and Constituent bodies shall pay such subscriptions as the Committee may from time to time determine.

EIGHT

THE COMMITTEE

Subject to the limitations set out in Clause Two hereof, this policy and general management of the affairs of the Association shall be directed by a committee (herein referred to as “the Committee”) which shall meet not less than three times a year.

The Committee shall consist of the Honorary President and other Officers to be appointed in terms of Clause Nine hereof.

NINE

OFFICE BEARERS

(a) The Annual General Meeting shall elect a Committee consisting of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Hall Convenor (who shall act also as Secretary/Treasurer for the day – to – day running of the Community Centre), four individual members from the village of Gateside, and four individual members from the neighbourhood resident outwith the Village of Gateside, and those appointed to the Committee in terms of Clause FIVE hereof.

(b) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt up to three individual members who shall hold office from the date of their appointment to the date of the next following Annual General Meeting.

(c) Seven members of the Committee shall be a quorum.

(d) The Committee shall have power to appoint Sub-Committees to deal with any particular.

The President shall ex officio be a member of Sub-Committees.

TEN

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The accounts will be closed on 31 December and an AGM held within 3 months. The Committee shall convene and Annual General Meeting of the Association, which all individual members of the Constituent bodies and Sections shall be entitled to attend, for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report of the Committee and the annual audited statement of accounts; of appointing Honorary Officers of the Association; of accepting resignations of members of the Committee; of appointing an auditor, or auditors; of making recommendations to the Committee and, whenever necessary, of voting on proposals to amend this Constitution in acceptance with Clause Seventeen hereof. At least seven days notice of the Annual General Meeting will be given.

ELEVEN

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

The Chairman of the Committee or Secretary may at any time at his discretion call a Special General Meeting of the Association. The Secretary within twenty one days of receiving a written request so to do signed by not less than fifteen members having the power to vote and giving reasons for the request, shall call a Special General Meeting of the Association for the purpose of altering the Constitution in accordance with Clause Seventeen hereof or of considering any matter which may be referred to them by the Committee or for any other purpose.

TWELVE

RULES OF PROCEEDINGS AT ALL MEETINGS

(a) VOTING.  Subject to the provisions of Clause Seventeen, all questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of those present and entitled to vote thereat. No member shall exercise more than one vote notwithstanding that he may have been appointed to represent two or more interests but in the case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

(b) QUORUM.  Seven members shall form a quorum at meetings of the Committee, and all Sub-Committees.  Fifteen members shall form a quorum at General Meetings of the Association.

(c) MINUTES.  Minute books shall be kept by the Association, the Committee, and all Sub-Committees and the appropriate Secretary shall enter therein a record of all proceedings and resolutions.

THIRTEEN

STANDING ORDERS AND RULES FOR THE USE OF THE CENTRE

The Committee shall have power to adopt and issue Standing Orders and/or Rules for the use of the Centre.  Such Standing Orders and Rules shall come into operation immediately, provided always that they shall be subject to review by the Committee and shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution.

FOURTEEN

FINANCE

(a) All monies raised by or on behalf of the Association shall be applied to further the objects of the Association and for no other purpose.

(b) The Honorary-Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Association.

(c) The Accounts shall be validatedat least once a year by qualified independent person who will scrutinise the accounts, and who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

(d) An audited statement of accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Committee to the Annual General Meeting.

FIFTEEN

TRUST PROPERTY

The title to all and any heritable property which may be transferred to or acquired by or for the purpose of the Association shall be taken and shall thereafter stand in the name of the Trustees for the Association who shall enter into an agreement and/or Deed of Trust with the Association setting forth the purposes and conditions under which they hold the said property in trust for the Association

SIXTEEN

DISSOLUTION

 If the Committee by a majority decide at any time that on the ground of expense or otherwise it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association it shall call a meeting of all members of the Association who have the power to vote of which meeting not less than twenty one days’ notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed thereat) shall be posted in a conspicuous place or places in the neighbourhood and advertised in a newspaper circulating in the neighbourhood. If such decisions shall be confirmed by a majority of those present and voting at such a meeting the Committee shall, subject to the consent of the Secretary of State for Scotland (or the Scottish Council of Social Services on his behalf) have power to dispose of any assets held by or in name of the Association.  Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities  shall be applied towards charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood as the Committee may decide and as may be approved by the Secretary of State for Scotland (or the Scottish Council of Social Services on his behalf).

SEVENTEEN

ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

 Any proposal to alter this Constitution must be delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Association not less than twenty-eight days before the date of the meeting at which it is first to be proposed.

An alteration will require the approval of both;

(a) a majority of members of the Committee present and voting at a Committee Meeting.

(b) a two-thirds majority of individual members and representatives of the Constituent bodies and Sections of the Association present and voting at a General Meeting.

Notice of each such meeting must have been given in accordance with normal procedure but not less than fourteen days prior to the meeting in question and giving the wording of the proposed alteration. 

If Members have been appointed in accordance with Clause Sixteen hereof, an alteration shall not be made without the knowledge and consent of the Trustees, but such consent shall not be unreasonably held by them.

EIGHTEEN

FIFE ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST PROVISIONS

(a). The benefit of the Gateside and District Community Association shall not be for the benefit of landfill site operators who may contribute to the Gateside and District Community Association and claim credit under the Landfill Communities Fund. Nor shall it be for the benefit of contributing third parties, as defined in the landfill tax regulations.

(b). In the event of the organisation disbanding any remaining Landfill Communities Fund money shall be transferred to any enrolled Environment Body, and not to an organisation of similar objects and status.

This Constitution was adopted as the Constitution of the Gateside and District Community Association at a Public Meeting duly convened at Gateside on the Eleventh day of December 1969, as amended on the Thirteenth day of December 2007 and the Eighth day of November 2018.