CONSTITUTION

1 Name
The name of the association (hereinafter referred to as “The Association”)
shall be “The George Street Association of Edinburgh”.

2 Objects The objects of the Association are:
a) Specifically, to promote, protect and maintain the amenities and general interests of George Street, Edinburgh and the civic, professional, commercial and industrial welfare and interests of persons and firms owning or occupying property in George Street, Edinburgh; and generally, to promote, protect and maintain the economic and cultural well being of the First New Town;

b) To undertake and execute any trusts which may lawfully be undertaken by the Association and may be conducive to its objects;

c) To afford to members of the Association such assistance and facilities as the Council of the Association or the Association itself in General meetings may decide.

3 Membership
a) All persons, firms and organisations owning or occupying property in, or whose premises are fronting on, George Street, Edinburgh shall be eligible for membership; firms or organisations may nominate one representative to act for them.

b) Persons, firms and organisations owning or occupying property in streets intersecting or adjoining George Street or elsewhere within the First New Town and sharing the objectives of the George Street Association will also be eligible for membership; again, firms or organisations may nominate one representative to act for them.

c) Applications for membership must be made in writing on the prescribed form and submitted to the Secretary of the Association.

d) Applications for membership shall be considered and dealt with by the council, subject, in the case of an application being refused, to a right of appeal to the Association in General Meeting.

e) Any complaint against a member shall be dealt with by the Council who, after giving the member an opportunity of being heard, in answer thereto, may dismiss the same, or caution, suspend or expel the member, subject to a right of appeal by such member to the Association in General Meeting.

f) A member may resign by written notice to the Secretary, but shall be liable for all subscriptions due prior to that date.

4 Office Bearers
a) The Association may elect at the Annual General Meeting
an Honorary President of The Association in recognition of the honour and esteem in which that person is held by members of the Association.

b) There shall be a Chairman and one or more Vice-Chairmen who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting to hold office for one year. The Chairman and Vice-Chairmen may not serve in the same office for more than four years consecutively.

c) Not more that 18 persons being or representing Members of the Association shall be elected by the Association in General Meeting to form the Council of the Association.

d) Nominations which members may wish to make for election of individuals to office of the Association must be made in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.

5 Management
a) The affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and the Council.

b) One-third of the members of the Council shall retire annually and shall not be eligible for re-election until the expiry of one year from the date of their retrial.

c) The immediate Past Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of the council.

d) The Council shall appoint a Secretary and a Treasurer or one person to act as both Secretary and Treasurer of the Association under such conditions as the Council may determine.

e) The Council shall have power to appoint Committees composed of members of the Association for special purposes.

f) The Council shall have the power to establish any such sub-section or group within the Association as the Council may deem expedient.

6 Meetings
a) Meetings of the Association and of the Council shall be held on such dates and in such places as the Council may determine.

b) A quorum for a meeting of the Council shall be six members of the Council and for a General Meeting of the Association twelve members of the Association.

c) The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held before the end of May each year, upon a date to be determined by the Council. At least 10 days notice of the date of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to each member of the Association.

d) An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association shall be called by the Council upon receipt by the Secretary of a written request to that effect signed by twelve or more members of the Association. Any such request shall state the object of the proposed meeting.

7 Voting
A member shall have one vote only, whether individual, company or incorporated body, which shall be exercisable by representation in the case of a company or unincorporated association. No member shall be entitled to vote at any meeting whether it be a Council Meeting or Annual or Extraordinary general Meeting unless all monies due by the member to the Association have been paid.

8 Finance
a) Subscriptions The financial year of the Association shall begin on first January in each year. The rate of subscription to be paid by members of the Association shall be fixed at each Annual General Meeting of the Association and notice of the amount due sent to each member thereafter.

b) Any member of the Association whose subscription is six months in arrears shall cease to be a member.

c) The Council shall have the power to call for voluntary donations for special purposes

d) Funds.
The funds of the Association shall be under the control of the Council who shall submit a statement of accounts, subject to independent examination, to members at each Annual General Meeting of the Association.

e) Any sub-section or group which may be established within the Association as aforesaid shall for its own purposes have the right to fix any additional subscription to be paid by, and to call for donations from, the members of the Association constituting such sub-section or group.

Any such sub-section or group shall have control and disposal of its own funds but shall be bound to account to the Council and, if so required, to the Association, and shall submit an annual audited statement of intromissions to the Council for inclusion in the audited statement of accounts to be submitted as aforesaid by the Council to the members of the Association.

9 General
Any additions to or alterations of this Constitution may be made by the Association either at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting, on being approved by two-thirds of the members present, provided at least 14 clear days notice in writing is given of the said amendment to the Secretary.

10 Dissolution
a) On the dissolution of the Association, the funds of the Association, including any funds held by sub-sections thereof, remaining after liquidation of all its just liabilities, shall be divided among such of the members of the Association as shall, as at the date of the dissolution, have discharged all their obligations to the Association and that rateably according to aggregate amount of their respective contributions to the Association during the five years immediately preceding the date of dissolution, or donated to charity, or otherwise disposed of as the Council may determine.

b) On the dissolution of any sub-section of the Association the funds of that sub-section shall be divided amongst members of the sub-section in the same manner as funds on the main Association would be divided on the dissolution of the main Association.