LONDON VINTAGE TAXI ASSOCIATION

The Rules governing the affairs of the London Vintage Taxi Association

1. The name of the Association shall be The London Vintage Taxi Association. Hereafter referred to as ‘the Association’.
2. The objects of the Association shall be to preserve purpose built London type retired taxicabs and related vehicles, artefacts relating to the history of the London taxi trade and foster friendship, goodwill and the interchange of ideas relating to retired taxicabs amongst the membership. The Association will hold regular meetings, issue newsletters and offer support to other historical agencies, museums and researchers interested in advancing knowledge and appreciation of all historical aspects of the London taxi trade.
3. The authority to manage the Association’s affairs shall be vested in a Management Committee comprising of a President, Vice Presidents, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Sales Officer, Rallies Organiser, Archivist, and One or more Honorary, Ordinary or Exempt members of the Association. The management of the Committee shall be vested in a Chairman who shall have the authority to use a casting vote in the event of an impasse in respect of any vote for or against any motion correctly proposed and seconded in the Committee. To serve as a member of the Committee and vote on any motion correctly proposed and seconded in Committee the person nominated must be either a paid up Ordinary or an Honorary or an Exempt member of the Association. All subsequent rules relating to the committee refers to this main Management Committee hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’.
4. The committee has the authority to finally decide on all matters relating to the management of the Association, including any issue that is not expressly covered within these rules.
5. The President, and Vice Presidents, are all deemed to be honorary non-executive members of the Committee. There are no voting rights for these honorary non-executive posts in Committee or other formal meetings of the Association, except in the case where a correctly proposed and seconded motion is put at any formal meeting to dissolve or wind up the Association.
6. All executive posts on the Committee shall, in the first instance be filled by an election by the members present, at either an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting of the Association. The Executive Officer posts are; Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Sales Officer, Rallies Organiser and Archivist. Other Executive Committee posts consist of one or more paid up Ordinary, Overseas, Honorary or Exempt members of the Association. All Committee posts are subject to the Association’s election process.
7. The Committee shall after a vote in favour by the members present, have the authority to co-opt any Honorary, Ordinary, Overseas or Exempt member of the Association to any vacant executive post on the committee. All posts filled by co-option are subject to re-election at the next Annual General Meeting of the Association.
8. The quorum at any formal meeting of the Association shall be of 10 (ten) Honorary, Ordinary, Overseas, or Exempt members of the Association or a combination of 10 members from all the grades of membership of the Association.
9. A minimum of 4 (four) Executive Officers of the Association must be present at any formal meeting of the Association before any valid decisions can be made on behalf of the Association.
10. The Association shall appoint one President and a maximum of three Vice Presidents. These posts are honorary posts elected for life. The appointment to either of these non-executive posts of shall be by election by the members present, at either an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting of the Association.
11. .In the event of any serious misconduct or any other conduct that brings the Association into disrepute, the President, any Vice Presidents, Chairman, Vice Chairman and/or any other Committee member, can be removed from office following vote in favour to that effect, on a motion correctly proposed and seconded in Committee by the members present, at an Extraordinary meeting of the Association, convened solely for this purpose.
12. The Secretary of the Association shall, by giving 28 days written notice, convene an Annual General Meeting of the Association each calendar year. The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to appoint Officers to fill Committee posts, receive Officers Reports, receive and approve Annual Accounts, vote on correctly proposed and seconded motions put by the membership, discuss any proposals and any other matters that are of mutual interest to the members of the Association.
13. The Secretary of the Association shall convene an Extraordinary Meeting of the Association within 14 days when requested to do so, following a written request by 10 or more members of the Association. The purpose of an Extraordinary Meeting is only to address particular concerns of a serious nature concerning the management of the affairs of the Association. The convening of an Extraordinary Meeting should only take place when all other avenues to resolve conflict to the mutual satisfaction of the parties concerned within the Association, have been exhausted.
14. Any motion voted on and passed in favour by the members present at either an Extraordinary Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be binding on the Committee.
15. The Committee may set up sub-committees for specific purposes. Any such sub-committee shall only be valid for a maximum of one year and will become void at the date of the next following Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting.
16. Only paid up Ordinary and Overseas members, Honorary and Exempted members may vote at any Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting of the Association. Proof of membership to vote at any formal meeting of the Association shall be by the production on request, from a member of the Committee, of a valid membership card.
17. Application for membership of the association shall be open to everyone over the age of 16 years, at the time of application.
18. Membership of the Association shall be granted by the Membership Secretary, which is later confirmed by the committee. The committee reserves the right to over rule any decision made by the Membership Secretary to accept any person into membership.
19. There are four types of membership; Honorary Members, Ordinary Members, Overseas Members and Concessionary Members.
    Ordinary Members reside in the United Kingdom and pay an annual membership subscription fee.
    Honorary Members are members by invitation and are not required to pay a membership subscription fee.
    Overseas Members reside outside the United Kingdom and pay an annual membership subscription fee.
    Concessionary Members are those aged over 70 years of age and are required to pay an annual concessionary membership subscription fee.
20. The committee may, where there are reasonable grounds refuse or exclude any person from membership of the Association. Membership will not be refused solely on the grounds of Nationality, Race, Religious Belief, Ethnic Origin, Gender, Disability, Sexual Orientation, being Aged over 16, or ‘Spent’ Offending Background.
21. Members are not required to own nor be responsible for a London Type purpose built retired taxicab. A genuine interest in the subject is all that is required.
22. Ordinary and Overseas Membership of the Association will only be valid on receipt of the payment of the current year’s annual membership subscription fee.
23. .All Members are required to renew their membership each year by the payment of a membership subscription fee that falls due on the 1st January each year.
24. Non-payment of the membership subscription renewal fee, when requested will result in the membership becoming null and void, 3 calendar months after the date when the subscription payment fee became due.
25. Ordinary membership of the Association is available and may be granted to any applicant who resides in the United Kingdom and pays to the Association on request, the annual membership subscription fee
26. Overseas membership of the Association is available only to applicants who normally reside outside the United Kingdom and pays to the Association on request, the annual membership subscription fee. 2
27. Honorary Membership of the Association is available and may be granted to any person at the discretion of the Committee. Honorary members are not required to pay an annual membership subscription fee.
28. Concessionary Membership of the Association is available and may be granted to any applicant who declares that they are over 70 years of age and, immediately prior to making an application for concessionary status, has had five years of fully paid continuous membership. Concessionary members are required to pay an annual concessionary membership subscription fee.
29. The Association reserves the right to withdraw and terminate membership from any member of the Association who commits any form of misconduct or brings the Association into any disrepute. Any member who has membership withdrawn on these grounds has the right of appeal and to present their case to a General Meeting. Such an appeal must be put in writing to the Secretary of the Association within 14 days of being advised that membership has been withdrawn. The decision of a General Meeting in such matters is final.
30. The Association reserves the right to suspend membership from any member of the Association for a maximum period of one calendar year. Suspension from membership can only relate to a member who commits any form of misconduct or brings the Association into any disrepute. Any member who has membership suspended on these grounds has the right of appeal and to present his case to the Committee. Such an appeal must be put in writing within 14 days of being issued, to the Secretary of the Association, in advance of the next committee meeting. The decision of the Committee in such matters is final.
31. The Association Treasurer shall manage the funds of the Association. The Treasurer shall be appointed by a vote in favour by the members present at the Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer shall report and be responsible to the Membership and to the Committee. The Treasurer shall produce annual accounts of the Association’s financial activities to the Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer will produce on demand within a reasonable period of time all the accounts for examination by the Committee and to the Honorary Auditor if appointed by the Association. The Treasurer will only use the funds for the Association’s benefit.
32. The Treasurer will keep the majority of the Association’s funds in bank and building society accounts that have the title of The London Vintage Taxi Association. The treasurer may keep a limited amount of cash in hand for everyday contingency use. Any delegation of treasurer’s duties (i.e. in respect of special events etc) must only be with the approval of the Committee.
33. The Treasurer can only draw cheques on behalf of the Association that have been countersigned by another officer of the Committee authorised to do so, by the Bank or Building Society.
34. No person can be appointed to the post of Treasurer or Auditor for the Association who has been or declares that he has a conviction relating to theft or fraud. Whether or not that conviction is legally ‘spent’.
35. The committee may authorise the treasurer to pay reasonable expenses incurred by members of the Association or to others when they are on the business of the Association.
36. The Annual General Meeting of the Association may each year appoint a suitably qualified person to act as an Honorary Auditor. No person who is related in any way to the Treasurer or has any other conflict of interest can be appointed to the post of Honorary Auditor.
37. The Honorary Auditor, if appointed by the Association may carry out an annual audit of the accounts of the Association.
38. All members of the Association must not use the name of the Association in a manner that could bring the Association into any disrepute or use the Association’s name by way of trade or solely for personal gain.
39. The London Vintage Taxi Association can only be wound up and the assets disposed of following a vote in favour by a referendum of the entire United Kingdom membership of the Association current at the time, confirmed by an Extraordinary meeting of the Association.
40. In the event of winding up of The London Vintage Taxi Association any residual assets after all liabilities have been met will be made to a charitable institution selected by consensus of the membership. All officers of the Association and non-executive committee members of the Association will not be held personally liable for any corporate debt owed by the Association at the time of winding up.
41. The rules of the Association may only be changed by a vote in favour taken by the membership, of a motion correctly proposed and seconded proposing to change the rule(s) by those members present at either an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting of the Association.
42. The Association reserves the right to remove or amend these rules in the light of changing circumstances. Any such changes must be ratified by a vote in favour taken by the members present, at either an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting of the Association.
43. .All members of the Association will be issued with a copy of these rules on joining the Association. A copy of these rules will be provided to any member of the Association or to any other person with a legitimate reason for making a request, by application to the Secretary of the Association.
44. The Association has members and organised activities outside the United Kingdom. The management of the Association’s affairs overseas is vested in locally elected committees. Association members who reside outside the United Kingdom are called Overseas Members. The Association will, as far as it is reasonably practicable, ensure that sufficient Public Liability Insurance Cover is in place before taking part in or organising, any event where the public is admitted. All officers of the Association and non-executive Committee members of the Association will not accept any vicarious liability, or be held personally liable for any personal or accidental injury claim made against the Association.
45. These rules are intended to be gender neutral. Where the male gender is written this applies equally to the female gender.
46. The law of England shall govern the affairs of The London Vintage Taxi Association. The rules were approved as policy of the London Vintage Taxi Association by the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on the 4th January 2002 and were amended on the 1st July 2007 and with the amendments are effective from the 1st July 2007 until further notice.