PLFA Constitution

1. NAME

The organization is to be known as the Penzance Literary Festival Association, hereinafter PLFA.

2. AIMS

PLFA’s aims shall be:

  • To promote literary festivals in Penzance
  • To celebrate the literary life of West Cornwall
  • To nurture and support reading and writing activities in West Cornwall
  • To campaign for the encouragement and appreciation of local authors.

3. POWERS

PLFA shall have the power to:

  • Raise funds and hold a bank account
  • Use its funds to fulfil the Aims set out in 2 above.

4. NOT-FOR-PROFIT

PLFA shall be a not-for-profit organization. Funds resulting from an excess of income over expenditure will not be distributed to members but used to pursue the aims set out in 2 above.

5. MEMBERSHIP

Membership of PLFA shall be open to any person who wishes to join with others in furthering the Aims set out above.

Applications for membership must be made on the standard membership application form (appended).

It is a condition of membership that members agree that their names and email addresses are made known to all other members.

The membership fee for 2010 is £10. For subsequent years the fee is to be agreed at the Annual General Meeting held in that year.

6. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

No person will be denied membership of the organisation on the grounds of age, race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

7. STRUCTURE AND PROCEDURE

Officers: There shall be three officers: (1) Chairman, (2) Secretary and (3) Treasurer. Officers shall be elected at the inaugural meeting of PLFA and thereafter annually at the Annual General Meeting.

Annual General Meeting (AGM): The AGM of PLFA shall be held in February each calendar year. Twenty-eight days’ notice of the AGM shall be circulated to members by email, and the notice will invite nominations for the officers’ posts. Such nominations must be signed by two members of PLFA and should be sent to the Secretary no later than two weeks before the AGM. If no nominations have been received before the AGM, they may be submitted at the AGM itself. If one or more nominations for a post have been received before the AGM, no new nominations will be accepted at the AGM. Retiring officers shall present a report on the previous year’s activities and a financial report (see 8 below) to the AGM.

Consultation and decision-taking: It shall be a fundamental principle of PLFA’s procedures that all members shall be consulted before decisions, especially decisions involving expenditure, are taken. Consultation will take the form of circulating papers by email and inviting responses, and holding meetings to which all members are invited. It shall be a further fundamental principle that consensus shall be sought wherever possible. Decisions taken at such meetings shall be binding. It shall be open to such meetings to delegate the taking of specified decisions to the officers.

8. FINANCE/ACCOUNTS

Any funds received or generated by PLFA shall be kept in an account held at the Penzance branch of Barclays Bank. The Treasurer will be responsible for maintaining proper records of all money received and paid out.

The three officers shall be authorised to sign cheques on behalf of PLFA. The Bank Mandate shall be kept on file as evidence of this. All cheques must be signed by at least two officers.

The status of the bank account, with an explanation of expenditure and income, shall be presented by the Treasurer in his/her report to the AGM, for that meeting’s approval. Accounts will be independently examined on annual basis.

9. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any alterations to this Constitution must be agreed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at an AGM. Proposals for changes must be submitted to the Secretary not less than 28 days before the meeting at which they are to be discussed.

10. DISSOLUTION

PLFA may be dissolved at an AGM by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those people present and voting, subject to 28 clear days’ notice of the resolution having been sent to all members.

After settling all debts, and paying expenses incurred in dissolving PLFA, any remaining funds shall be transferred to an organisation with similar aims approved by a simple majority of those present and voting.

11. APPROVALS

This constitution must be signed and dated by the officers shown below:

Chairman, PLFA

Secretary, PLFA

Treasurer, PLFA

x

Note: The inaugural meeting of PLFA was held at the Penzance Arts Club on June 23rd, 2010.