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Rules of the Scottish Association of Motor Sports Clubs

Version 5, approved at AGM 15/6/2021

1. NAME & DEFINITION

1.1 The name of the Association shall be the Scottish Association of Motor Sports Clubs, hereinafter called the “Association”.

1.2 The Association is a Regional Association recognised by Motorsport UK.

1.3 In this document, “in writing” or “written” means by letter, email or proforma document but excludes any form of communication by any social media message channel.

1.4 Unless otherwise stated, “General Meeting” includes each and all of Annual General Meeting, Ordinary General Meeting and Special General Meeting.

2. OBJECTS & POLICIES

2.1 The objects of the Association are:

2.1.1 To ensure that a long term plan for the development of motor sport in Scotland is produced and to assist Motorsport UK and other relevant organisations in the delivery of the plan;

2.1.2 To facilitate consultation, discussion and liaison with and between Member Clubs, Motorsport UK, the Scottish Auto Cycle Union (SACU), other Motor Club Associations and other relevant organisations on matters of mutual interest and concern;

2.1.3 To assist, support and advise Member Clubs on the organisation and promotion of motor sport events;

2.1.4 To represent the interests of the Member Clubs;

2.1.5 To co-ordinate a calendar of motor sport events within Scotland;

2.1.6 To encourage the procurement and maintenance of venues, equipment, expertise and other facilities;

2.1.7 To organise, facilitate and promote Championships as appropriate from time to time;

2.1.8 To arrange, facilitate and promote Training events for the Member Clubs and others where appropriate;

2.1.9 To organise, facilitate and promote other initiatives that may further the interests of motor sport, the Association, the Member Clubs and their members;

2.1.10 To foster the well-being of motor sport, the Association, the Member Clubs and their members, and to consider any matters of mutual concern, inside and outside of motor sport.

3. MEMBERSHIP

3.1 Membership shall be open to the following, which operate within Scotland, or are otherwise deemed appropriate.

• Any motor sport club;

• Any car enthusiast club;

• Any regional centre of a motor sport or car enthusiast club;

• Any group of motor sport or car enthusiast clubs. Membership is only granted to the group and not to the members clubs of the group who may apply for membership of the Association in their own right.

• Any motor sport championship;

• Any organisation which is a Motorsport UK Recognised Body.

Such members shall be known as Member Clubs.

Membership is not open to individual persons.

3.2 Member Clubs wishing to apply for a permit (or waiver of permit) to organise motor sport events, or wishing to have their members invited to compete in events open to members of the Association’s Member Clubs, must be and remain registered with Motorsport UK.

3.3 New Members:

3.3.1 Any application for membership shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Association.

3.3.2 Such application shall be considered by the Association at the next Ordinary General Meeting.

3.3.3 A representative of the applicant may be in attendance at the Ordinary General Meeting to describe the applicant and answer any queries about the application.

3.3.4 The Ordinary General Meeting, having considered the application, will then vote on acceptance of the applicant into membership. The application shall be decided by a majority of voting delegates. In the event of a tied vote the Chair shall have a casting vote. Other than the casting vote of the Chair, if required, Officers of the Association shall not have a vote by virtue of their office.

3.3.5 The applicant shall not become a member until the membership fee for the first year has been paid. The fee for a full year must be paid, regardless of when the application is made.

3.3.6 In addition to the membership fee for the first year of membership, a new Member Club will also be required to pay the fee for the second year by 1st September of the first year, or incur a late payment surcharge.

3.3.7 An applicant may submit a membership application during year one, stating that they wish to become a member from year two. The application may be approved at an Ordinary General Meeting during year one, and the applicant will become a member from January of year two, provided the full membership fee for year two has been paid in advance. No membership fee will be charged for year one.

3.4. If a Member Club gives the Association written notice of resignation, effective during the current year, no refund of all or part of the membership fee for the current year will be given.

3.5 If a Member Club gives the Association written notice, before 1st September, of resignation effective during or at the end of the current year, no membership fee or late payment surcharge will be due for the following year.

3.6 A Member Club which has been deemed resigned for non-payment of fees will not be re-admitted to the Association until all outstanding fees have been paid. Re-admission will be at the discretion of the Association.

4. OFFICERS and DELEGATES

4.1 The Officers of the Association shall comprise the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Calendar Manager.

4.2 The Officers shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting.

4.2.1 The Chair and Secretary shall be elected for two years and the Vice Chair, Treasurer and Calendar Manager shall be elected for the alternate two years to provide continuity. Retiring officers may seek re-election but no officer should serve more than four continuous terms in any one position.

4.2.2 If any of the Officers’ posts is or becomes vacant during the year, an Ordinary General Meeting shall have the power to appoint a replacement. Such person shall continue in office until the next Annual General Meeting.

4.2.3 Any such post shall then be filled for the balance of the original period at the subsequent Annual General Meeting to maintain continuity.

4.3 In the event of a nominee Officer not being present when nominated, written proof of his or her willingness to be nominated shall be provided at the relevant Meeting.

4.4 The Officers, and the Chairs of any Standing Committees, shall form the Executive Committee of the Association.

4.4.1 The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the Association between General Meetings.

4.5 The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the Minutes of all Meetings, and all other correspondence and documents pertaining to the Association, excepting that for which the Treasurer is responsible.

4.6 The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds of the Association and shall maintain records of all income and expenditure. The Treasurer shall prepare a brief financial statement for each Ordinary General Meeting.

4.7 The Calendar Manager shall publish a list of all known events planned by Member Clubs. It is the responsibility of Member Clubs to advise the Calendar Manager of their planned events including dates and locations/routes. The Calendar Manager will then endeavour to resolve any date and route/venue clashes. The ultimate responsibility for date selection rests with the Member Club taking due account of any advice given.

4.8 The Association shall at a General Meeting appoint two persons to the posts of Motorsport UK Regional Committee Delegates.

4.9 The Association shall at a General Meeting select annually a person to be nominated to Motorsport UK as the Home Country Member for Scotland of Motor Sports Council.

4.10 The Association may at a General Meeting or other such time at the discretion of the Chair invite and support persons to seek nomination as members of Motorsport UK Specialist Committees, Advisory Panels and their Sub-Committees.

4.11 The Association may at a General Meeting appoint persons to the following posts and others as from time to time agreed:

• Motorsport Discipline Managers;

• Training Manager;

• Student/Young Peoples Representative;

• Publicity & Communications Manager;

• Website Manager;

• Delegates to other relevant bodies.

These persons shall provide regular reports to General Meetings.

4.12 The Association may create Standing Committees to assist with the development of motor sport in Scotland.

4.12.1 The Chair of each Standing Committee shall be appointed at a General Meeting and shall report to subsequent General Meetings

4.12.2 Membership of Standing Committees may consist of (a) the Chair, (b) those appointed to the relevant posts detailed in clause 4.11. and (c) co-opted members who need not necessarily be members of a Member Club.

4.12.3 The membership, terms of reference and duties of Standing Committees shall be subject to the approval of a General Meeting.

4.13 The Association may create Committees or Working Groups with specific terms of reference.

4.13.1 The Chair of a Committee/Working Group shall be appointed at a General Meeting and shall report to subsequent Ordinary General Meetings.

4.13.2 Such committees shall have the power to co-opt additional members, subject to ratification at a subsequent General Meeting.

4.13.3 After their specific tasks are completed such Committees/Groups shall be disbanded.

4.13.4 If their task is not complete the committee shall be subject to periodic re-election at a General Meeting.

4.14 The Association may at a General Meeting appoint persons to the honorary posts of President and Vice President(s). Holders of these posts will have no voting rights but may attend meetings and speak. These posts will be held for a period defined when elected. The main role of the post holders is to supply advice and counsel to the Executive Committee and Member Clubs and in general to be ambassadors of motor sport in Scotland.

4.15 Only bona-fide members of any Member Club of the Association are eligible for all the posts listed in this section, unless otherwise stated or the specific consent of the relevant General Meeting is given to the contrary.

5. FINANCE & SUBSCRIPTIONS

5.1 The financial year shall run from 1st January to the following 31st December. The Treasurer shall prepare a Statement of Accounts for each financial year and shall arrange for this to be independently inspected before the Statement is presented to the Annual General Meeting.

5.2 An Independent Inspector will be appointed by the Annual General Meeting.

5.3 Authorisation of payments:

5.3.1 Cheques for amounts less than £250 may be signed by any one of the Treasurer, Chair, Secretary, Vice Chair, or Calendar Manager. Cheques for amounts of £250 or more shall be signed by any two of the Treasurer, Chair, Secretary, Vice Chair or Calendar Manager.

5.3.2 Payments by online banking for amounts less than £250 may be made by any one of the Treasurer, Chair, Secretary, Vice Chair or Calendar Manager. For amounts of £250 or more, written approval is required from a second Officer.

5.4 Annual Subscriptions and any other fees deemed appropriate, shall be fixed each year at the Annual General Meeting for the following year, and shall be due for payment by 1st September of the current year.

5.4.1 The Treasurer shall invoice Member Clubs by either post or e-mail on or around 1st April. Such invoice shall be sent to the last known address for the Member Club Treasurer or such other person as nominated by the Member Club.

5.4.2 Each Member Club is required to inform the Association of the name, address, email address and phone number of the Club Treasurer or other such person, and is responsible for any undelivered invoices or overdue payments resulting from a failure to do so.

5.5 Any Member Club that has not paid its subscription for the following year and/or any other fees by 1st September of the current year shall incur a late payment fee in addition to the standard fee. The late payment fee shall be 50% of the normal fee unless otherwise set at the Annual General Meeting. The Member Club may not be included in Motorsport UK’s list of Association members for the following year.

5.6 Any Member Club that has not paid its subscription for the following year and/or other fees by 31st December of the current year shall be deemed to have resigned from the Association as at that date. Any invitations to the Member Club’s members to compete in events via the Association will be void, and the club will not be readmitted to the Association until all outstanding fees have been paid.

6. MEETINGS

6.1 The Association shall hold at least four Ordinary General Meetings annually. The interval between Ordinary General Meetings shall normally be not greater than four months. Twenty one days notice shall be given in writing of all Ordinary General Meetings.

6.2 Additional Ordinary General Meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary or by an Ordinary General Meeting if urgent business requires such a meeting before the next Regular Ordinary General Meeting.

6.3 An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year and will normally be followed immediately by an Ordinary General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting should normally be held by the end of March, but in any case it must be held within 18 months of the previous Annual General Meeting. Six weeks notice of the Annual General Meeting date will be given in writing. The agenda shall be published at least two weeks prior to the meeting and shall state which Officers are due to be elected or re-elected.

6.4 The periods of notice for Ordinary General Meetings and Annual General Meetings may be reduced at the discretion of the Chair should extraordinary circumstances apply.

6.5 Member Clubs wishing to include items for discussion or resolutions to be debated in the Agenda for Ordinary or Annual General Meetings must send these in writing to the Secretary at least fourteen days before the meeting.

6.5.1 Exceptional Items may however be introduced to the Agenda at the discretion of the Chair.

6.5.2 Resolutions must be proposed by a Member Club and seconded by another Member Club.

6.5.3 Proposing and seconding Member Clubs submitting such a resolution must be present to speak in support, failing which the resolution will be deemed to be withdrawn.

6.6 A Special General Meeting may be called by the Chair or Secretary, or by written request to the Secretary from at least three Member Clubs.

6.6.1 Special General Meetings should normally be held within twenty eight days of the receipt of a complete and valid request by the Secretary, except when a later date may be requested by, or agreed with, those Member Clubs, for example to allow the Special General Meeting to be held on the same date as a scheduled Ordinary General Meeting.

6.6.2 A request to hold a Special General Meeting must detail the reasons therefor, including the wording of any resolution and/or the provision of any paper or other document to be presented to the Meeting.

6.6.3 The notice of a Special General Meeting shall include the Agenda for the meeting.

6.6.4 A Special General Meeting is limited to the business of the Agenda.

6.7 The quorum at all General Meetings shall be five, comprising at least two Officers and at least three voting Member Club delegates.

6.8 General Meetings may be held on a face to face basis, by videoconference or equivalent, by audioconference, or any combination thereof, provided that all Member Clubs are given an opportunity to participate and to take part in any vote.

6.8.1 Urgent business may be conducted by email at the discretion of the Chair. Any business so conducted shall be notified to the next Ordinary General Meeting.

6.9 Each Member Club shall be entitled to be represented at all General Meetings by up to three persons appointed by its own committee but only one delegate may vote to express the views of that Member Club.

6.9.1 Member Clubs are required to notify the Association annually who their delegates are, their order of precedence, and which one delegate is entitled to exercise the Member Club’s vote if more than one delegate from that Member Club is present. The preferred method of such notification is on the Club Representatives form, but other written means are acceptable. In the event that the Member Club fails to notify the Association, or in case of a dispute between delegates, the vote of that Member Club may be disregarded.

6.9.2 At the discretion of the Chair, Member Clubs may, due to capacity constraints, be requested but not obliged to limit the number of their attendees at any General Meeting to a figure less than that stated in clause 6.9.

6.10 Any resolution, other than one relating to a change of these Rules under clauses 8.1 and 8.2 below, shall be decided by a majority of voting delegates. In the event of a tied vote the Chair shall have a casting vote. Other than the Chair’s casting vote, Officers shall not have a vote by virtue of their office.

6.11 The normal method of voting at meetings shall be by roll call. Any vote pertaining to the appointment or election of an Officer, Delegate, Representative or other Post Holder, where there are two or more candidates for said position, shall however always be by secret ballot.

6.11.1 Any Member Club may request that any vote shall be conducted by secret ballot.

6.11.2 The Secretary is empowered to conduct a vote by electronic means under clause 6.8.1.

6.11.3 Additional guidance on the voting process is included as an Appendix.

6.12 The appointment of the Member Club representatives including the Voting Delegate shall be the sole responsibility and prerogative of the respective Member Clubs.

6.13 Motorsport UK shall be entitled to be represented at, and to receive the minutes of, all General Meetings.

6.14 Notwithstanding clause 6.9, Member Clubs shall be entitled to appoint a Proxy in respect of any Resolution. Any such Proxy appointment must be sent in writing to the Chair or the Secretary prior to the relevant General Meeting, or delivered in writing to such meeting by any other person present.

6.14.1 Email messages to the Chair or Secretary shall be acceptable, provided that the Chair or Secretary is satisfied that they are bona fide.

6.15 Each Member Club represented at a General Meeting shall have the right of veto in respect of any Resolution that arises during such Meeting. Any Member Club Delegate may exercise this right of veto by informing the Chair before a vote is taken that he wishes to refer the Resolution to his Member Club Committee/Board for guidance. No vote shall then be taken and the Resolution shall be placed on the Agenda for the next General Meeting and put to a vote thereat, no further veto from any Member Club then being valid in respect of that Resolution.

6.16 “Dates” will be an Agenda item at all Ordinary General Meetings, in order to resolve clashes of date, venue and route.

6.16.1 Member Clubs attending the relevant meeting will have priority over Member Clubs not attending.

6.16.2 Dates submitted and agreed at any meeting will take precedence over dates submitted later.

6.16.3 A Member Club delegate must be empowered to negotiate on dates, venues and use of maps.

6.17 Member Clubs may request the Chair to invite a guest to attend a General Meeting from time to time.

7. CHAMPIONSHIPS

7.1 The Association may promote Championships in a variety of motor sport disciplines.

7.2 Discipline Managers shall be responsible to the Association for the running of their respective championship.

7.3 A Committee may be formed to support the Manager. Generally, the Manager shall be the Chair of such a Committee and report on its behalf to the Association at General Meetings. The Chair of such a Committee will not become a member of the Executive Committee solely for this reason, clause 4.4 notwithstanding.

7.4 Each Manager shall publish Championship Regulations as soon as practicable and at least two weeks prior to the first event of the Championship. These Regulations shall be subject to the approval of the Association at a General Meeting and shall be subservient to these Rules.

7.5 Only events run by Member Clubs shall be eligible for inclusion in Association Championships.

7.5.1 Such events shall be run in accordance with Motorsport UK Regulations, the Association Championship Regulations and any guidelines that may be appended to those Championship Regulations.

7.5.2 There shall be written agreement between event organisers and the relevant Championship Co-ordinator before the inclusion of an event in an Association Championship shall be valid.

7.5.3 The inclusion of events in the Association Championships shall be at the sole discretion of the Association.

8. RULES

8.1 The Rules of the Association can only be changed at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. Any proposed change or addition shall be notified to all Member Clubs at least 21 days before the date of such meeting. The notification must include the actual wording of the proposed insertion/change/deletion.

8.2 A change of Rules shall only be approved if two thirds (disregarding any fraction) of the Member Clubs represented and voting at that Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting vote in favour.

APPENDIX A

Additional Guidance on the Voting Process

This guidance is designed to facilitate the smooth running of the Association and to reflect the typical operating practice adopted at all meetings when dealing with non-contentious proposals or resolutions and non-contested elections or appointments.

However, the guidance does not remove the requirement for a formal vote and/or ballot on any resolution, election or appointment if requested by the Voting Delegate of any club.

i) If there is general verbal agreement to a proposal, the Chair may ask if there are any objections, and if there are no objections, can declare the resolution passed unanimously, without a formal vote.

ii) Voting by roll call – The Secretary should use the Attendance Sheet for the meeting and ask the Voting Delegate from each attending Member Club in turn how they wish to vote. The option to abstain should be allowed. Any valid proxies under Rule 6.14 should be determined before voting commences. Similarly any Member Club whose voting rights have been suspended under Rule 5.6 must be identified before voting commences. After each Member Club entitled to vote has done so, the Secretary should announce the result. If a tie is called, the Chair shall have a casting vote.

iii) Voting by secret ballot at meetings held solely face to face – The Secretary should prepare ballot papers showing the voting options with boxes available for each Member Club to indicate their voting intention, including the option to abstain. As with roll call votes above, proxies and suspensions should be identified prior to the voting process commencing. Once the number of valid votes to be cast has been established, the Secretary should pre-number sufficient ballot papers so that there is one paper per expected vote. The Voting Delegate from each Member Club should then be called forward to collect a numbered ballot paper and their name ticked off against the list of voting clubs. Once each club has cast its vote, the ballot papers should be gathered in and a check carried out to ensure that all pre-numbered papers have been collected. The Secretary and at least one other independent Association Officer (excluding the Chair) should then count the votes cast and announce the result. If a tie is called, the Chair shall have a casting vote.

iv) Voting by secret ballot at meetings held wholly or partially by videoconferencing or equivalent – The Secretary should prepare ballot papers showing the voting options with boxes available for each Member Club to indicate their voting intention, including the option to abstain. As with roll call votes above, suspensions should be identified prior to the voting process commencing. The Secretary will email the ballot paper(s) to the Secretary of each Member Club. The Club Secretary must return the completed ballot paper by email to both the Secretary and a named, independent Association Officer (other than the Chair) no later than the deadline stated. This will normally be no less than 48 hours before the commencement time of the relevant meeting. Once the deadline has passed, the Secretary and the independent Association Officer will cross-check, validate and count the ballot papers received. The Secretary will announce the result(s) at the meeting. If a tie is called, the Chair shall have a casting vote. Each Member Club is required to inform the Association of the contact details - name, address, email address and phone number - of the Club Secretary, and the club is responsible if failure to do so prevents the club from being notified of a vote.

v) Voting by electronic means – The Secretary should send details of the vote only to the Secretary of each Member Club entitled to vote, requesting a response within 14 days. Each Club Secretary should respond using the same message subject string indicating his/her club's voting intention (including abstentions). Once all replies have been received (or the 14 day voting period has expired), the Secretary should announce the result to all appointed delegates by e-mail. If a tie is called, the Chair shall have a casting vote. Each Member Club is required to inform the Association of the contact details - name, address, email address and phone number - of the Club Secretary, and the club is responsible if failure to do so prevents the club from being notified of a vote.

vi) Should the Secretary and/or the role of Secretary be the subject of a ballot, whether secret or otherwise, at the discretion of the Chair an alternate from the Executive Committee may be nominated to undertake the ballot process and the above procedures shall be amended accordingly.

APPENDIX B

Summary of Meeting Arrangements

Type of Meeting	Frequency	Notice to Clubs	Agenda Issued
Annual General Meeting (AGM)	One per year, within 18 months of previous AGM	6 weeks	2 weeks
Ordinary General Meeting (OGM)	Usually 4 per year. Additional OGMs may be held as required.	3 weeks	2 weeks
Special General Meeting (SGM)	As required. Normally to be held within 4 weeks of receipt of confirmed valid request, unless a later date is requested or agreed by the requesting clubs/officers.	3 weeks	3 weeks

Scottish Association of Motor Sports Clubs

Rules of the Association

Version 5

June 2021