Constitution of the UK Whippet Breed Council 2023
| 1. | a. | The Council shall be called The UK Whippet Breed Council. | |
| b. | Membership shall be open to all United Kingdom Kennel Club registered Breed Clubs for the Whippet breed. | ||
| c. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall act as a consultative body, having no executive powers as regards the affairs of the constituent clubs. | ||
| d. | The Council’s objectives shall be: | ||
| i) | To uphold The Kennel Club Whippet Breed Standard as being the only standard of excellence for the breeding & judging of Whippets. | ||
| ii) | To encourage activities within the breed clubs that help to promote the standard of excellence in the whippet & assist those who wish to further their knowledge of the breed. | ||
| e. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall not be eligible to hold any form of Kennel Club-licensed events. | ||
| f. | The UK Whippet Breed Council may, inter alia: | ||
| i) | Make recommendations to the Kennel Club Board as regards the KC Standard of the Breed. | ||
| ii) | Make recommendations to the Kennel Club Board regarding the applications to register new Breed clubs. | ||
| iii) | Consider matters referred by The Kennel Club Board. | ||
| g. | The Council shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs. | ||
| 2. | a. | The Council shall be a Committee consisting of two (2) delegates from each of the participating Breed Clubs. Each participating Breed Club shall have one (1) voting delegate. | |
| b. | The Officers shall be Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer. They are to be elected for a three-year term of office, eligible for re-election but shall retire in rotation. | ||
| c. | The Council shall have a Health Co-ordinator to be elected for a three (3) year term of office. | ||
| d. | All Officers and Health Co-ordinator must be proposed & seconded by at least two (2) participating Breed Clubs & must be voted on by the Breed Council at the Annual Meeting. | ||
| e. | The Chairman may be an independent person. | ||
| f. | The Secretary shall be ex-officio & shall not be the current Secretary of any Whippet Breed Club. | ||
| g. | The Health Co-ordinator shall be ex-officio & shall not be the current Health (Officer/Representative) for any Whippet Breed Club. | ||
| h. | Each Breed Club may supply only one (1) Breed Council Officer at any one time. | ||
| i. | The Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Health Co-ordinator shall have full voting rights if attending in their capacity as Breed Club delegates. | ||
| j. | No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of, or hold any other office or appointment within, the Breed Council. | ||
| 3. | a. | Ordinary meetings of the Council shall be convened as often as deemed necessary. | |
| b. | The agenda shall be prepared by the Secretary in liaison with the Chairman. Items for inclusion on the agenda shall be accepted from all member Breed Clubs. | ||
| c. | Notice of Council meetings shall be given at least six (6) weeks prior to that meeting, by circulation of a proposed agenda to all member Breed Clubs. | ||
| d. | Further items for inclusion on the agenda must be received by the Secretary at least 4 weeks before the date of the meeting. | ||
| e. | A quorum for Council meetings shall be two (2) Officers and representatives of two-thirds of fully paid up member clubs. | ||
| f. | Voting shall be by a ‘show of hands’ for general business. All important decisions shall be by ‘secret ballot’; tellers to be appointed at the meeting. The Chairman shall have the casting vote in the event of a tied vote. | ||
| g. | Full members of Breed Clubs may attend Breed Council meetings as Observers but cannot vote. At the discretion of the Chairman, they may be invited to participate in debate as deemed appropriate to the item being discussed. It should be understood by Club Representatives and Observers that matters discussed within the meeting can sometimes be sensitive and therefore it is expected that Breed Council business will not be discussed outside of their club’s committee meeting.’ | ||
| 4. | a. | A banking account shall be held in the name of the Council, into which all revenue of the Council shall be paid & from which withdrawal shall only be made on the signatures of two (2) or more Officers – Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer. | |
| b. | All contributions to the Council funds are accepted on the proviso that they are free from all conditions. | ||
| c. | All Council funds shall be used as agreed by the Council members at a meeting & operated through the Treasurer. | ||
| d. | The accounts shall be certified annually & presented to the members at the Annual Meeting. Certification of accounts must be carried out by one qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience. | ||
| e. | The annual subscription shall be an amount agreed at the Annual Meeting. | ||
| f. | The financial year of the Breed Council shall be from the 1st of January to the 31st of December. All Clubs are to pay Subscriptions by 1st January. | ||
| 5. | In the event of the Council ceasing to exist, a final meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets & the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club. | ||
| 6. | a. | The Annual Meeting shall be held within the period of January to March. | |
| b. | All constituent Breed Clubs will be given a minimum of six (6) weeks’ notice by a proposed agenda. | ||
| c. | Nominations for the election of Officers must be made in writing to the Secretary, not less than four (4) weeks before the date of the Annual Meeting. | ||
| d. | All nominees must fulfill the requirements of Rules 2c, f, g & j, & submit in writing, to the Secretary, their willingness to stand for election. | ||
| e. | Items for inclusion on the agenda must be made in writing to the Secretary, not less than four (4) weeks before the date of the Annual Meeting. | ||
| f. | No business shall be transacted at an Annual Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda – with the exception of routine matters or those, which in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting are urgent. | ||
| g. | The quorum for Annual Meetings shall be a minimum of two (2) Officers, and representatives of two-thirds of fully paid-up member clubs. | ||
| h. | All constituent Breed Clubs are entitled to be represented at Annual Meetings. There are no postal votes. | ||
| i. | A Special Meeting can be called by the Chairman or by three (3) or more Member Clubs by written request, giving a minimum of two (2) weeks’ notice. No business other than that named in the notice shall be brought before a Special Meeting. | ||
| 7. | a. | The rules of the Breed Council may not be altered except at an Annual Meeting, a notice of which contains a specific proposal to amend the rules. | |
| b. | Any proposed alteration to the rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised & approved of the alteration. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately. | ||
| 8. | The Officers acknowledge that by the 31st of July each year, returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration & Maintenance of Title of Societies & Breed Councils, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Breed Council which may occur during the course of the year. | ||
| 9. | The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules & regulations of the Whippet Breed Council in all cases relative to canine or Council matters. | ||
Updated Annual Meeting: 18/03/23