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 UK Whippet Breed Clubs registered by The Royal Kennel Club (RKC). | ||
| 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 UK Whippet Breed Council’s objectives shall be: | ||
| i) | To uphold The RKC Whippet Breed Standard as being the only standard of excellence for the breeding and judging of Whippets. | ||
| ii) | To encourage activities within the Breed Clubs that help to promote the standard of excellence in the Whippet and assist those who wish to further their knowledge of the breed. | ||
| iii) | To promote and support Breed health and welfare. | ||
| iv) | To promote and support Breed education. | ||
| v) | To promote and support nonmaleficent canine sporting activities that engage the instincts of the breed. | ||
| vi) | To improve stakeholder engagement through the increased use of digital channels of communication. | ||
| 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 RKC Board as regards The RKC Standard of the Breed. | ||
| ii) | Make recommendations to The RKC Board regarding applications to register new Breed Clubs. | ||
| iii) | Consider matters referred by The RKC Board. | ||
| g. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs. | ||
| 2. | a. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall consist 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 Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. They are to be elected for a three (3) year term of office, eligible for re-election, but shall retire in rotation. For business continuity reasons, the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall not be on the same rotation. | ||
| c. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall have a Breed Health Coordinator and a Breed Education Coordinator, each to be appointed for a three (3) year term of office by The RKC. | ||
| d. | The UK Whippet Breed Council shall have a Website & Media Coordinator to be elected for a three (3) year term of office, eligible for re-election. | ||
| e. | All Officers must be proposed and seconded by at least two (2) participating Breed Clubs and must be voted on by the UK Whippet Breed Council at the Annual Meeting. | ||
| f. | The Chairperson may be an independent person. | ||
| g. | The Secretary shall be ex officio and shall not be the current Secretary of any Whippet Breed Club. h. The Health Co-ordinator shall be ex officio and shall not be the current Health (Officer/Representative) for any Whippet Breed Club. | ||
| h. | The Health Co-ordinator shall be ex officio and shall not be the current Health (Officer/Representative) for any Whippet Breed Club. | ||
| i. | ach Breed Club may supply only one (1) Breed Council Officer at any one time. | ||
| j. | The Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Breed Health Co-ordinator, Breed Education Coordinator, and Website & Media Coordinator shall have full voting rights if attending in their capacity as Breed Club delegates. | ||
| k. | No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the UK Whippet Breed Council, or hold any other office or appointment within the Council. | ||
| l. | Officers are elected on the proviso that they will at all times act in the best interests of the UK Whippet Breed Council and in accordance with its objectives . As representatives of the Council, Officers and Coordinators will uphold the highest standards of conduct and integrity in all that they do. | ||
| 3. | a. | Ordinary meetings of the UK Whippet Breed Council shall be convened as often as deemed necessary. These meetings may be held in person or online. | |
| b. | The agenda shall be prepared by the Secretary in liaison with the Chairperson. Items for inclusion on the agenda shall be accepted from all member Breed Clubs, Officers, and Coordinators. | ||
| c. | Notice of UK Whippet Breed 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 UK Whippet Breed 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 key decisions shall be by ‘secret ballot’; tellers to be appointed at in-person meetings and, for online meetings, a secure, anonymous electronic voting tool will be used. The Chairperson shall have the casting vote in the event of a tied vote. | ||
| g. | Full members of Breed Clubs may attend UK Whippet Breed Council meetings as Observers but cannot vote. At the discretion of the Chairperson, 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 Council business will not be discussed outside of their Club’s committee meeting. | ||
| h. | For reasons of confidentiality and at the discretion of the Chairperson, a meeting may be deemed closed to Observers. | ||
| i. | With the agreement of all present, meetings of the UK Whippet Breed Council will be recorded. To promote the work of the Council and engage the Whippet community, the Chairperson will provide a synopsis for publication in the canine press and to be shared through the Council’s digital channels. The Breed Health Coordinator and the Breed Education Coordinator’s reports to Ordinary meetings will be shared through the Council’s digital channels. | ||
| 4. | a. | An operating bank account and subsequent savings accounts shall be held in the name of the UK Whippet Breed Council, into which all revenues of the Council shall be paid, and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the authorisation of two (2) or more Officers – Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer, or in the case of the Health Fund, the Breed Health Coordinator. | |
| b. | All contributions to UK Whippet Breed Council funds are accepted on the proviso that they are free from all conditions. | ||
| c. | All UK Whippet Breed Council funds shall be used as agreed by the Council members at a meeting and operated through the Treasurer. | ||
| d. | The accounts shall be certified annually and 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 UK Whippet Breed Council shall be from the 1st January to the 31stDecember. All Clubs are to pay Subscriptions by 1st January. | ||
| 5. | In the event of the UK Whippet Breed Council ceasing to exist, a final meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets, and the outcome of the meeting notified to The RKC. | ||
| 6. | a. | The Annual Meeting shall be held within the period of January to the end of 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 2 f, g, and i, and 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 Chairperson 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 or electronic votes. | ||
| i. | A Special Meeting can be called by the Chairperson 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 UK Whippet 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 RKC has been advised and approved of the alteration. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet The RKC requirements shall be adopted immediately. | ||
| 8. | The Officers acknowledge that by the 31st July each year, returns, as stipulated in The RKC Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies & Breed Councils, will be submitted to The RKC. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform The RKC of any change of Secretary of the UK Whippet Breed Council which may occur during the course of the year. | ||
| 9. | The RKC is the final authority for interpreting the rules and regulations of the UK Whippet Breed Council in all cases relative to canine or Council matters. | ||
Updated April 2026