SCOTTISH BORDERS ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHIP
Constitution - May 1998

1 NAME
 The name of the organisation shall be Scottish Borders Environment Partnership (hereinafter referred to as the Partnership).

2 AIMS
 The Aims of the Partnership are, within the Scottish Borders Council area:
A) to advance public education in and knowledge and awareness of the environment, including the support of training in environment subjects;
B) to promote the conservation of the environment in rural and urban areas, including air, land and water, and things living, growing and manmade;
C) to encourage and to provide support for the delivery of practical projects for environmental improvement, including making better use of resources and rehabilitation of land and water.

3 MEMBERSHIP 
A) Membership is open to any individual who or organisation which supports the aims of the Partnership. Membership fees will be subject to annual review and be due on 1st April each year. Reciprocal membership (no exchange of fee) may be arranged with other organisations.
B) The Partnership shall have the power to remove from membership any individual member or representative of any organisation who, in the view of the Partnership at a General Meeting, has brought the purposes of the Partnership into disrepute.

4 OFFICE-BEARERS
A) At the Annual General Meeting the following office-bearers shall be elected:  Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer. These office-bearers shall hold office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting next after their election. A chairperson may not hold office for more than three consecutive years except when no other nomination is made.
B) Nominations for office-bearers must be proposed and seconded by members of the Partnership. Nominations should be in writing, should have the written consent of the nominee, and should be in the hand of the Chairman or Secretary before the start of the Annual General Meeting. Should nominees exceed vacancies, elections shall be by ballot.

5 GENERAL MEETINGS
A) General Meetings, including one Annual General Meeting in each financial year, will be held at such times and at such places as shall be determined by the Partnership. Members shall be given fourteen days’ notice in writing.
B) A Special General Meeting may be convened by the Chairman or by written notice of motion signed by at least seven members. On receipt of such a motion notice of a meeting must be given within twenty-five days. Members shall be given twenty-one days’ notice in writing.
C) No business shall be transacted at a General Meeting unless seven members or half the members are present, whichever is the lesser.

6 GROUPS 
 Groups may be set up to undertake specific tasks. Group leaders will be appointed at General Meetings and will report back in writing.

7 FINANCE
A) The income and property of the Partnership shall be applied solely towards the aims as given in clause 2 and no part of the income or property shall be paid, transferred, distributed or otherwise applied, either to members of the Partnership or to any other person, for any other purpose.
B) The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Partnership and shall pay all monies not immediately required into an account in the name of the Partnership at such financial institution as shall be determined by the Partnership.
C) The financial year shall be 1st April - 31st March. The Accounts shall be examined at least once a year by an independent examiner appointed at a General Meeting. Examined accounts for the previous financial year shall be presented at each Annual General Meeting.
D) Cheques drawn on a Partnership account shall be signed by two of three or more signatories appointed at a General Meeting.
E) The whole property and other assets of the Borders Environmental Education Forum shall, with effect from the date hereof, transfer to and vest in the Scottish Borders Environment Partnership.

8 CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
A) The constitution may only be altered at an Annual or Special General Meeting.
B) A motion for the alteration of the Constitution at an Annual General Meeting must be received by the Chairman or Secretary twenty-eight days before the meeting.
C) Members shall be given notice in writing of the proposed alteration(s) as per clause 5A or 5B as appropriate.
D) Any changes to the Constitution must be agreed by two-thirds of the members present at the Meeting.

9 DISSOLUTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP
A) The Partnership may only be dissolved by a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. A proposal to dissolve the Partnership will only take effect if agreed by two-thirds of the members present at the Special General Meeting.
B) If on the dissolution of the Partnership any property remains after satisfaction of all the Partnership’s debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among members of the Partnership but shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies within the Scottish Borders whose aims are altogether or in part similar to the aims of the Partnership and whose constitution restricts the distribution of income and assets among members to an extent at least as great as does clause 7A of this constitution. The body or bodies to which property is transferred will be determined by the members.
C) To the extent that effect cannot be given to the provision 9B the relevant property shall be applied to some other charitable object or objects.

Date of Meeting     /   /               Signed by:               Print Name:               Address:

Chair of the Partnership     
         
...........of the Partnership