Rules & Bye-Laws of Kingston Rowing Club – (‘’the Club’’)

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Name

The Club shall be known as Kingston Rowing Club Limited hereinafter known as ‘the Club’. The Club is a company limited by guarantee, company number 11487825. The governance of the Club shall be determined by the Articles of Association. Where these Rules and Bye-Laws conflict with the Articles of Association, the Articles shall take precedence.

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Objectives

The main purposes of the Club are to provide facilities for and to promote participation in the amateur sport of rowing and sculling (including in-door rowing) in Kingston-upon-Thames.

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Membership

Classes of Membership (Summarised at Appendix A)

1. Membership of the Club shall be open to all and shall consist of the following classes of members, namely:
   Full Members, Life Members, Casual Rowing Members, Half Members, Junior Members, Student Members, Kingston University Student Members, Learn to Row Members, Social Members, Social Members (Remenham), Indoor Rowing Members, Coach Members, Cox Members, Club Welfare Officer (CWO) Members, Honorary Members, Affiliated Cadet Members and Affiliate (Temporary) Members.
2. Full and Life Members are entitled to all the privileges of the Club.
3. Casual Rowing Members are entitled to use the club premises for the purpose of rowing or sculling on an irregular basis only (and may compete in Head of the River races, but not Regattas) provided that members under clauses b, d, e and f have priority on the use of equipment. Under Rule 6 Casual Rowing Members shall be treated as Half Members. In all other respects Casual Rowing Members are entitled to the privileges of the Club.
4. Half Members are those members resident or attending full-time courses of instruction at Universities, Colleges, Schools or other educational establishments and who are thereby prevented from rowing for the Club during Term; such members are entitled to all the privileges of the Club other than using the Club premises for the purpose of rowing or sculling during Term time.
5. Junior Members are those members who are classified as juniors according to the prevailing British Rowing Racing Rules.
6. Student Members are those members who have not attained the age of 25 on 1st October of the current Financial Year and are serving under articles, indentures apprenticeships or internships, or those resident or attending a full-time educational establishment but who are not thereby prevented from rowing for the Club during Term. Such members are entitled to all the privileges of the Club.
7. Kingston University Members are members who are studying at Kingston University. Such members are entitled to all the privileges of the Club.
8. Social Members, Social Members (Remenham), Coach Members, Cox Members, and CWO Members are entitled to all the privileges of the Club other than that of using the Club premises for the purpose of rowing or sculling, but shall be allowed to cox at the discretion of the Captain.
9. Indoor Members are entitled to use the indoor training facilities of the Club on weekday mornings and weekend afternoons at times which do not clash with rowing members’ training or Club events. They may not use the facilities for rowing or sculling. Apart from these exclusions they are entitled to all the privileges of the Club.
10. Honorary Members - the Executive Committee (Excom) may bestow honorary membership on persons who are not members of the Club but have provided exceptional service to the Club. Honorary Members will be entitled to all the privileges of the Club other than that of using the Club facilities or for the purposes of rowing or sculling. Honorary Members will not have any voting rights and will not be able to serve on the Executive Committee.
11. Learn to Row Members – are entitled to all the privileges of the Club for the duration of the Learn to Row course.
12. Affiliated Cadet Members: the Executive Committee shall be empowered to elect the members from time to time constituting the members of the rowing or boat club of any School or College that they may deem suitable as Affiliated Cadet Members, and to enter into such agreements with the school or College authorities as to period of membership, amount of and use of the Club premises and boats or otherwise, and also to make regulations for giving effect to any such agreement and for governing the status of such agreement. Affiliated Cadet Members shall be entitled at any time to apply for Full Membership of the Club. Applicants for membership and members renewing their membership, will undertake to abide by the Articles of Association, the Rules and Bye-Laws of the Club and the sport of rowing.

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Life Membership

A member who has been a member for an unbroken period of 15 years, after  having attained the age of 18 years, and has paid all subscriptions which may have become due during such period, shall have the option of applying to become a Life Member. The Executive Committee shall maintain and review as needed from time to time a protocol for assessing applications for Life Membership and for determining the one-off fee to be paid and upon payment thereafter there shall be no liability for further subscription.

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Half, Junior, and Student Members Ceasing to Qualify

Unless qualifying for Junior Membership under Rule 3 every Half Member on ceasing to be qualified as a Half Member, every Junior Member on attaining the age of 18, and every Student Member or Kingston University Student Member on attaining the age of 25 or ceasing to be qualified as a Student Member shall automatically become a Full Member as from the commencement of the ensuing subscription year unless they opt for an alternative form of membership and apply according to the Rules governing that category.

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Application for Social Membership

Full, Half, Junior or Student Members wishing to become Social Members or Social Members (Remenham) must submit their name to the Committee for acceptance as such, but shall be liable for full subscriptions as Full, Half, Junior or Student Members as the case may be in respect of the financial year in which their names have been submitted.

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Affiliate (Temporary) Membership

Rule 3(a) notwithstanding, and subject to Article 30, the Executive Committee shall have the power to nominate and elect Affiliate Members for a limited period not exceeding 6 weeks, provided that in all cases at least 48 hours shall elapse between the nomination and the election, and in the admission of such members to the Club. Members admitted under this Rule shall be entitled, without payment of subscription, to the same privileges of the Club as Social Members save those of attending and voting at meetings of the Club and shall, save as aforesaid, be subject to the Rules and Bye-Laws applicable to members.

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Subscription

The rates of subscription shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall be due on election and, thereafter, on or before 1st October in each year. If members shall fail to pay their Annual Subscriptions within such period as the Executive Committee at their discretion think fit, the Executive Committee may instruct the Membership Secretary to have the defaulting members` names conspicuously posted in the Club premises and those members shall be debarred from all the privileges of the Club until such Annual Subscription be paid. In the case of Remenham Social Members, if a subscription is not paid by 31st December, the Membership Secretary will advise the Remenham Club Membership Secretary and the membership pack will be sent without the Members Badge for the upcoming Henley Royal Regatta.

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Register of Members

The Membership Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept a register of the names and addresses of the members and a record of the latest payment of their subscription together with a record of Emergency Contact Details, Health and Safety Declaration and Swimming Proficiency for each member.

For Affiliated Cadet Members, the Membership Secretary will work with the Junior Organiser (see Rule 12 c) and Rule 28) to keep a register of Names, Emergency Contact Details and Health and Safety Declarations in coordination with their school or college and will also keep a record of Swimming Proficiency.

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Qualification for Holding Office or Committee Membership

Any member entitled to vote and who is 18 years or older is eligible to hold office and/or stand for election to the Executive Committee of the Club.[1]

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Kingston Rowing Club Limited

1. The Board of Kingston Rowing Club Limited (KRC Ltd) is ultimately responsible for the management of the Club’s business, for which purpose it may exercise all the powers of the Club. The Board shall delegate this function to the Executive Committee, subject always to the Board’s powers set out in the Articles of Association and to the matters specifically reserved to the Board by law.
2. The Directors of KRC Ltd shall be appointed according to its Articles of Association as follows:
   
   1. The President (non-executive) – also President of KRC
   2. the Captain – also Captain of KRC
   3. the Chief Executive
   4. the Company Secretary – also KRC Secretary
   5. the Company Treasurer – also KRC Treasurer
   6. The KRC Chairman
   7. One elected Director, who ideally will have commercial or business experience and who is a member of the KRC Executive Committee; acts as Canbury Boathouse Limited Director (No. 1) – Executive Director
   8. Two non-executive directors, who shall be Vice Presidents of the Club;

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Executive Committee

1. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee (to be called the Executive Committee) composed of the five six executive directors of KRC Ltd (Captain, Chief Executive, Company Secretary, Company Treasurer, KRC Chairman, Elected Director) and the President ex officio and Administrative Members as set out below to be elected at the Annual General Meeting in every year in the same manner as that prescribed for the election of directors at Article 28. The names of the candidates nominated for election as Administrative Members of the Executive Committee must be proposed by one member and seconded by another and their names submitted to the Secretary at least 7 days before the Annual General Meeting; Members so nominated must signify their willingness to serve on the Executive Committee if elected. The names of the candidates nominated shall be posted at least 4 days (or such time as may be appointed by the Executive Committee) before the Meeting. In the case of any casual vacancy caused by resignation or otherwise during the period between one Annual General Meeting and next such Meeting, a member of the Club may be appointed by the Executive Committee to fill the vacancy.
2. The Vice-Presidents shall be eligible for election to the Executive Committee on the same footing as other members of the Club, and references to `members of the Club` in paragraph “a” of this Rule shall be deemed to include the Vice-Presidents. If it shall seem especially desirable to the Executive Committee, any Vice-President(s) may be invited by the Executive Committee to attend any meeting of such committee, but shall not be entitled to vote thereat.
3. Supplementary to their responsibilities as Members of the Executive Committee, Members will at the first meeting of the Executive Committee after the Annual General Meeting in any year (the “First Meeting”) be allocated one or more of the following Committee Appointments and the responsibilities involved will be defined or otherwise ensure that the duties associated with each Appointment can be properly discharged. Elected Appointments

   Standing Appointments

   Elected Appointments and Standing Appointments are Voting Appointments.

   Where the duties involved with a Committee Appointment are beyond the capacity of an individual to discharge, the Executive Committee shall form a standing subcommittee to enable the duties to be discharged. The Appointments ‘Without Portfolio’ will be assigned to sub-committees. The Executive Committee will appoint assistants to be additional members of sub-committees as required.

   Notwithstanding such other responsibilities as may be allocated by the Committee, the duties of the Safety Adviser are as described in Rule 27.

   In addition at its First Meeting, the Committee will verify the appointments of a Junior Organiser as described in Rule 28.

   • Safety Champion
   • Safety Advisor
   • Membership Secretary
   • Membership Administrator
   • Social Secretary
   • Fund Raising Manager
   • Communications Manager
   • Chairman Finance Sub-committee
   • Canbury Boathouse Manager
   • Bar Manager
   • Fleet Manager
   • Without Portfolio 1
   • Without Portfolio 2
   • Without Portfolio 3

   Standing Appointments:

   • Canbury Boathouse Limited Director (No. 2)
   • Kington University Liaison
   • Club Welfare Officer
   • Remenham Club Liaison
   • Kingston Amateur Regatta Liaison
   • Kingston Heads Liaison

   Elected Appointments and Standing Appointments are Voting Appointments.

   Where the duties involved with a Committee Appointment are beyond the capacity of an individual to discharge, the Executive Committee shall form a standing subcommittee to enable the duties to be discharged. The Appointments ‘Without Portfolio’ will be assigned to sub-committees. The Executive Committee will appoint assistants to be additional members of sub-committees as required.

   Notwithstanding such other responsibilities as may be allocated by the Committee, the duties of the Safety Adviser are as described in Rule 27.

   In addition at its First Meeting, the Committee will verify the appointments of a Junior Organiser as described in Rule 28.

4. The  Safety  Champion  will  take  account  of  advice  from  the  Safety Adviser  and  form  a  team  drawn  from  across  the  club  to  manage  the club’s  Safety  Management  System  in  accordance  with  good  practice for  clubhouse management  and  as  far  as  is  practical with  British Rowing recommendations.

5. The  Executive  Committee  shall  have  powers  to  appoint  working  sub-committees  as  may  be  required  from  time  to  time  and  to  co-opt  any other  Members.  The  Executive  Committee  may  appoint  assistants  to any of the Club`s Directors or Administrative Members.

6. The term of office shall be for one year, and members shall be eligible for re-election.

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Officers of Kingston Rowing Club

The  Officers  of  the  Club  shall  consist  of  the  Captain,  Chairman  of  the Executive  Committee,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  For  the  avoidance  of  doubt, the Chief Executive of the board of directors of KRC Ltd may not necessarily be the same person as the Chairman of the Executive Committee.

Members  nominated  for  any  Office  must  be  proposed  by  one  member  and seconded by another and their names submitted to the Secretary at least 14 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. Members nominated as President and Vice-Presidents must be proposed by the Executive Committee and  do  not  require  to  be  seconded. All  Members  so  nominated  shall  signify their willingness to serve if elected. The names of the candidates nominated, with  the  names of the  proposers  and  seconders  shall  be  posted  at  least  7 days (or such time as may be appointed by the Executive Committee) before the Meeting.

1. Chairman: The Chairman (or Chair) will preside at all General meetings  of  the  Club  and  at  all  meetings  of  the  Executive  Committee and  shall  be  responsible  for  guiding  the  activities  of  the  Club  in accordance  with  its  approved strategy.  The  Chairman  shall  represent or arrange for the representation of the Club at British Rowing regional level  and  at  meetings  of  other  organisations.    The  Chairman  shall  ex officio be a member of any other committee of the Club. By tradition the President  chairs  the  Annual  General  Meeting  until  such  time  that  the Chairman has been elected.
2. Captain: The Captain is the link between the Executive Committee and the  rowers.  The  Captain’s  position  is  to  provide  leadership  in  the rowing  program  at  the  Club  and  to  be  the  public  face  of  the  club  in rowing matters. The Captain will manage the Club’s Vice Captains and will allocate equipment to squads
3. Secretary: The  Secretary  will  be  responsible  for  the  organisation  of meetings  of  the  Committee  and  of  the  Club,  and  the  recording  of minutes  relating  to  such  meetings  and  all  correspondence  relating  to the general business of the Club.
4. Treasurer: The  Treasurer  will  be  responsible  for  the  collection  and disbursement of all monies belonging to the Club and will keep proper accounting records of all such transactions. The Treasurer will present to  the  Executive  Committee  at its  regular  meetings  a  balance  sheet and  income  and  expenditure  account  showing  the  Club’s  financial position.  The  transactions  of  the  Club  will  be  conducted  through  a designated  bank  account  or  accounts.  The Treasurer  will  advise  the committee on financial matters.

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President and Vice Presidents

1. The President: The President shall be elected by ballot at the  Annual General Meeting in every year after having been proposed and seconded in the prescribed manner.
2. Vice-Presidents: Vice-Presidents shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting in every year after having been proposed and seconded in the prescribed manner and shall continue as a Vice-President whilst remaining a member.
3. Presidents and Vice-Presidents are not, ex-officio, Officers of the Club but may be elected as an Officer in accordance with this Rule.

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Deputy Captain and Vice Captains

The  Club  may  appoint  a  Deputy  Captain  and  a  number  of  Vice  Captains  to assist  the  Captain  and  to  assist  with  the  running  of  the  Club.  The  Deputy Captain  and  Vice  Captains  may  be  (1)  nominated  and  approved by  the members at the AGM in the same manner as Executive Committee members, (2)  appointed  by  the  Executive  Committee,  or  (3)  appointed  by  the  Captain and approved by the Executive Committee. At the AGM following appointment the Deputy Captain and each Vice Captain shall retire, but shall be eligible for re-election in accordance with the procedure set out at Rule 12 and Article 28.

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Executive Committee Meetings

1. The  Committee  is  responsible  for  the  general  conduct  of  the  Club's business and activities.

2. The  Committee  shall  meet  at  regular  intervals  during  the  year,  as required by the business to be transacted.

3. Special meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Secretary on instructions  from  the  Chairman,  or  not  less  than  three  committee
   members.

4. A quorum shall consist of not less than 8 members.

5. At  every  Committee  Meeting  the  voting  shall  be  by  a  show  of  hands (except where these Rules require a Ballot to be taken). Notwithstanding the foregoing, a ballot must be taken if it is demanded
   by one member. There shall be no proxy votes.

6. In the case of casual vacancy among the Committee, the said Committee  shall  be  entitled  to  appoint  another  eligible  person  to  act until the next AGM.

7. The Committee and individual committee members should act according to high ethical standards, and ensure that conflicts of interest are properly dealt with.

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Voting

At  General  Meetings,  all  members  except  Honorary,  Affiliate  Cadet  and Affiliate (Temporary) members shall be entitled to one vote each.

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Alteration Of These Rules

1. These Rules shall not be altered, amended or rescinded except by the Executive Committee or by a General Meeting of the Club.
2. A resolution to give effect to a change must be passed by at least two thirds  of  the  Executive  Committee  members  present,  or  at  least  two thirds of the members present at the General Meeting.

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Independent Examiner

Every Annual General Meeting shall appoint a suitably qualified accountant as an  Independent  Examiner  who  shall  at  the  conclusion  of  the  next  financial year  examine  the  accounting  records  of  the  Club  to  assess  whether they agree with the records. The Independent Examiner shall report to the members  at  the  next AGM  to  confirm  that  the  accounts  appear  to  be  correct and to report any matters of material significance.

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Financial And Subscription Years

The Financial Year of the Club shall begin on the 1st October. The subscription year shall begin on the 1st of October.

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Hours of Opening and Closing

The  premises  of  the  Club  shall  be  open  and  closed  at  such  hours  as  the Executive Committee shall from time to time determine. The  Executive  Committee  shall  arrange  for  the  club  to  be  licensed  for  the supply of intoxicating liquor in accordance with current legislation for premises. It is expected that the bar shall be open:
 
Monday – Saturday: 10.00am – 23.00pm
Sunday: 12.00am – 22.30pm

Subject  to  any  special  licence  extension  which  may  be  granted  from  time  to time.

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Admission of Guests

Each member shall be allowed to introduce guests into the Club premises, for whose good behaviour such members shall be responsible, and no guest shall remain upon the  premises of the Club after the member by whom the guest has been introduced has left.

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Bye-Laws

The Executive Committee shall have the power to make from time to time such Bye-Laws and Regulations consistent with the General Rules of the Club as they shall think necessary, and to amend or repeal such Bye-Laws.

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Nominations

The Executive Committee may nominate a person to be a member and/or Director of any Company, Corporation, Society or Association formed for purposes which include the acquisition of premises, goods or services which may from time to time be necessary or convenient for the proper running of the Club or to further the interests of the Club financially or otherwise. Such nominees shall at all times act in accordance with the policies and on the instructions of the Executive Committee and so doing will be indemnified against any liabilities which they may incur in carrying out their duties. The Executive Committee may at any time request the resignation of any such member or director of such Company, Corporation, Society or Association by giving notice in writing and upon such notice being given the individual (if a member) shall forthwith resign or take all necessary steps to transfer such membership to some other person so nominated or (if a Director) shall forthwith resign such Directorship.

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Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures

The Club’s Grievance and Disciplinary Procedure is set out in Annex 1.

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Equity Policy

The Club shall maintain an Equity Policy based on the Sport England definition of sports equity and Sport England guidelines.

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Equal Opportunities Policy

The Club is fully committed to the principles of equality of opportunity and is responsible for ensuring that no member, volunteer, employee or job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or marital status, pregnancy, religious belief, social status, sexual orientation or political belief.

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Child Protection Procedures

The Club accepts and adopts British Rowing’s Safeguarding and Protecting
Children Procedures and Protection of Vulnerable Adults Procedures and
requires all members to observe them as a condition of membership. In
accordance with the British Rowing policy and rules relating to Child
Protection procedures the Executive Committee shall appoint: -

1. A person who has gained one of the British Rowing Coaching Awards as “Junior Organiser”, to be responsible for the club’s Juniors on a day- to-day basis.
2. A separate “Club Welfare Officer” to whom concerns or allegations regarding inappropriate treatment of Juniors can be made.

The Club Welfare Officer will have a duty to understand the requirements of the British Rowing Child Protection Procedures and to act on them as necessary. The Club Welfare Officer must also ensure that there is a well-established complaints procedure and that parents and children have the relevant information and thus easy access to it.

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Code of Conduct for Coaches

The club accepts and adopts the British Rowing Code of Conduct for Coaches and the Clubmark Code of Conduct for Club Officials and Volunteers.

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Safety

The Officers and Committee have primary responsibility for safe practice within the Club and for observing guidance of water safety issued by British Rowing and through RowSafe.

The Club shall maintain a Safety Policy which will include the KRC Boating Safety Plan. In addition, the Club accepts and adopts the British Rowing Row Safe Guidance Procedures as set out from time to time by British Rowing, and requires all members to observe them as a condition of membership. If due to the particularities of the Kingston Reach, conflict arises between the KRC Safety and Boating Plan and the British Rowing Row Safe Guidance Procedures, the Executive Committee shall determine and explain any necessary override. The duties of the Club Safety Adviser will be to understand and maintain the Club Safety policy, to advise on its prominent display, its observation and its implementation at all times.

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Data Protection

Kingston Rowing Club Limited is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales and is a “controller” under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our Data Protection Policy is available for inspection on the Club website.

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Racking Private Boats in Canbury Boathouse

The protocol for racking privately owned boats in Canbury Boathouse is contained in Annex 2.

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Annexes

Annex 1: Grievance and Disciplinary Procedure

Grievances

a) All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be submitted in writing
to
the Honorary Secretary, who in turn shall notify the Executive Directors as soon as
reasonably practicable thereafter. The complainer is referred to as the Complainant.
The subject of the complaint is referred to as the Respondent.
The Executive Directors shall consider carefully the most appropriate method of
dealing with the complaint. This might be through informal discussions with the
parties concerned, or through a more formal hearing. Whenever possible informal
discussion or mediation shall be tried, if appropriate, before a formal hearing
procedure is implemented.
On receiving a grievance, if the Executive Directors wish to try to resolve informally
in the first instance it should identify a suitably qualified person who has not
previously been involved in the dispute, in agreement with all parties.
This stage is not obligatory but may help to clarify any misunderstandings or help
identify the issues in dispute and may serve to resolve the issue before initiating a
formal hearing.
The outcome of this stage is not binding but may be referred to in any subsequent
hearing or appeal as may any failure or refusal to participate in such proceedings.
If the complaint involves a junior member of the club, the Club Welfare Officer would
usually be asked to lead the management of the complaint.

Hearing

• If the Complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of informal discussions (or such a stage is not deemed to be appropriate) he must set out in writing their grievance and request for a hearing and send to the Honorary Secretary within a reasonable timescale. This may vary depending on the issue at hand but should not, where possible, exceed 28 days.
• A hearings panel shall be appointed by the Executive Directors. The panel should be aware of the possible outcomes of the hearing, including referring the conduct of either party to a Disciplinary Panel.
• At a minimum it should comprise a chairman and two independent members one of whom may have relevant ‘expert’ knowledge. All panel members must be independent of the dispute.

14
27 July 2020• The Complainant and the Respondent should confirm to the Honorary
Secretary their agreement to the constituted panel within 7 days of being
notified. If no confirmation or objection is received within 7 days then the
Complainant and the Respondent shall be regarded as having confirmed
agreement. The Complainant and the Respondent may make reasonable
objections to the composition of the panel, but the final decision rests with the
Executive Directors. The panel, once constituted, shall appoint one of their
number to be the chair.
• The panel must give a fair and independent hearing to both sides of the
dispute within an appropriate and agreed timescale. The Complainant and the
Respondent have the right to be accompanied by a person of his or her
choosing to any hearing or other meetings in connection with a hearing, save
that the final decision on who may or may not be present at any hearing rests
with the panel chair.
• Hearings shall be conducted in person and should take place within 21 days
of the Complainant and Respondent confirming their agreement to the
composition of the panel (or 28 days of the Complainant and Respondent
being notified of the panel if no response is received).
• If either party chooses not to attend the hearing in person, the panel, if
properly constituted, has the right to proceed with the hearing in their absence
and/or based on written submissions.
• The outcome, and sufficient reason to explain the outcome, of the hearing
must be communicated to both parties within 14 days.
• The panel may, inter alia, decide to exonerate the Respondent or refer the
Respondent to a disciplinary hearing.
• If the panel finds that the complaint has been made in bad faith, the panel
may refer the Complainant to a disciplinary hearing.
• The findings of the panel should be put to the Executive Committee for
ratification.
• If the outcome of the hearing is unacceptable to either party they have the
right to request an appeal.

Appeal procedure

If either party wishes to appeal against the outcome of the hearing they should set
out the grounds on which they wish to appeal in writing. This letter should be sent to
the Club Chairman within 14 days of the outcome of the initial hearing being known.
An appeal should be granted where there is a “strong arguable case” that either:-

• relevant information was ignored or not considered by the original panel; or
• the grievance procedure was tainted by unreasonable bias or conflict of interests; or
• the provisions of the Club’s grievance procedure were not adhered to; or
• the original panel exceeded its jurisdiction; or
• the findings of the original panel were irrational or wrong in law.

If an appeal is granted, the Executive Directors must appoint an independent appeal
panel to consider the appeal, none of whom have had any prior involvement in the
matter. The appeal panel should be constituted along the same principles as the
hearings panel outlined above. The chairman of the appeals panel should convene a
hearing of the appeals panel in a timely manner and, in consultation with the other
panel members, will decide the conduct of the proceedings. If appropriate he may
request written submissions and the appeals panel may or may not request the
parties to attend in person. The Respondent has the right to be accompanied by a
person of his or her choosing to any hearing or other meetings in connection with an
appeal. The outcome and sufficient reason to explain the outcome of the appeal
panel shall be communicated to both parties within 14 days of the appeal panel
hearing. The outcome of the appeal will be final.

Disciplinary Procedure

Where the Club wishes to discipline an individual who has contravened the Club’s
rules or code of conduct, or who is deemed to have brought the sport or the Club into disrepute, the following procedure shall be followed. The decision to institute disciplinary proceedings against any member or individual shall be made by the Executive Directors, or by any 15 members of the Club who shall certify the same in writing and giving reasons, whereupon the Executive Committee Directors shall be empowered to require that member or individual to attend a disciplinary hearing.

A disciplinary panel shall have the powers to impose a financial penalty, to suspend membership temporarily for up to 12 months, to terminate membership, to cancel life membership, or any combination of these powers. Any person whose membership has been terminated shall not be re-admitted to membership in the future save by express agreement of the Executive Directors.

Disciplinary hearing

The Executive Committee shall set out in writing the details of the disciplinary case
including, where possible, details of any rules or agreements that have been deemed
to be contravened and sent to the member accused within a reasonable timescale.
This notice shall contain details of the disciplinary procedure, including timescales,
the powers of the panel and potential outcomes, the right to be accompanied, and
the right of appeal.

The disciplinary hearings panel shall be appointed by the Directors. At a minimum the panel shall comprise a chair and two independent members one of whom may have relevant ‘expert’ knowledge. Wherever practical, the panel members should have no conflicts of interest but in the event that this is not possible any panel member with a conflict must declare it to all parties to the proceedings. The Honorary Secretary shall notify the member or individual concerned of the allegations against him or her and provide notice of the hearing date as soon as
reasonably practicable. The hearing date should be no later than 28 days from the date the Executive Directors appoints the hearings panel, unless special reasons
apply.

The member or individual against whom the disciplinary action is being taken has the right to be accompanied by a person of his or her choosing to any hearing or other meetings in connection with a disciplinary hearing, save that the final decision on who may or may not be present at any hearing rests with the panel chair.

If either party chooses not to attend the hearing, the panel, if properly constituted,
has the right to proceed with the hearing in their absence and/or on written
submissions. The panel may wish to call on ‘expert’ witnesses for advice.
The result of the hearing, with sufficient reason to explain the result, shall be
communicated in writing to both parties within 14 days of the date of the hearing.
If the outcome of the hearing is unacceptable to either party they have the right to
request an appeal.

Appeal procedure

If either party wishes to appeal against the outcome of the disciplinary hearing they
should set out the grounds on which they wish to appeal in writing. This letter should be sent to the Club chairman within 14 days of the outcome of the initial hearing being known. An appeal should be granted where there is a “strong arguable case” that either:-

1. relevant information was ignored or not considered by the original panel; or
2. the disciplinary process was tainted by unreasonable bias or conflict of interests; or
3. the provisions of the disciplining Organisation’s disciplinary procedure were not adhered to; or
4. the original panel exceeded its jurisdiction; or
5. the findings of the original panel were irrational or otherwise wrong in law.

Where an appeal hearing is granted, the Executive Directors shall appoint an
independent appeal panel to consider the appeal, none of whom have had any prior
involvement in the matter.

The appeal panel should be constituted along the same principles as the hearings
panel outlined above. The chair of the appeals panel should convene a hearing of
the appeals panel in a timely manner and, in consultation with the other panel
members, will decide the conduct of the proceedings.

If appropriate they may request written submissions and the appeals panel may or
may not require the parties to be attend in person. If they do attend the appellant has the right to be accompanied by a person of his or her choosing to any hearing or
other meetings in connection with an appeal.

The outcome of the appeal panel, with sufficient reason to explain the outcome will
be communicated to both parties within 14 days of the appeal panel hearing, save
that the final decision on who may or may not be present at any hearing rests with
the panel chair.

The outcome of the appeal will be final, save for where the outcome is that the
member’s membership is terminated. In that scenario alone the member shall have a
final right of appeal before the members in general meeting as set out at Article 32 of
the Articles of Association.

Annex 2: Racking Private Boats in Canbury Boathouse

All applications for boat storage must initially be made to the Captain as the point of
contact for the Executive Committee (ExCom). The Captain shall then provide a
recommendation to the ExCom to approve/not approve.
If boat storage is approved:

1. The specific rack (i.e. internal or external) for the boat shall be agreed with the Captain
2. The charge for all single sculling boat racks will agreed each year by ExCom as part of the annual subscriptions review, in line with the current standard practice. Payment should be made with the annual subscription.
3. The charge for all other boat types will be decided and agreed by the ExCom on a case by case basis by considering the overall benefit/burden to KRC and will be reviewed annually.
4. The boat owner shall provide proof of adequate insurance cover to the ExCom
5. The boat owner can arrange this insurance separately or apply to have the boat covered as part of the KRC Fleet Insurance.
6. The cost of insurance (whether arranged separately or through KRC) shall be covered by the boat owner unless agreed by the ExCom that it is in the best interests of KRC to cover the cost.
7. The boat owner shall ensure that the boat is licenced and cover the cost unless it is agreed by the ExCom that it is in the best interests of KRC to cover the cost.
8. To minimise the risk that a boat name might cause offence to other members or damage the reputation of the club externally the boat owner is advised to seek approval of the name from the ExCom.
9. Approval of a boat name by the ExCom shall be in alignment with the club values and approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
10. To promote club inclusivity and club spirit the boat owner will be invited to name the boat as part of an official KRC boat naming event such as the Spring boat naming ceremony.
11. The boat storage agreement will be subject to annual review when the ExCom will have the option to approve for a further twelve months or terminate the agreement.
12. The agreement will not be unreasonably terminated and will be subject to appeal.
13. If the owner of a boat sells it, he/she may not include the rack. This would be subject to the Captain’s approval.
14. If the boat owner fails to pay his/her subscription and/or rack fee by the due date, the club will issue a notice to the member giving 2 months to make payment or remove the boat. Failing this the club reserves the right to put the boat into general club use or sell the boat or dispose of it if it’s not worth repairing. The proceeds of a sale will be paid to the member less a 20% handling charge.

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