¨ Shall take any other steps the Executive Committee may consider necessary for the benefit or protection of the members of the Chamber, and the public of Dorchester and District.

2 Convention

All statements made in this Charter shall be governed by the following convention:

¨ Those containing the words “Shall” or “Will” are Manadatory instructions.

¨ Those containing the words “Should” or “May” are Discretionary and will be for the President or Chairman of any Meeting to interpret appropriately.

¨ Use of the male gender in this document shall be accepted as a universal term and shall be interpreted to mean either male or female.

3 Membership

Full membership of the Chamber shall be open to any Dorchester & District organisation whose Primary function is business engaged in the fields of Commerce, Industry or Tourism.

A copy of the Rules of the Chamber shall be supplied to each Member.

Candidates for Membership of the Chamber shall be approved by the Executive Committee.

Membership of the Chamber is vested in the Company or Organisation and not in the Individual.

Each Member Company or Organisation shall appoint a representative to attend and vote in the Chamber.

Additional representatives of any Member Company or Organisation may attend Meetings, but they shall have no vote.

3.1 Subscriptions

The Annual Subscription, covering the period from 1st September until 31st August, shall be fixed each year at the Annual General Meeting, and shall be payable in advance, due on the first working day of September each year. A new member joining between 1 July and 31 August will not be required to pay the following years subscription.

No Member whose subscription is three months in arrears shall be entitled to attend meetings, to vote, or to any privilege of the Chamber.

Members who resign their membership, for any reason, shall forfeit any remaining portion of their subscription fees for the current year.

3.2 Associate Membership

Associate Membership shall be open to those organisations that are not wholly of a business nature but have a commercial or educational element in their activities and have aims and objectives compatible with those of the Chamber.

Associate Members shall be liable to pay an annual subscription sufficient to reflect their Membership benefit if it is deemed to be appropriate by the Executive Committee.

Associate Members shall be entitled to send representatives to meetings but these representatives shall not be entitled to vote or stand for election to the Executive Committee, they may, however, be invited to advise the Executive Committee should the need arise.

The name of Associate Members shall appear with appropriate details in the published Directory of Members.

4 Management of the Chamber

The Management of the Chamber shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of a President, two Vice-Presidents, Honorary Treasurer and up to six members of the Chamber. An appointed Chief Executive and/or Secretary as detailed in part 4.2 shall support the Management team.

The Executive Committee shall have delegated powers to determine, refine, manage and implement the policy of the Chamber. Powers to allow the day to day running of the Chamber shall be vested in the Executive Committee by the Membership.

The Executive Committee is to appoint a Membership sub committee, which should consist of a minimum of two Full members. One member is to be responsible for the administration of the sub committee and a ‘job description’ will be provided by the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee may appoint other sub committees to deal with specific matters relating to the objectives of the Chamber. The terms of reference will be specified and may be of short or medium term duration. The sub committees are to appoint a chairman and will report to the Executive Committee.

The total numbers of the Executive shall not exceed 10, but should not be less than 6, all being Full members of the Chamber elected by the subscribing membership at the Annual General Meeting.

The President, or in his absence the most senior member of the Executive Committee present, shall preside at all Meetings.

At all meetings the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to his own.

The Honorary Treasurer shall maintain the Accounts, the Financial Year shall be from 1^st September until 31^st August annually.

The Honorary Treasurer shall prepare a summary of Accounts which shall be duly verified by Independent Examination, adopted by the Executive Committee, and presented at the Annual General Meeting.

4.1 Changes to the Charter

Any changes to this Charter will require ratification by the Membership at a General or Special Meeting.

Any proposals for rule changes or amendments shall be lodged, in writing, with the Chief Executive at least 28 days before a general meeting.

Members shall receive at least 21 days notice of any proposed rule changes.

4.2 Support Officials.

The President and Executive Committee may appoint and retain the support of the following -

Chief Executive and/or Secretary.

The position of Chief Executive and Secretary can be separate or a joint function.

Should the person or persons appointed to any of these positions not be a qualified member of the Chamber they will not be entitled to vote.

The appointed persons will be paid an honorarium that will be set by the Executive Committee and revised annually.

All reasonable expenses incurred in the conduct of the posts shall be reimbursed.

The terms of reference shall be specified by the Executive Committee and revised annually.

A copy of the terms of reference will be available to any member of the Chamber at all convenient times.

5 Elections of the Executive Committee

The elections of the Executive Committee shall form an integral part of the Agenda for the Annual General Meeting.

Any Full Member of the Chamber may seek nomination and election to the Executive Committee.

The tenure of an individual in the post of President should be limited to three years.

All nominations for elected membership of the Executive Committee shall be made in writing and sent to the Chief Executive on the official nomination papers at least fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting.

6 The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall meet at least bi-monthly, and five members shall form a quorum.

The Executive Committee shall report all progress on accepted actions at each General Meeting.

In the event of any officer of the Executive Committee dying, retiring or becoming insolvent between the regular periods of annual election, the vacancy shall be filled pre tempore by the Executive Committee and shall be subject to ratification by the full membership at the next General Meeting.

In the event that a member of the Executive Committee be absent from three consecutive meetings of the Committee, it shall be at the discretion of the Committee to request his or her resignation from the Committee, and the vacancy can then be filled by co-option. This appointment shall be subject to ratification at the next General Meeting.

7 Meetings

7.1 Conduct of Meetings

At any General or Special Meeting of the Chamber twenty per cent of the Members shall constitute a quorum.

During the debate any Member wishing to speak shall rise and, when acknowledged, shall address the Chairman and not any other member.

If two or more members rise together for the purpose of speaking it shall rest with the Chairman to decide who shall speak first.

Whilst a member, recognised by the Chair, is speaking all others shall remain silent.

Whenever the Chairman rises to speak all other members shall give way.

At every Meeting the Minutes of the preceding Meeting shall be proposed for acceptance as a true record of events and, if approved, signed by the Chairman.

The Reports of the Executive Committee shall have precedence over ordinary Motions.

7.2 Motions & Amendments

Any Amendment to a Motion being considered by the Meeting shall require formal Proposal and Secondary support from the floor of the meeting.

Each proposed Amendment to a Motion being considered by the Meeting must be decided by the Meeting voting “For” or “Against” it.

Any Amendment that is carried shall take the place of the Original Motion and may be subject to further Amendment.

No Motion or Amended Resolution shall be considered as carried until it shall have been voted upon and accepted as a Substantive Resolution after all proposed Amendments have been disposed of.

That no Member shall, without the consent of the chairman, speak more than once on the same Motion or Amendment, except the mover of the Motion who shall have the right of reply.

At any Meeting the Chairman may in his discretion refuse to accept a Proposition or Amendment of which due notice has not been given.

That if any Meeting be adjourned, the business shall be resumed as a continuation of the former Meeting.

7.3 Voting

That the mode of voting shall be as follows:

¨ In election of the Executive Committee – by ballot;

¨ With Motions or Amendments – by show of hands;

7.4 Intervention

The Chairman shall have discretion to guillotine any Motion considered to be overly contentious and postpone its debate until a future opportunity presents itself.

The decision of the Chairman with regard to the application of this Charter shall be final.

7.5 Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting shall be held annually in November.

Twenty-one days’ notice of such Annual General Meeting shall be served upon the full Membership of the Chamber. The calling notice shall have attached nomination papers for the election of the Executive Committee to serve during the forthcoming year.

At the Annual General Meeting the Executive Committee shall present a Report upon their activities during the previous year

A suitably qualified Independent Examiner shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to verify the Accounts of the previous Financial year.

The Accounts of the preceding Financial year to 31^st August, duly confirmed by Independent Examination, shall be laid before the Members for acceptance.

7.6 General Meetings

General Meetings of the Members shall be held every second month, of which due notice of twenty one days shall be given.

At each of such General Meetings the Executive Committee shall report its proceedings during the previous period.

7.7 Special Meetings

Special Meetings of the Chamber may be convened to resolve issues considered to be outside the remit of the Executive Committee.

A Special Meeting may be called either by four members of the Executive Committee, or by one third of the Full Membership of the Chamber, who shall give at least twenty one days notice in writing, through the Chief Executive, stating the objective of the Meeting.

Amended as agreed at the General Meeting January 2006