Objects and Rules of the Brentford Chamber of Commerce
OBJECTS
1. To consider and promote measures calculated to benefit and protect the Commercial and Industrial interests of its members.
2. To watch over legislative and municipal proposals and matters affecting the business interests of Brentford and the immediate vicinity and represent and express the opinion of the Chamber on commercial and other matters of general interest.
3. To furbish commercial information and promote mutual inter-change of ideas.
4. To promote good fellowship amongst business and professional men and women.
RULES
1. The Association shall be called the “BRENTFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE”.
2.(a) Membership shall be open to manufacturers, merchants, traders, professional and business men and women engaged in business in Brentford and the immediate vicinity and to such others as the Council may decide.
(b) There shall be an honorary membership (consisting of not more than twelve[1] members) for those who, in the opinion of the members, have rendered the Council long and distinguished service, or for such other reasons as the Council may decide. Honorary members shall be entitled to the ordinary privileges of membership, except the right to vote or take part in the management of the affairs of the Chamber.
They shall not be required to contribute to the funds of the Chamber.
2 (c) Free members are those who receive annual membership in exchange for services rendered to the Chamber during the same year.[2]
3. The officers of the Chamber shall consist of the President, two Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer.
4. The management of the Chamber shall be vested in a Council consisting of the President, two Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and 10 members of the Chamber, Past Presidents shall be ex-officio members of the Council. The Council shall have power to co-opt not more than four further members.
5. Prospective members (and honorary or free[3] members) shall be proposed and seconded by two members and confirmed at a Council meeting and then ratified by the members at the AGM[4].
6. The Annual Subscription shall be proposed by the Council and confirmed by the members at the following Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting.
Members elected on or after 1st September shall pay half the amount of the subscription in respect of the year in which they are elected. Members elected on or after 1st January shall pay the full annual subscription which shall cover the year commencing on the succeeding 1st March.
7. Any member whose subscription is three months in arrears shall, if the Council so decide, cease to be entitled to any benefits of the Chamber and their membership shall cease.
8. The Officers of the Chamber and members of the Council shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. All Officers and members of the Council shall retire annually and shall be re-eligible for re-election with the exception of the President who shall not be entitled to fill that office for more than three years consecutively.
The President shall retire annually, and shall be re-eligible for re-selection for a maximum of four years consecutively.[5]
9. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Council a member may be co-opted, but shall retire at the next succeeding Annual General Meeting.
10. General Meetings of the Chamber shall be held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month or on such dates as the Council may decide. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in May.
11. The Council shall have the power to appoint a paid officer as Secretary as they may deem necessary to assist in carrying out the work of the Chamber. The remuneration of the Officer shall be at the discretion of the Council.
12. The duties of the Secretary shall be to conduct all correspondence and take minutes of proceedings of all Council and General Meetings.
13. A register shall be maintained of members and their addresses and nature of business in which they are engaged.
14. A Banking Account shall be kept in the name of the Chamber at a bank at the Council’s discretion. Cheques shall bear the signatures of any two of the following: Treasurer, President, Vice-President or Secretary.
15. The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all receipts and payments and shall produce them to the Council. He shall also produce the Annual Balance Sheet and Accounts.
16. All Books of Accounts shall lie on the table at the Annual General Meeting and be open for the inspection of members.
17, Auditors shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to audit the accounts for the ensuing year.
18. Each member at General Meetings shall be entitled to one vote. In the event of voting being equal, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
19. The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting of all members of the Chamber on receipt of a request signed by not less than 20% of the membership.
At least 7 days notice in writing shall be given to all members of Special General Meetings.
20. A General Meeting or Council Meeting of the Chamber shall not take place if a quorum is not present.
The quorum at a General Meeting shall be 10 members and at a Council Meeting 5 members.
21. Should any matter arise for which no provision has been made in these Rules or any doubt as to the interpretation of the Rules, the same shall be determined by the Council whose decision shall be final.
22. These Rules shall not be altered except by a two-thirds majority of members present at a General Meeting of the Chamber.
Honorary Members: [6]
Sidney Atkins – past President
Allan Cooper – website contribution
Janet McNamara, Hounslow Heritage – historical contribution
Jocelyn Tibbles – past Secretary
Gerry Armitage – long term contribution to relationship with GSK
Ken Solomons – past President
Eileen Hendersen – past Secretary
Free Members: [7]
Joe Bourke – in exchange for audits
Garth Buckle, Spark! – in exchange for support
Brendon Walsh, London Borough of Hounslow – in recognition of the closer relationship developing
Stephen Browne, Brentford Community Council – in exchange for Chamber membership of BCC (new)
These Objects and Rules were last revised May 2014 and are 
available for download (pdf)
[1] Increased from 6 to 12 post AGM May 2010
[2] Rule 2 (c) added post AGM May 2010
[3] ‘or free’ added post AGM May 2010
[4] ‘and then ratified by the members at the AGM’. Added post AGM May 2010
[5] Sentence added post AGM May 2003
[6] Honorary Members are only removed after their decease
[7] St Paul’s Church and Brentford Business Watch (defunct) removed May 2014; LB Hounslow added May 2014