Welfare Fund Rules

Name of the fund

The Fund shall be called the 'North Yorkshire Police Welfare Fund'.

Constitution

Membership of the Fund shall consist of:

Subscribing Members: serving regular Police personnel of the North Yorkshire Police.
Non-Subscribing Members:
Members of the former North Yorkshire Police Benevolent Fund who have retired and are in receipt of pensions from the North Yorkshire Police.
Pensioner members of the North Yorkshire Police Welfare Fund who were members of the Fund on the date of their retirement.
Pensioner members of the former York and North East Yorkshire Police Welfare Fund who were members of the Fund on 31 March 1974.
Pensioner members of the former North Riding Constabulary, East Riding Constabulary and York City Police Welfare Funds who retired prior to 1 July 1968.

The only non-subscribing members who may vote are the Welfare Officer and the representative of the North Yorkshire branches of the National Association of Retired Police Officers on the Committee of Management.

Objects of the fund

To relieve and assist Fund members, their widows, widowers and other dependants, who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress where assistance is not forthcoming from any other source; similarly, to assist officers of other forces who have retired on pension, their widows, widowers and other dependants resident in North Yorkshire. In particular the Management Committee shall have the following powers:

The provision of flowers/fruit to sick, injured or hospitalised members
Floral tributes, donations to police charities
To meet the general welfare needs of serving police officers, pensioners and widows as the Management Committee deem appropriate.
To offer welfare breaks at the properties held in the Lake District owned by the Fund to serving members of the Fund, retired members of the Fund who subscribed whilst serving and the widows/widowers of previous members of the Fund.
Ad hoc donations/sponsorships for charitable or good causes.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions shall be deducted from pay at a rate, which shall be determined annually at the Annual General Meeting.

Committee of management

The Committee of Management shall consist of members, as shown below, providing these are contributing members of the North Yorkshire Police Welfare Fund:

1. An officer of the rank of Deputy Chief Constable or Assistant Chief Constable
- to be nominated by the Chief Constable

2. An officer representing the Superintendents' Association
- to be elected by the superintending ranks of the Force

3. The Chairman, Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Joint Branch Board and one Police Federation member per separate rank,
- to be nominated by the Branch Board.

4. A representative of the North Yorkshire branches of the National Association of Retired Police Officers
- to be nominated by the 4 branches of NARPO within North Yorkshire

5. Welfare Officer from North Yorkshire Police
- as nominated by the occupational health and Welfare Department

6. The Branch Board will provide a member of staff to be the Secretary/Treasurer of the Fund, without the right of vote.

7. The Management Committee shall elect a Chairman from among their members. The Chairmanship shall rotate between the NPCC, Superintendents' Association and Federation representative. Each term of office shall be one year, to terminate after the Annual General Meeting.

8. Members of the Management Committee shall have equal opportunity for discussion at meetings, and in the event of a ballot proving equal, then the Chairman shall have an additional or casting vote.

9. The Management Committee shall appoint an Executive Committee of at least three of their members who shall have the power to act on behalf of the full Committee in cases of extreme urgency. The actions and proceedings of the Executive Committee shall be fully and promptly reported to the Management Committee. In the event that the appointed member is not available a deputy will be appointed. The Executive Committee will always comprise of members from at least two of the Staff Associations.

10. The Management Committee shall meet twice a year, with additional meetings arranged if required. The Executive Committee shall meet as and when required.

Administration

Minutes of meetings and full accounts will be provided and maintained by the Secretary/Treasurer. All accounts, in relation to the fund, shall at the end of every financial year, be reviewed by an independent chartered accountant selected by the Management Committee.

No member of the Management Committee shall receive any remuneration at the cost of the Fund, other than reimbursement of necessary out of pocket expenses in attending to the business of the Fund.

Subject to the provisions of this scheme, a general meeting shall have power to make, amend and rescind rules for the management of the Fund and for the conduct of its business. The Management Committee shall make rules concerning the convening of meetings of the Management Committee and the Executive Committee and the number of members thereof required for a quorum (no less than five for the Management Committee and three in the case of the Executive Committee).

An account/accounts for the purposes of the Fund shall be opened and maintained at a bank or building society as authorized by the Committee and all monies received on behalf of the Fund shall forthwith be paid to the credit of the said account or accounts, as appropriate. All cheques and orders for the payment of monies out of an account shall be signed by a member of the Management Committee nominated for this purpose by the Management Committee.

A copy of any resolution of the Management Committee signed by both the Chairman and Secretary for the time being of the Management Committee shall be accepted as proving its authenticity.

Membership

Each member requiring membership shall indicate via either a paper form or electronic communication or telephone call which will be recorded signifying that he/she will abide by the rules of the Fund and authorizing the deduction of his/her contribution from salary/pension. Any member wishing to withdraw from the Fund shall do so by giving one-month personal notification to the Federation Office. Membership shall be terminated for any person failing to pay subscriptions.

Retiring officers will be given the option to voluntarily maintain the payment of subs to the Fund via their Pension.

Serving officers dismissed from North Yorkshire Police will automatically be ineligible to access the Welfare Fund.

The granting of requests for assistance via the Fund for officers or members convicted of a criminal offence will be at the discretion of the committee of management.

Matters in dispute

In the case of any dispute or matters arising where these rules are silent, the decision of the Management Committee shall be final.

Amendment of scheme

Amendments to this scheme shall require the assent of the Annual General Meeting by a simple majority of those attending and entitled to vote, provided the particulars of the proposed amendment(s) have been included in the notice of the meeting at which the matter is to be considered.

Loans

The North Yorkshire Police Welfare Advisors may make a loan of up to £500 in an emergency provided the matter is reported promptly to the Management Committee.

General Meetings

The Annual General Meeting will be held in October each year.

An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting may be called by 2/3rds of the Management Committee giving due notice to members. The Management Committee will call an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting on receipt of a written notice signed by not less than 100 members calling for it to be convened. The notice must give the reasons for the request.

Dissolution

The Fund may be resolved by a resolution passed by the majority of those present and voting at a general meeting convened solely to consider a resolution to that effect, for which purpose not less than 21 clear days' notice shall have been sent to all members. If in the event of such a dissolution, any assets, funds or property remain after the discharge of all debts and liabilities, they shall be transferred into the ownership of one or more other funds or charities established for similar purposes, as the majority of members at the meeting shall decide, subject to the agreement of each such charity.