Ordinances – DOWNLOAD
1. FREEDOM OF THE COMPANY
(a) The Freedom of the Company shall be limited primarily to persons who in the opinion of the Court are or have been engaged in or closely connected with the business and trade of Environmental Cleaning or trade or trades or occupations associated therewith and shall be by Patrimony, Redemption or Servitude as hereinafter provided. The court shall have power to elect suitable individuals to honorary membership of the Company in such circumstances and on such terms as the Court may think fit.
(b) The Court shall have power to elect and admit Freemen of the Company. Every candidate for the Freedom of the Company must be proposed and seconded in manner prescribed by the Court from time to time. The Clerk shall give notice of the result of the election to the candidate and if he is elected a Freeman the Clerk shall give notice of that fact to all members of the Company. Any such Freeman shall be liable to pay such dues, as the Court shall from time to time decide.
(c) When it shall happen that the child of a Freeman of the Company and of the City of London born after such Freeman shall have obtained his Freedom of the City shall have arrived at the age of not less than 21 years and is suitably associated in the opinion of the Court with the trade or an occupation closely associated therewith and is desirous of taking up his or her freedom of the Company and of the City of London and the Court shall admit him or her to the Freedom of the Company and present him or her to the Chamber of London to be made a Freeman by patrimony, and such Freedom so obtained shall be and be deemed to be Freedom by Patrimony according to the Custom of London. Any such Freeman shall be liable to pay such dues, as the Court shall from time to time decide.
(d) When it shall happen that a person is apprenticed to a Member of the Company being a Freeman of the Company and of the City of London, the Company shall cause a record of the Indentures of such apprentice to be entered in the books of the Company and the Master of such apprentice shall cause the Indenture to be entered in the Books of the Chamber of London to the intent that such apprentice, having served the terms of his apprenticeship shall on proof of faithful service be admitted to the Freedom of the Company and be presented to the Chamber of London to be made a Freeman of the City of London and such Freedom so obtained shall be deemed to be Freedom by apprenticeship according to the Custom of London. Any such Freeman shall be liable to pay such dues, as the Court shall from time to time decide.
(e) If the conduct or circumstances of a Freeman shall in the opinion of the Court or of any twenty Freeman of the Company (who shall certify the same in writing) be injurious to the character and interest of the Company, the Court shall have power without assigning any reason to exclude him or her from active participation in the affairs benefits and amenities of the Company either generally or for any specified period. The powers given to the Court by this Clause shall only be exercised at a meeting of the Court in respect of which not less than fourteen days’ notice was given to every member of the Court of the intention to bring under consideration at that meeting the conduct of the person concerned. Before exercising any such power the person concerned shall be given the opportunity of being heard either by the Court itself or by a Committee thereof.
2. ADMISSION OF FREEMEN TO LIVERY
The Court shall and may subject to the Order of the Court of Mayor and Alderman dated the 22nd day of October 1986, and to such other Orders of the said Court of Mayor and Aldermen as may hereafter be made call, nominate, choose, elect and admit into the Livery of the Company such and so many persons being Freeman of the Company and of the City of London as it shall think meet and able to be of the same Livery.
3. DECLARATIONS
The Masters, Wardens, Assistants, Liverymen, Freemen and Clerk shall upon admission make and sign such Declarations as shall from time to time be prescribed.
4. GOVERNING BODY
(a) The affairs of the Company shall be managed by the Court, as described in the Royal Charter and Byelaws
(b) Court Assistants shall be elected in the first instance by the members in general meeting upon nomination of the Court for a period of three years, and be subject to re-election every three years thereafter, unless elected as an Officer and subsequently becomes a Past Master.
(c) Every member of the Court shall on election pay the Fine and satisfy the Court that he is prepared to serve the office of Warden and Master in due course unless prevented there from by just and reasonable cause made known to the Court and shall on admission make the prescribed declaration and sign the Roll.
(d) The Court shall meet at least five times in each year and one of such meetings to be known as the Election Court shall be held in the month of February or March each year and an Installation Court will be held in April or May each year.
(e) The Master or in his absence the Deputy Master shall preside and take the Chair at meetings of the Court. In the absence of both the Master and Deputy Master, the Senior Warden, or failing him the Junior Warden shall preside.
(f) One third of the members of the Court shall constitute a Quorum but no meeting shall be held unless the Master or Deputy Master or a Warden is present.
(g) In the case of equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
(h) At any meeting of the Court at which a resolution to nominate an Assistant is proposed any two Members of the Court may demand a ballot on such resolution.
5. ELECTION OF CLERK, BEADLE, HONORARY CHAPLAIN, ALMONER, ARCHIVIST AND, AND COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES
The Court shall at the Election Court elect or re-elect a fit person to be its Clerk and if it shall think meet one fit person or persons to be its Assistant Clerk, and may elect a fit person to be its Beadle, and, the Honorary Chaplain, who will normally be the Rector of St Olave’s Church, Hart Street, London. From within the membership a person may be elected Almoner, and, a member may be elected the Archivist. Individual members may also be elected as a representative of the Company to organisations outside the Livery.
6. DUTIES OF THE CLERK
The Clerk shall subject to the directions of the Court keep all Minutes, Financial Accounts and records of the Company and issue all necessary Notices of Meetings, summonses and the like and otherwise administer the affairs of the Company, all as described in Clerk’s Profile and Duties Document, which will be subject to review by the appropriate Committee at least every two years.
7. CASUAL VACANCIES
The Court shall constitute the governing body of the Company and shall consist of the following voting members; Officers of the Company (Master, Deputy Master. Wardens) Past Masters of the four years following their service as Master, such number of Court Assistants being not less than six or more than twenty. The additional Officers of the Company include the Clerk or Assistant Clerk, Beadle, Honorary Chaplain, Almoner, Archivist or Representative to an outside organisation. The Court may fill any casual vacancies for the remainder of the term of office of the person causing the vacancy.
8. ACTIVITIES
The Court may, at its discretion, arrange an annual Divine Service, an annual Conference, an annual Installation Banquet, an annual Ladies Banquet, an annual Livery Dinner, an annual Re-dedication Service, an annual Lecture, an annual Military Awards Luncheon, and regular Court Luncheons to coincide with meetings of the Court, and such other events and meetings of the Liveryman or Freemen of the Company as it may deem expedient.
9. CUSTODY OF BOOKS Etc.
The Books, Records, and other property excluding Documents of Title and Securities of the Company shall be in such custody, as the Court shall from time to time determine.
10. AMENDMENT OF ORDINANCES BYELAW 19
Notice of Motion to make and amend these Ordinances shall be sent to the Clerk in writing twenty-one days before a meeting of the Court and must be included in the Agenda conveying that Court. Any motion to make or amend these Ordinances shall not be declared carried except by the votes of two-thirds of the members present and voting and if declared carried, shall not come in force until the same shall have been approved by the City of London Corporation as set out in the Royal Charter and Byelaws. No such Motion to make and amend these Ordinances shall be inconsistent with or shall affect or repeal anything contained in the Royal Charter and Bylaws.
As approved by the Court on 11th May 2009
