In view of the prospect of ongoing restrictions on social gatherings for some months to come, The Kennel Club has considered how best to help registered societies to proceed with their routine AGM business, especially as many were unable to hold their 2020 AGM.
The rules and established practice of registered societies in most cases require that AGMs are physical meetings and give no provision for postal/online voting.
In order to circumvent the need to hold physical AGMs, The Kennel Club Board has enacted Kennel Club Regulation C5.e., which is a new provision, so that irrespective of what a club’s constitution may provide, the Board may direct that registered societies may relax / suspend constitutional provisions. In this way, societies may legitimately process routine business by adopting interim arrangements such as postal / online voting or remote meetings, as appropriate.
Kennel Club Regulation C5.e. has been introduced to provide as follows:
C5.e. The Kennel Club Board may direct that provisions within a registered society constitution may be relaxed or suspended for a fixed period, to allow society business to proceed when circumstances beyond the control of the society so require.
The Kennel Club Board has agreed that this new Regulation is to be invoked with effect from 5 February 2021 for a 6-month period relating to the processing of routine business usually dealt with at AGMs. A guidance note for registered societies is available on the following link: thekennelclub.org.uk/agms.
This outlines how a registered society may process routine AGM business in a procedurally compliant way, notwithstanding the content of its constitution. The Kennel Club is confident that this route will assist the many societies that have been unable to hold AGMs since March 2020.