The BNS Constitution

Amendments ratified at the BNS Annual General Meeting 30 March 2010

1. Name

1.1 The Society shall be called "The British Neuropsychological Society"


2. Aims

2.1 The aims of the Society shall be the furtherance of scientific enquiry within the field of Neuropsychology and cognate subjects, by holding periodical meetings at which papers may be read and discussions held, to enhance communication among those scientific disciplines which can contribute to the understanding of brain-behaviour relationships and neuropsychological disorders in particular, and by such other activities as may be decided upon by the Society.

2.2 The Society shall not engage in any activity intended to affect the professional status of its Members.
 
2.3  In furtherance of these aims the Society shall have the following powers:

(a) to invest the monies of the Society not immediately required for its purposes in or upon such investments, securities or property as may be determined by the Society.

(b) to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the above aims.


3. Membership

3.1 Membership shall be open to anyone who can demonstrate a commitment to Neuropsychology, normally indicated by one of three routes:

(a) clinical neuropsychology - clinical psychology qualification and subsequent work in the field of clinical neuropsychology;

(b) neuropsychology research - postgraduate qualification in an area of neuropsychological interest and publication(s) in the field of neuropsychology or experimental psychology;

(c) other cognate discipline - clinical or postgraduate qualification and subsequent clinical or research experience in any area related to neuropsychology (e.g. psychiatry, neurology, speech and language therapy, neuroscience, occupational therapy).

3.2 Associate membership shall be open to those with an interest in Neuropsychology who do not meet the criteria for membership in 3.1 (e.g. research assistants, assistant psychologists, therapists). Associate members may attend meetings including the AGM but will not have voting rights. A reduced subscription rate will be determined at the AGM. Associate membership is available for a maximum of six years during which time it is expected that associate members will become eligible for full membership.

 
4. Election to Membership

4.1 Election to membership shall be by majority vote of the Executive Committee. In the event of votes being tied, the application shall fail.

4.2 In making application for Membership, applicants shall require the nomination of one Member of the Society.


5. Subscriptions

5.1 Each Member shall pay an annual subscription, the amount of such subscription to be determined at the Annual General Meeting.

5.2 The Executive Committee shall be at liberty to determine whatever further charges for attendance at meetings of the Society, or for publications, as it considers appropriate within the Aims of the Society.

5.3 Members who fail to pay the annual subscription will be deprived of their Membership upon the decision of the Executive Committee.


6. Executive Committee

6.1 There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of four Officers and six Ordinary Members of the Committee, all of whom shall be Members of the Society.

6.2 The four Officers shall be a President, a Membership Secretary, a Meetings Secretary and a Treasurer. The President shall be elected for two years and shall not be eligible for re-election within three years. The Membership Secretary, Meetings Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for two years, after which each shall be immediately eligible for re-election, the maximum continuous tenure of office not to exceed six years.

6.3 Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected for three years and shall not be eligible for re-election within a further three years.

6.4 The President, Membership Secretary, Meetings Secretary, Treasurer and Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by Members present at the Annual General Meeting. Candidates for these offices shall be proposed and seconded by two Members of the Society, such nominations to be received by the Membership Secretary at least four weeks before the Annual General Meeting and circulated to members at least two weeks before the Annual General Meeting. In the event of there being more than one candidate and the votes being equally divided, the President currently in office shall hold the deciding vote.

6.5 Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee assume office immediately following the Annual General Meeting at which they are elected. Officers may be elected one year in advance of taking up their duties, and co-opted to the Executive Committee.

6.6 The President or the President's nominee shall chair meetings of the Executive Committee, which shall be held on at least two occasions during the year, and no business shall be transacted without there being at least two Officers and two Ordinary members present.

6.7 The Executive Committee shall have the power to form such other sub-committees as it considers fit.

6.8 The Executive Committee shall appoint an Archivist to maintain records of BNS meetings and other matters of interest to the Society. The Archivist will receive details of and be entitled to attend all meetings of the Executive Committee. The post shall be reviewed not less than once every 5 years, when the Archivist shall present a report on material held in the BNS archives.


7. Annual General Meeting

7.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held once during each calendar year, at a place and time to be determined by the Executive Committee.

7.2 At least two weeks' written notice of the Annual General Meeting and the business to be transacted shall be given in writing to all Members.

7.3 The President, or in the President's absence a member of the Executive Committee determined by the Executive Committee, shall take the chair at the Annual General Meeting, and no business shall be transacted without there being 20 members of the Society present.

7.4 The business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting shall be:

(a) Reports of the Officers;

(b) Approval of the Accounts;

(c) Election of the Membership Secretary, Meetings Secretary and Treasurer as necessary;

(d) Election of Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee as necessary;

(e) Voting upon formal resolutions, such resolutions to be proposed by Members of the Society and notified to the Membership Secretary at least four weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

7.5 Elections and voting upon resolutions at the Annual General Meeting shall be by simple majority vote of those present, in the event of votes being tied the deciding vote held by the Member taking the chair.

7.6 It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to ensure that sufficient nominations are obtained for all vacant offices to be filled, and to ensure that an accurate record is maintained of the business transacted at the Annual General Meeting.


8. Extraordinary General Meetings

8.1 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the Executive Committee or upon the written request of at least 20 Members of the Society received by the Membership Secretary.

8.2 Notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting, together with any resolutions duly proposed and seconded by two Members of the Society and notified to the Membership Secretary at least four weeks before the date of the Meeting, shall be given in writing to all Members of the Society by the Membership Secretary at least two weeks before the date of the Meeting, which shall be no later than two calendar months following the receipt of any written request by the Membership Secretary.

8.3 The President, or in the President's absence at Member of the Executive Committee determined by the Executive Committee, shall take the chair at the Extraordinary General Meeting, and no business shall be transacted other than any resolution duly notified to the Members, there being at least 30 members of the Society present.

8.4 Voting upon any resolution at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be as for an Annual General Meeting.

 
9. Accounts

9.1 The Treasurer shall present the accounts of the Society for the preceding calendar year at the Annual General Meeting.


10. Amendments to the Constitution

10.1 This Constitution may be altered, amended, revoked or added to any manner and to any extent by a resolution of the Annual General Meeting or of an Extraordinary General Meeting specifically convened for that purpose.

10.2 Any proposed change to this Constitution shall be notified to Members in writing by the Membership Secretary at least two weeks in advance of the Annual General Meeting or of the Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose.

10.3 Notwithstanding Rules 7.5 and 8.4, a resolution with the effect of changing the Constitution will require a two-thirds majority of those Members present and voting.


11. Dissolution of the Society

11.1 A decision to dissolve the Society may only be made by resolution of the Annual General Meeting, or in the event that insufficient attendance precludes the holding of the Annual General Meeting by resolution of the Executive Committee.

11.2 In the event of the Society being dissolved, its assets will be disposed of by the Executive Committee in accordance with the Aims of the Society.

12. Elizabeth Warrington Prize

12.1 The Elizabeth Warrington Prize shall be awarded annually or at such intervals as the Committee may from time to time determine. The value of the Prize shall be at the Committee's discretion.

12.2 Nominations for persons to be awarded the Elizabeth Warrington Prize shall be submitted to the Committee of the Society by any Ordinary Member of the Society at least three months prior to the next Annual General Meeting. In selecting the persons to be awarded the Elizabeth Warrington Prize the Committee shall lay emphasis upon distinguished work in neuropsychology by a person at an early stage in his or her career.

12.3 Approval of the Committee's recommendations for the Elizabeth Warrington Prize shall be confirmed by the Society at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.

12.4 The recipient of the Elizabeth Warrington Prize shall be invited to deliver a Lecture at any of the Society's Meetings in the appropriate year. This Lecture shall be open without payment or fee to all interested.

12.5 The Committee shall be empowered to reimburse to the recipient of the Elizabeth Warrington Prize reasonable travelling and subsistence expenses incurred in connection with the delivery of the Lecture.

 
13. Freda Newcombe Lecture

13.1 The Committee shall have the option of inviting a distinguished scientist, preferably working in Britain, to present the Freda Newcombe Lecture to the Society.

13.2 When choosing the Lecturer, the Committee shall take into account the current scientific interests and/or the scientific development of the Society.

13.3 The choice of Invited Lecturer shall not be determined by age, stage of career, or seniority, but shall be chosen on the basis of the quality of the research and interest to the Society of the research topic.

13.4 No more than one Invited Lecture shall be held annually.