UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE – STEVENAGE
CONSTITUTION
This constitution was adopted on 16th October 2025. The association and its property will be administered and managed in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.
1. NAME
The Association name is Stevenage University of the Third Age (u3a) (and in this document it is called the charity) It is a member of the Third Age Trust (herein after referred to as ‘The Trust’ (Registered Charity Number 288007).
2. OBJECT
The charity’s object (‘the object’) is the advancement of education, and in particular the education of older people and those retired from full time work, by all means including associated activities conducive to learning and personal development in Stevenage.
3. MEMBERSHIP
All persons interested in supporting the objectives of U3A STEVENAGE shall be admitted to membership provided they agree to abide by this constitution and any conditions of membership properly imposed by the Association. Membership is open to individuals as described in Clause 3.
4. MANAGEMENT
4.1 The management of the Association shall be vested in a Committee consisting of those members whose duty it shall be to carry out its general policy and to provide for the administration, management and control of the affairs and property of the Association.
4.1.1 The Committee shall consist of five and not more than ten members, including the officers (Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) non officers and those who are co-opted.
4.1.2 Not more than two ordinary members may be co-opted to the Committee. They shall have voting rights and their term of service shall expire at the next following Annual General Meeting.
4.2 The election of officers and other members of the Committee shall be held at the Annual General Meeting of the Association. The maximum total period of service of any trustee shall be 12 years in any combination of roles whether or not the periods of service are contiguous.
4.2.1 Nominations to the Committee, duly agreed by the nominee, shall be proposed and seconded and delivered to the Secretary at a date specified by the Committee.
4.2.2 The newly elected Committee shall take office at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.
4.2.3 There shall be no less than four Committee meetings in a year.
4.2.4 (i) Officers and Committee members shall serve for a period of one year and shall be eligible for re-election at the AGM.
(ii) If insufficient nominations are received to fill the vacancies for Officers and/or Committee members, a majority decision can be taken by the Committee to ask the retiring officers/ members to remain in post. At the Annual General Meeting members will be asked to approve the retiring officer, if willing, to stay in post until the next Annual General Meeting. A majority vote of votes cast will be accepted.
4.2.5 Committee members may resign by giving not less than twenty one days notice in writing to the Secretary or Chairman. The Committee has the power to fill casual vacancies from the membership. Such an appointee shall complete the term of service of the member he or she is replacing and shall be eligible for re-election. Anyone co-opted onto the Committee to fill a casual vacancy should not be excluded by the provisions of clause 4.2. Anyone co-opted must not have served the maximum 12 years.
4.2.6 At Committee meetings matters shall be decided by a simple majority of votes of the Committee members present. In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
4.2.7 The quorum for any Committee meeting shall be three or one third of the Committee whichever is the greater.
4.3 Special Committee Meetings may be called by the Chairman or any two members of the Committee upon seven days notice being given to all the Committee members of all the matters to be discussed.
4.4 The Committee may appoint sub-committees, to which it may, from time to time, and for such time as it determines, delegate the transaction of such matters and the performance of such acts as it thinks fit and the Committee shall exercise supervision over the proceedings and acts of such sub-committees. Sub-committees shall report back to the Committee as soon as possible on actions taken under delegated powers.
4.5 The proceedings of the Committee shall not be invalidated by any defect in the appointment, election or co-option of any member of the Committee or any sub-committee.
4.6 The Secretary shall ensure that minutes are kept of all sub-committee, Committee and General meetings.
5. MEETINGS
5.1 The financial year of the Association shall end on the thirty first day of December in each year and a General Meeting of members of the Association shall be convened as soon thereafter as possible for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report and accounts of the Association and of electing the Committee for the ensuing year and to consider any other business as may be necessary. At least twenty-one clear days notice of the meeting shall
be given in writing by the Secretary to the members. There shall be a quorum when one-tenth of the members or ten members, whichever is the least, shall be present.
5.2 A Special General Meeting of the Association may be convened at any time by a resolution of the Committee or upon a requisition signed by one-fifth or more of the members of the Association stating the object of the Meeting. A meeting held on such requisition shall be called by the Secretary of the Association and the Secretary shall give to the other members fourteen days notice of such a meeting. There shall be a quorum when five members are present.
5.3 The Chairman of the Association shall be Chairman of any Committee or General Meeting at which he or she is present. In his or her absence the Committee shall elect a Chairman. The Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
5.4 Accidental omission to give notice to any member shall not invalidate the proceedings of any General Meeting.
5.5 Committee, General or Extraordinary General Meetings may take place physically or by video conference and voting may take place by email, post, virtually or in person as decided by the Committee.
6. FINANCE
6.1 All the property and income of the Association shall be applied solely towards the objects of the group and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred in any way to any Committee member of the Association provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper remuneration to any officer or servant of the Association (other than a Committee member) and repayment of out-of-pocket expenses to members or Committee members incurred in the course of the work of the Association.
6.2 The Association shall have the power to collect and accept donations and to issue appeals for donations and to raise money by bequests or otherwise. Any money raised or received may be retained by the Association and used at the discretion of the Committee. Funds can only be raised for Stevenage u3a or other charities with the same or similar purpose. No form of permanent trading shall be undertaken in the raising of funds.
6.3 All proper costs, charges and expenses incidental to the management of the Association may be defrayed out of the funds of the Association.
6.4 The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received and expended on account of the Association and shall present such accounts at its Annual General Meeting.
7. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
All matters not provided for in this Constitution relating to the Association and not involving an amendment to this Constitution may be dealt with by the Committee.
8. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
- The charity may amend any provision contained in this constitution provided that: -
- The prior written consent of the Trust has been obtained;
- No amendment may be made that would have the effect of making the charity cease to be a charity at law;
- No amendment may be made to alter the object if the change would undermine or work against the previous objects of the charity;
- A copy of any resolution amending this constitution shall be sent to the Commission and to The Trust within twenty-one days of it being passed.
- The provisions of this Constitution may be amended with the assent of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Association present and voting at the AGM or an EGM of the Association. Twenty-one clear days’ notice should be given to the Association stating the intention to put forward such a resolution. No amendment shall be made which would cause the Association to cease to be a charity.
9. DISSOLUTION
- If the members resolve to dissolve the charity the trustees will remain in office as trustees and be responsible for winding up the affairs of the charity in accordance with this clause.
- The Trustees must collect in all the assets of the charity and must pay or make provision for all the liabilities of the charity;
- The trustees must apply any remaining property or money;
- Directly for the object.
- By transfer to any other University of the Third Age (‘u3a’) or u3as or the Trust or charities for purposes of the same as, or similar to, the charity;
- In such other manner as the Charity Commission for England and Wales (‘The commission’) may approve in writing in advance;
- The members may pass a resolution before or at the same time as the resolution to dissolve the charity specifying the manner in which the trustees are to apply the remaining property or assets of the charity and the trustees must comply with the resolution if it is consistent with paragraphs (a)-(c) inclusive in sub-clause (iii) above;
- In no circumstances shall the net assets of the charity be paid to or distributed among the members of the charity;
- The trustees must notify both the Commission and the Trust promptly that the charity has been dissolved. If the trustees are obliged to send the charity’s accounts to the Commission for the accounting period which ended before the dissolution, they must send the Commission the charity’s final accounts.
- The charity cannot continue to include the words or phrase University of the Third Age or u3a or any other similar configuration of words in its title or elsewhere if it ceases to be a member of the Trust.
SIGNED BY THE COMMITTEE ON 16th October 2025