1. FINANCIAL REGULATIONS
The Financial Regulations shall form part of these orders.
2. STANDING ORDERS WITH RESPECT TO CONTRACTS
The Standing Orders with respect to contracts shall form part of these orders.
3.TERMS OF REFERENCE AND DELEGATION TO COMMITTEES, SUB COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS
The terms of reference and delegation to committees, sub committees and officers shall form part of these orders.
4. STANDING ORDERS TO BE GIVEN TO MEMBERS
A copy of these Standing Orders shall be given to each member of NALC Council by the Chief Executive on the member being first elected to the Council.
5. MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL
In addition to any special meetings convened under these standing orders, a meeting of the Council shall be held quarterly as provided in a timetable of meetings approved by the Council.
6. COUNCIL SUMMONS
At least 14 clear days before any meeting of the council a notice and agenda for the meeting shall be sent to every member of the Council 
7.	 APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN
The first business of the Annual Meeting shall be to elect the Chairman.
8. APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIRMAN
The Council shall at the Annual Meeting appoint a Vice-Chairman.
9. CHAIRMAN OF MEETING
(a)	If the Chairman is absent or leaves the Chair during a meeting, the Vice-Chairman shall preside.
(b)	If both the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are absent, the Chief Executive, or if absent, his nominee will call the election of a member to preside.
(c) All powers or duties assigned to the Chairman in relation to the conduct of a meeting shall be exercised by the person presiding at the meeting.
10. QUORUM
(a)	A quorum of the Council shall be one third of full council.
(b)	If there should not be present a quorum of the Council, no meeting shall take place and the Chairman shall call fresh notices of a meeting to be issued for such day as he shall determine.   
(c)	If at any time during any meeting of the Council the Chairman, after counting the number of members present, declares that there is not a quorum present, the meeting shall stand adjourned. 

(d)	The consideration of any business not transacted shall be adjourned to the next meeting of the council. 
11.	ORDER OF BUSINESS
Except as otherwise provided, the council will at every meeting:
i.	 Elect a person to preside if the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are absent.
ii.	 Read and approve as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting of the           Council.
iii.	Dispose of any matters arising from the last meeting.
iv.	receive Reports from the chairman, vice chairman and officers.
v.	 Receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of committees.
vi.	Receive reports and correspondence from County Associations.
vii.	Consider any motions submitted under these Standing Orders. 
viii.	Make appointments to committees, joint committees, sub committees or other outside bodies.
ix.	 Receive any reports from members of the Council.
12. ORDER OF BUSINESS
(a) The order of business may be varied:
(i)	At the discretion of the Chairman.
(ii)	By a resolution passed on a motion duly moved and seconded, which shall be     moved and put without discussion.
(b)	A special meeting of the Council shall not address any business not referred to in the resolution of the Council directing the summoning of such meeting, or in the requisition requiring the summoning.
13. COUNCIL MINUTES
(a)	Any question on the accuracy of the minutes shall be raised. If no such question is raised or, if it is raised, as soon as it has been disposed of, the Chairman shall 
put the question “that the minutes of the Council held on ..………....be signed as a true record”.
14.	NOTICES OF MOTION
Notice of every motion other than a procedural motion shall be signed by the proposer and seconder and delivered, no later than 10.00am on the Friday of the week preceding the Council meeting to the office of the Chief Executive.
15.	MOTIONS TO BE SET OUT IN SUMMONS
The Chief Executive shall set out in the summons to every meeting of the Council all motions of which notice has been duly given. 

16.	MOTIONS NOT MOVED
If a motion set out in the summons is not moved by a member of council it shall be withdrawn and shall not be moved without fresh notice.
17.	SCOPE OF MOTIONS
(a)	The chairman shall rule out any motion which is frivolous or derogatory to the the Association.
(b)	The Chief Executive may, after consultation with the member who has submitted a notice of motion, amend the wording for the purpose of clarification.
(c)	No member of the Council shall have more than two notices of motion on the summons for any single Council meeting.
18. MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS WHICH MAY BE MOVED WITHOUT NOTICE
(a) The following motions and amendments may be moved without notice:
i.	That an item of business specified in the summons has precedence.
ii.	That a matter be referred to a committee.
iii.	That leave be given to withdraw a motion.
iv.	 Amendments to motions.
v.	 That the Council proceed to the next business.
vi.	 That the question be now put.
vii.	 That the debate be now adjourned.
viii.	 That the Council be adjourned.
ix.	 Suspending Standing Orders. 
x.	 That a member named under Standing Order be not further heard or shall leave the meeting.
19. REPORTS BY MEMBERS
A member of the Council may present a report to a meeting of the Council concerning the activities of any outside body of which he is a member on behalf of the Council.
20. PRESENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMITTEES
(a)	The Chairman will call upon the Chairman of the Committee to move the adoption of the recommendations and the acceptance of the minutes.
(b)	The Chairman will ask if there are any questions on the minutes and members will indicate the item number. Once any questions have been dealt with by the Chairman of the Committee, the Chairman of the Council will put to the Council “that the report be received and the recommendations therein adopted.”

21. RULES OF DEBATE FOR COUNCIL AND OTHER MEETINGS
(a)	Motions and Amendments
A motion other than a procedural one or amendment shall not be discussed unless it has been proposed and seconded. 
(b)	Seconders Speech
A member when seconding a motion or amendment may, if he then declares his intention to do so, reserve his speech until a later period of the debate.
(c)	Only One Member to Speak at a Time
A member when speaking shall address the Chairman. 
(d)	Content of Speeches
A member shall direct his speech to the question under discussion or to a personal explanation or to a point of order.   
(e)	When a Member May Speak Again
A member who has spoken on any motion shall not speak again whilst it is the subject of debate, except:
(i)	to speak  on a subsequent amendment. 
(ii)	to exercise of a right of reply;
(iii)	to raise a point of order;
(f) Amendments to Motions
(i) Only one amendment may be moved and discussed at a time and no further amendment shall be moved until the amendment has been put to the vote, except that the Chairman may permit two or more amendments to be discussed (but not voted on) together if circumstances suggest that this course would facilitate the proper conduct of the Council’s business.
(ii) If an amendment is lost, other amendments may be moved on the original motion. If an amendment is carried, the motion as amended shall take the place of the original motion and shall become the motion upon which any further amendment may be moved.
 (g) Withdrawal of Motion
A motion or amendment may be withdrawn by the mover with the consent of his seconder and the Council.
(h) Right of Reply
The mover of the motion has a right to reply at the close of debate on the motion, immediately before it is put to the vote.   If an amendment is moved, the mover of the original motion shall also have a right of reply at the close of the debate on the amendment and shall not otherwise speak on the amendment.   The mover of the amendment shall have no right of reply to the debate on his amendment.

(i) Motions Which May be Moved During Debate
When a motion is under debate no other motion shall be moved except the following:
•	to amend the motion;
•	to adjourn the meeting;
•	to adjourn the debate;
•	to proceed to the next business;
•	that the question be now put;
•	that a member be not further heard;
•	that a member be excluded from the meeting 
(i)	 on a motion to proceed to next business: unless in his opinion the matter before the meeting has been insufficiently discussed, the chairman shall first give the mover of the original motion a right of reply, and then put to the vote a motion to proceed to the next business;
(ii)	on a motion that the question be now put: unless in his opinion the matter before the meeting has been insufficiently discussed, the chairman shall first put to the vote the motion that the question be now put, and if it is passed, then give the mover of the original motion his right of reply before putting his motion to the vote.
(iii)	on a motion to adjourn the debate or the meeting: if in his opinion the matter before the meeting has not been sufficiently discussed the chairman shall put the adjourned motion to the vote without giving the mover of the original motion his right of reply on that occasion.
(j) Points of Order
(a)	A member may rise on a point of order and shall be heard forthwith. 
(b)	A point of order shall relate only to an alleged breach of a Standing Order and a member shall specify the Standing Order and the way in which he considers it has been broken.
(k) Point of Information
A member may rise to give information. The information must be factual and relevant to the issue under discussion and may include a correction to an error of fact made by another member but may not be raised after the mover of a motion has exercised the right of reply at the close of the debate.
(l) Chairman’s Ruling
The ruling of the Chairman on a point of order or a point of information shall be final. 
(m) Respect for the Chair
Whenever the Chairman rises during a debate the Council shall be silent.

(n) Advice from Officers
The Chairman shall call on officers present to advise the Council as appropriate.
22. INTERPRETATION OF STANDING ORDERS
The ruling of the Chairman, on the advice of the Chief Executive, as to the application of these Standing Orders or as to the proceedings of the Council, shall be final.
23. DISORDERLY CONDUCT
If at a meeting, any member of the Council misconduct himself by persistently disregarding the ruling of the Chairman or by behaving irregularly, improperly or offensively, or by wilfully obstructing the business of the Council, the Chairman or any other member may move “that the member named be not further heard”, and the motion if seconded shall be put and determined without discussion.   
If the member named continues his misconduct after a motion under the foregoing paragraph has been carried, the Chairman shall:
(a)	either move “that the member named do leave the meeting” (in which case the motion shall be put and determined without seconding or discussion); or
(b)	adjourn the meeting of the Council for such period as he at his discretion shall consider expedient.
24. GENERAL DISTURBANCE
In the event of general disturbance which in the opinion of the Chairman renders the due and orderly dispatch of business impossible, the Chairman in addition to any other power vested in him may, without question put, adjourn the meeting of the Council for such a period as he at his discretion shall consider expedient.
25. VOTING
(a)	The method of voting at meetings of the Council shall be by show of hands, unless requested by majority resolution that it shall be by ballot. On the requisition of any four members of the Council before the vote is taken the voting shall be recorded so as to show how each member present and voting cast his vote. 
(b)	In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
26. VOTING ON APPOINTMENTS
(a)	Where there are more than two persons nominated for any position to be filled by the Council, and of the votes cast there is not an overall majority in favour of one person, the name of the person having the least number of votes shall be struck off the list and a fresh vote taken and so on until an overall majority of votes is given in favour of one person.
(b)	If two or more persons have equal and least votes a vote should be taken to decide who shall remain in the ballot and whose name shall be struck off the list.

27. RECORD OF ATTENDANCE
Every member of the Council attending a meeting of the Council or of any of its Committees, shall sign his name in the attendance register. 
28. INTEREST OF MEMBERS IN CONTRACTS AND OTHER MATTERS
(a)	If any member of the Council has any pecuniary interest in any contract, proposed contract or other matter, that member shall withdraw from the meeting while the matter is under consideration by the Council unless: the contract, proposed contract, or other matter is under consideration by the Council as part of the report of a Committee and is not itself the subject of debate;   
29. MEMBERS NOT TO CONTRACT
No member of the council shall enter or purport to enter either orally or in writing into any contract on the Council’s behalf.   
30. APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES
(a)	The Council shall at the Annual Meeting appoint such committees and sub committees as they consider necessary and may at any time appoint such other Committees as are necessary to carry out the work of the Council, but:
(i)	shall not appoint any member of a Committee so as to hold office later than the next Annual Meeting of the Council;
(ii)	may at any time dissolve a Committee or alter its membership.
(b) The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Council shall be ex-officio members of all standing Committees, Sub-Committees (except the Audit Panel), and all working parties set up by the Council, Annual General Meeting or a Special Meeting.
31. PROCEEDINGS OF COMMITTEES TO BE CONFIDENTIAL
All agendas, reports and other documents which are marked “not for publication” because they contain confidential information shall not be published or any information contained therein made available to any member of the public or press.
32. CONSTITUTION OF COMMITTEES
The number of standing Committees and Sub Committees and their membership shall be such as the Council may from time to time determine.
33. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
(a)	Every Committee shall, at its first meeting, before proceeding with its business, elect a Chairman a Vice-Chairman for the year.
(b)	In the absence from a meeting of the Chairman and Vice Chairman a Chairman for that meeting may be elected. 
(c)	Whenever the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of a Committee or Sub-Committee shall cease to hold office the vacancy shall be filled at the next appropriate meeting of the Committee or Sub-Committee.

(d)	All Committees and Sub-Committees of the Council which consist of members of the Council and other persons shall have a member of the Council as Chairman.
(e) No member of the Council, except with the express approval of the Council, shall be the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of more than one standing Committee.
(f) With the exception of those members of the Executive Committee who are Committee Chairs, no member of the Council shall serve on more than two of the Councils Committees. 
34. SPECIAL MEETINGS OF COMMITTEES
(a)	The Chairman of the Committee or the Chairman of Council may call a special meeting of the Committee at any time. A special meeting shall also be called on the requisition of a quarter of the whole number of the Committee but in no case shall less than three members requisition a special meeting.
(b)	 In the event of an emergency or special circumstances, the Chief Executive may summon a special meeting of any committee.   The summons to the special meeting shall set out the business to be considered and no business other than that set out in the summons shall be considered at the meeting.
(c)	The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Council are authorised to convene a joint meeting of two or more Committees or Sub-Committees to deal with any matter of urgency and such joint meetings shall have delegated power to act on the Council’s behalf in such matters.
35. SUB COMMITTEES
(a)	Every committee appointed by the Council may appoint Sub-Committees for purposes to be specified by the Committee.   
(b)	The Chairman and the Vice-Chairman shall be member(s) of every Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee, unless they signify to the Committee that they do not wish to serve or where the terms of reference to sub-committees signify otherwise.
36. QUORUM OF COMMITTEES AND SUB COMMITTEES
(a)	Except where authorised by the Council, business shall not be transacted at a meeting of any Committee unless at least one quarter of the whole number of the Committee is present, provided that in no case the quorum of the Committee shall be less than three members.  
(b)	Except as aforesaid or otherwise ordered by the Committee that has appointed it, business shall not be transacted at a Sub Committee unless at least one quarter of the whole number of the Sub Committee is present, provided that in no case shall the quorum of Sub Committee be less than two members.
37. VOTING IN COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES
(a)	Voting at a meeting of a Committee or Sub Committee shall be by a show of hands, unless requested by majority resolution that it shall be by ballot.
(b)	The Chairman shall ascertain the numbers voting for or against any question and the Chairman’s declaration as to the result shall be conclusive.

38. RECORDING OF VOTES - COMMITTEES AND SUB COMMITTEES
The provision of Standing Order 27 shall be deemed as applying to Committees and Sub Committees of the Council.
39. DELEGATED POWERS - REFERENCE TO COUNCIL
Immediately following a vote on a decision under delegated powers, one quarter of the members. Present and voting at the meeting may require that the decision taken be submitted to the Council as a recommendation.   In such circumstances the 
decision shall not be actioned before consideration of that recommendation by Council.
40. STANDING ORDERS TO APPLY TO COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES
The Standing Orders of the Council shall generally apply to Committee and Sub-Committee meetings.
41. FORMULATION AND CHANGES OF POLICY AND EXPENDITURE
Unless otherwise provided for the approved terms of reference, no resolution of a committee or sub committee which would have a significant impact upon the resources of the Council and Association shall be submitted to the Council unless it has first been submitted to the Executive Committee; provided that with the approval of the Chairman of the Executive Committee such a resolution or recommendation may be submitted direct to Council if the urgency of the situation so requires.
42. VARIATION OR REVOCATION OF STANDING ORDER
Any motion to change or revoke the Standing Orders shall, when proposed and seconded, stand adjourned without discussion to the next meeting of the Executive Committee, which shall formulate any necessary recommendations to the Council.
43. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
(a)	 Any standing order may be suspended by a majority decision of members present and voting so far as is necessary to enable a particular item of business to be transacted.
(b)	A motion to suspend Standing Orders shall not be moved without notice unless at least one half of the whole number of the members of the Council or the Committee are present.
44. CONSTRUCTION
References in these Standing Orders to the masculine gender shall include the feminine; and the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.