Our
Constitution

OUR CONSTITUTION (updated July 2026)

1. Name
The name of the group shall be Portsmouth Asian Social & Cultural Organisation (hereinafter
called PASCO).

2. Aims and Objectives
The aims of PASCO will be:

•  To bring together and foster understanding amongst South Asian inhabitants of Portsmouth
  and district (hereinafter called the ‘area of benefit’), without distinction of sex, sexual orientation,
  ethnic origin, disability, age or of political, religious, or other opinions.
•  To promote social, welfare, educational and cultural activities.
•  To establish contact between members of different communities in order to create better
  understanding.
•  To periodically assess and support the needs, issues and concerns of the members.

3. Membership
Membership is open to anyone who:

• is aged 18 years and over.
•  supports the aims and objectives of PASCO and its constitution.
•  pays an annual membership fee.
•  Lives in/has previously lived in Portsmouth and the surrounding area.

Membership will be valid for 12 months from the date of joining.

People
living outside Portsmouth and the surrounding area will be eligible to become ‘associate’
members of PASCO.

There will be an annual membership fee (non-refundable) which will be
agreed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and will be payable by head of the household for
all those aged 12 and over. A list of all members will be kept by the secretarial office.

Ceasing to be a Member
Members may resign at any time in writing to the secretary.

Any member who has not paid their membership fee for one year will be contacted by the
committee, who will then decide whether that member is deemed to have resigned.

Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted.

Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy may be asked
not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the
behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the
management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

4. Equal Opportunities

PASCO will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national
origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy
or maternity, marital status or age.

5. Officers and Committee
The business of the group will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General
Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than four times a year.

The Committee will consist of a minimum of 10 members and will be composed of 5 officers and 5 committee members. Up to 2 additional members may be co-opted onto the committee at the
discretion of the committee.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

•  President, who shall chair both general and committee meetings
•  Vice President, who shall deputise for the President in their absence
•  General Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all
  papers
•  Assistant General secretary, who shall deputise for the General secretary in their absence
•  Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts and be responsible keeping
  records of the members

In the event of an officer standing down during the year, a replacement will be elected by the next
General Meeting of members.

Any committee member not attending a meeting without apology for three consecutive meetings
will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign.

The Committee meetings will be open to any member of PASCO wishing to attend, who may
speak but not vote.

6. Meetings
6.1. General Meetings
A General Meeting (GM) will be held within twenty-four months of the previous GM.

All members will be notified in writing at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the
venue, date and time.

Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the
meeting.

The quorum for the GM will be 20% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is greater
number.

At the GM:

•  The Committee will present a report of the work of PASCO for the last term.
•  The Committee will present the accounts of PASCO for the previous term.
•  The officers and Committee for the next term will be elected.
•  Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be
  discussed.

 If a member of PASCO wants to move a resolution in the meeting, they will have to send a
written notice to the General Secretary 3 working days prior to the meeting.

6.2 Special General Meetings

The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee
or at least eight other members giving a written request to the President or Secretary stating the
reason for their request.

The meeting will take place within twenty-eight days of the request.

All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and
agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post.

The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 20% of the membership or 10 members,
whichever is the greater number.

6.3 Committee Meetings
Committee meetings may be called by the President or Secretary. Committee members must
receive notice of meetings at least 7 days before the meeting.

The Committee will aim to meet monthly, whether in person or virtually via an online platform.
The quorum for Committee meetings is seven Committee members including two office bearers.

An emergency committee meeting may be called by any two committee members with the
consent of the President or General Secretary.

7. Rules of Procedure for meetings
All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly, and the meeting will seek to find
general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be taken, and a decision will be made by a simple
majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the
meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

Associate members do not have the right to vote and will not be allowed to stand for Committee.

8. Finances
An account will be maintained on behalf of PASCO at a bank agreed by the committee. All
cheques of the organisation will have to be signed by the following office bearers:

 President or General Secretary and the Treasurer.
 All payments will be signed by two of the signatories.

For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.

For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash
payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.
Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial
statement given at each meeting.

All money raised by or on behalf of PASCO is only to be used to further the aims and objectives
of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.

Accounts will be audited by a volunteer member at the General Meeting.

All members of the organisation will have the right to inspect the accounts giving one week’s notice
, either to the President or General Secretary.

9. Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the constitution may only be made at a General Meeting or a Special General
Meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the General Secretary in writing. The
proposal must then be circulated with the notice of the meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two-thirds majority of those present and
entitled to vote.

10. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group, it may call a
Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the
group.

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding
debts have been paid, will be donated to a recognised charitable organisation. The organisation
will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.