Royal College of Nursing Regulation on Requisitioning a General Meeting

1. This Regulation is made under Standing Order 13.10.

2. In this Regulation, ‘General Meeting’ includes an Annual General Meeting.

3. Where the Council has announced the proposed date of a General Meeting, such number of the Members as may requisition a General Meeting may, subject to the requirements of this Regulation, propose a resolution for consideration at that meeting.

4. Where a Member wishes to submit a petition to propose a resolution at a General Meeting they must request a petition form via the office of hard copy form within 7 working days. 

5. The petition form will request the text of the proposed resolution, the rationale for proposing it, and the authentication of up to three Member(s) willing to act as the lead proposer(s) of the resolution. 

6. The correctly completed petition form must be received at least 60 days before the date of the meeting at which it is to be proposed.

7. Within 15 days of receipt of the petition form, the Council, after considering the advice of the Chief Executive & General Secretary, will determine if the petition meets the requirements set out in this Regulation.

8. If the petition does not meet the requirements set out in Standing Order 13.5 the Member/s submitting the resolution will be informed.

9. If it is determined that the petition does meet the requirements of this Regulation the petition will be published in the Members’ area of the College website, and the lead proposer(s) will be informed. 

10. The number of required signatories under paragraph 3 of this Regulation will be calculated at the date of publication of the petition.

11. Members signing up to the petition will have their credentials checked through the College’s membership system and sent a communication requesting confirmation that they signed up to the petition.

12. The petition will be open for a period of not less than 15 days. If it has not received the required number of signatories within that period it will beclosed.

13. If the petition secures the required number of signatories by the end of that period the resolution will be included on the agenda for consideration at the relevant General Meeting. 

14. Any proposal made under this Regulation must:

1. be clear enough to enable members attending the meeting to understand the effect of the proposal;

2. be capable of being lawfully carried into effect;

3. not relate to any matter which must be decided by Special Resolution;

4. not simply propose to nullify a resolution set out in the notice of the meeting;

5. not be defamatory of any person; and

6. not be frivolous or vexatious.

15. Before publishing a proposal on the College website the Council may seek to agree with the lead proposer(s) how the proposal should be amended to meet the requirements of this  Regulation and the timescale under paragraph 7 of this Regulation shall be varied accordingly. Any revised proposal agreed with the lead proposer(s) shall be treated as having been properly proposed under this Regulation.

16. A proposal made in accordance with this Regulation may be withdrawn by the lead proposer(s) at any time before it is put to a vote of the Members.

17. A proposal may not be made in relation to a General Meeting where the College has already sent out notice for that meeting.

Agreed by RCN Council 23 July 2023