Membership terms and conditions
Terms and conditions of membership of the Hansard Society
The Hansard Society is incorporated as Hansard Society Ltd, a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales number 4332105, charity number 1091364.
Membership is subject to the following terms and conditions.
The Hansard Society welcomes individuals with an interest in and/or experience in parliamentary democracy. Applicants must submit an application form, a statement of interest and intention (up to 250 words) and payment when applying to join.
Each application will be assessed in relation to the Society’s objects by the Board of Trustees or a sub-group of the Board designated for the purpose. The Board may also choose to delegate the role to the Director. The Trustees and Director will have absolute discretion in approving membership.
Applicants not approved for membership shall have the right of appeal to the Chair of the Society whose decision is final. There will be no further right of appeal.
Membership of the Society shall not be refused on the basis of nationality, residency status, race, colour, creed or any other characteristics protected by law.
Once approved and accepted individual membership is valid for one year and renewable annually on the anniversary of the acceptance of their application.
No member shall be entitled to vote or enjoy any benefits of the Hansard Society as long as subscription payments are in arrears.
Payment for individual membership will be taken on submission of the application. In the event of an application being rejected a full refund of the membership fee will be given.
Individual membership will be suspended once payment is more than one month in arrears.
If a member pays the membership fee within three months of the due date, the individual membership will then restart – and be renewable annually – from that new date. The only requirement for re-joining within this time-period will be repayment of the annual subscription (the current year amount). The member will not be required to pay a re-joining fee or repeat the application process.
If a suspended member does nor re-join within three months of the due date, the membership will be deemed to have been terminated. A member who wishes to re-join after their membership has terminated will be required to re-join as a new applicant.
Once payment has been received, individuals who join the Hansard Society or who renew their membership will be entitled to a refund only within the first six months of their membership period, at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
Membership of the Society may be terminated at the discretion of the Board of Trustees if the applicant is deemed to have behaved contrary to the objects of the Society and/or in a vexatious manner and/or to have brought the reputation of the Hansard Society into disrepute. The Trustees will have absolute discretion in terminating membership.
The Board of Trustees shall have power to appoint as Honorary Members distinguished persons whose association with the Hansard Society may be considered advantageous, or who have rendered a special service to the Hansard Society. Honorary members shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership, but they shall not be entitled to vote.
Members are permitted to list their affiliation with the Hansard Society on résumés, in publications and for other biographical purposes. Members may join groups within networking and social media websites that show an affiliation to the Hansard Society, for example on Facebook or LinkedIn. However, members are not permitted to use their Hansard Society affiliation in a way that would suggest they represent the Hansard Society (e.g. on personal business cards, publications or when writing articles or giving media interviews, or on other public platforms).
All membership data will be stored according to the Data Protection Act 2018 and the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The Society’s Privacy Policy sets out how the Society uses any personal data provided by members, what members’ rights are in relation to that data, and how those rights can be exercised.
In accordance with the company’s Memorandum of Association, every member of the Society undertakes to contribute such amount as may be required (not exceeding £10) to the assets of the Society, if it should be wound up while he or she is a member, or within one year after he or she ceases to be a member, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the Society contracted before he or she ceases to be a member and of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
