Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

Section 1(3).

SCHEDULE 1 Provisions as to the Council

Tenure of office of members and of President and Vice-Presidents

1 (1) Subject to the provisions of this Schedule, the term of office of any member of the Council shall be, as near as may be, four years and the day on which a member of the Council ordinarily retires shall be the day of the annual general meeting of the College in the year in which he retires.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Schedule, six of the elected members of the Council, being those who have been such members for the longest time without re-election, shall retire in each year.

(3) If on the coming into force of a recognition order for any university a member of the Council is appointed by the university between two annual general meetings of the College, then, subject to the following provisions of this Schedule, the term of office of that member shall not expire until the fourth annual general meeting after it began.

2 Subject to the provisions of this Schedule, the term of office of the President or a Vice-President of the College shall be, as near as may be, one year, and he shall retire at the next meeting of the Council after the annual general meeting, but shall hold office until that next meeting notwithstanding that he has ceased to be a member of the Council, unless he resigns office as President or Vice-President or ceases to be a member of the Council under paragraph 3, 4 or 5 of this Schedule.

3 A member of the Council may at any time, by notice in writing addressed to the registrar, resign his office as member and the President or a Vice-President of the College may at any time by a like notice resign his office as such.

4 An elected member of the Council, or a member of the Council appointed by a university as being a member of the College, shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a member of the College.

5 If a recognition order ceases to be in force for any university, any member appointed to the Council by that university shall thereupon cease to hold office.

Elections, appointments and casual vacancies

6 (1) Elections or appointments to fill any vacancy occurring under paragraph 1 of this Schedule shall be held or made before the annual general meeting of the College at which the vacancy occurs.

(2) Elections to fill an ordinary vacancy in the office of President or Vice-President shall be held at the meeting of the Council at which the vacancy occurs.

7 (1) Where a casual vacancy occurs among the elected members of the Council, the vacancy shall be filled—

(a) by the unsuccessful candidate at the last previous ordinary election of such members who at that election received the greatest number of votes and has not since become a member, or

(b) if two or more such candidates received an equal number of votes, by the candidate who has been registered longest on the register or, if two or more such candidates have been registered longer than any other but for the same period as each other, by one of them chosen by lot, or

(c) if there were no unsuccessful candidates at that election, by a person appointed by the Council.

(2) Where a casual vacancy occurs among members of the Council appointed by the Privy Council or a university, the vacancy shall be filled by the Privy Council or that university, as the case may be.

(3) Where a casual vacancy occurs in the office of President or Vice-President of the College, the vacancy shall be filled by an election held at the first meeting of the Council after the vacancy occurs.

(4) A person filling a casual vacancy among the elected members of the Council or in the office of President or Vice-President of the College shall hold office until the date on which the person whose vacancy he fills would have regularly retired.

8 A person ceasing to be a member of the Council or President or Vice-President of the College shall be eligible to be re-elected or re-appointed.

9 Elections of elected members of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with a scheme made by the Council and approved by the Privy Council.

10 A scheme under the last foregoing paragraph may be amended by the Council, but no amendment of the scheme shall have effect unless approved by the Privy Council.

Supplementary

11 The powers of the Council and any of its committees may be exercised notwithstanding any vacancy, and no proceedings of the Council or any of its committees shall be invalidated by any defect in the election or appointment of a member.

12 The additional elected members of the Council required to bring the number of such members up to twenty-four shall be elected before, and shall come into office at, the annual general meeting of the College in 1968.

13 Of the persons elected members of the Council at the election of such members in 1968 one shall retire in each of the three next following years, being—

(a) that one of the successful candidates who at that election received the smallest number of votes and remains a member by virtue of being so elected, or

(b) if two or more such candidates received an equal number of votes, the candidate who has been registered on the register for the shortest period or, if two or more such candidates have been registered for a shorter period than any other but for the same period as each other, one of them chosen by lot."