No discussion shall be allowed on a motion or amendment which has not been seconded, save that a motion may be proposed without notice by the Chairman 'from the Chair' and without being seconded may become the motion before the Council.
Every motion or amendment shall, unless notice has already been given, be handed to the Chairman in writing, unless the Chairman permits such motions to be proposed orally.
Members shall address the Chairman and direct their speeches to the question under discussion or to a personal explanation or to a point of order. No speech shall exceed ten minutes except by consent of the Chairman.
Save with the consent of the Chairman, no member shall speak more than once on a motion or more than once on any particular amendment, save
that the mover of a motion or amendment shall have the right to reply at the close of the debate on the motion or amendment as the case may be;
on a point of order which by definition here shall relate only to an alleged breach of a standing order; or
by way of personal explanation which shall be in clarification of part of a former speech made by that member, which may appear to have been misunderstood.
Every amendment must be relevant to the motion on which it is moved and shall not have the effect of introducing a new proposal into or of negating the motion before the meeting. The question of relevance and negation shall be decided by the Chairman.
All variations upon a motion shall be deemed amendments and shall be treated as such, unless made by the mover of the original motion with the consent of a majority of the members present.
Only one amendment may be moved and discussed at a time and no further amendment shall be moved until the amendment under discussion has been disposed of.
If an amendment be lost, other amendments may be moved on the original motion. If an amendment be carried, the motion as amended shall take the place of the original motion and shall become the substantive motion upon which any further amendment may be moved.
A motion or amendment may be withdrawn by the mover and seconder with the consent of a majority of the members present.
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 part or parts of a motion be voted on separately;
that the subject of debate be referred back.
Every motion or amendment shall be determined by a simple majority of members of the Council present and voting, except where otherwise specified. Voting shall be by show of hands, except that the Chairman, or a majority of the Council members present, may call for a secret ballot on a motion that relates to an individual member of Council or committee, or to a member of staff. In the case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. The Chairman shall not be obliged to exercise this casting vote. Where the Chairman declines so to vote the Chairman shall declare the motion 'not carried'.
The Chairman shall be entitled to call for a recorded vote should he consider that the matter to be determined is of exceptional importance to the well-being of the institution. A member other than the Chairman shall be entitled to propose that a matter be determined by a recorded vote; such a proposal if seconded shall be put to Council and determined by a simple majority, by show of hands.
A motion to rescind an earlier decision of the Council shall require notice of motion, presented in accordance with para 3.9(10) above.
The ruling of the Chairman on a point of order or on the admissibility of a personal explanation shall not be open to discussion.
If at a meeting of the Council any member persistently disregards the rules of the Chair or behaves irregularly, or improperly, or offensively, or wilfully obstructs the business of the Council, and thereby in the opinion of the Chairman renders the due and orderly dispatch of business impossible, the Chairman may without question put, adjourn or suspend the meeting for such period as the Chairman shall consider expedient.
The President, or in his absence one of the Vice-Presidents or the Treasurer shall be empowered, after consultation with the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar and Secretary, to deal with matters of urgency, and such other matters as may be delegated to him by the Council, and shall report thereon to the next ordinary meeting of the Council.