Just wondered if anyone involved in breed clubs could comment on this scenario?
An SGM for a breed club is scheduled for 2pm. By 2pm 17 of the required 20 people are present but several others have rung to say they are on their way - delayed by extreme weather conditions and/or the fact that no directions to the venue were circulated by the secretary. The majority in the room wish to wait. By 2.30 20 people are present. The chairman refuses to conduct the meeting claiming it would be null and void under KC rules because it was due to start at 2pm. Further, if the meeting was conducted, he and his wife would leave, leaving it inquorate.

There is nothing I can see in the club rules about a meeting having to start on time - seems reasonable to me to consider the local circumstances (in the event my journey took me twice as long as it would normally have done) particularly since people had travelled hundreds of miles. My understanding was that the KC only insisted on clubs sticking to their own rules. Are there other rules that I don't know about that relate to conducting SGMs?

Were I the synical type I would say that once a quorum had been reached the Chairman did a quick head count, saw he would loose the vote so abandoned - but Im sure that this isn't what happened. Whilst there is no 'rule' about starting meetings on time I would have thought common sense should prevail. A quorum needs to be met, but if weather is poor, traffic is bad etc what is the harm in a 30 minute delay - after all many shows put back judging half an hour in such circumstances. Cant'e see 30 mins being unreasonable - and the KC are always pretty reasonable about these things - how many meetings actually start bang on time? I just hope that it wasnt for something really impotant for the breed, because those of you who attended had a wasted trip, no doubt the room still had to be paid for, and agenda circulated etc. Speaking as a former breed club Chairman I would have waited til there were enough people present then started - from the information you have given.