GOVERNANCE AND SENIOR STAFF

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• Statutory bodies
• Policies and strategies
• Governance opportunities
• Governance Office
  • Governance Procedures and Templates
  • Committee Schedule
  • Annual Report Schedule
  • Information for Committee Members
  • New Member Induction
  • Finding and Appointing New Members
  • Meet the Governance team
• The University Secretary
• Governance news

Finding and Appointing New Members

Introduction

Good Practice

• It is good practice to ensure that the membership of Council and its Committees is diverse, reflecting the community in which they serve in the broadest sense i.e. in terms of gender, skills, age and ethnicity.  In recruiting new members it is essential to pay regard to the balance of membership and the needs of the institution by way of a skills register against which to consider the field of candidates.
• CUC guidance suggests that members should not serve for more than 9 consecutive years and after this time members should normally retire and be replaced by new members. There should, however, be no bar to a particularly valued member returning to office if a vacancy occurs in future years.
• CUC good practice also indicates that vacancies for lay/independent members and co-opted members should be publicised (including a written job specification and a clear indication of skills, knowledge, time commitment and experience required). This proves that there is an open and transparent process in place.

For any enquiries you can contact:

• the University Governance Office (secretariat@bristol.ac.uk)
• the relevant Committee Secretary for each Committee
• the Equality and Diversity Manager for information relating to Equality and Diversity.

Information for current/prospective members

Lay members of Council are appointed by Court, usually in December, on the recommendation of the Nominations Committee of Court.   The Nominations Committee of Court shall put to Court each year at its Annual Meeting names for election to member of Council in Class 1 Statute 15 for a three year term (short-listed applicants will be those whose skills and experience most closely reflect the criteria set out in the person specification but regard will also be paid to the importance of diversity of members and the University's Equal Opportunities policy). The Committee shall search for suitable candidates, advertise vacancies in an open and transparent manner and where applicable shall give careful consideration to all names recommended to it. 

The Clerk to Council will confirm members' appointment in writing shortly after formal approval has been given.  The letter would set out the approved term of office and other key information that the new member will require.

Lay members are appointed for three-year terms of office, and may stand for re-appointment for a maximum of two additional three-year terms, in accordance with University Statutes and recognised good practice across the sector.

An example of a usual recruitment timetable is provided below (please note that this is sometimes subject to some flexibility/change):

Key date	Description
28th September	Closing date for submission of application forms.
3rd October	Meeting of Nominations Committee of Court to shortlist applicants.
5th October	Candidates to be notified about whether or not they would be invited to interview (shortlisted candidates to be given a choice of three interview dates).
15th, 16th and 17th October	Interviews with the shortlisted candidates to take place.
7th November	Nominations Committee of Court to consider Interview Panel's findings and make formal recommendation to University Council.
23 November	University Council to consider the Nominations Committee’s recommendation.
7 December	University Court to consider final recommendations from University Council.

Information for council committee members

The Nominations Committee of Court works closely with the Council Committee Appointments Group.

University is keen to ensure that there is a diverse pool of lay members of Council and as such the Council Committee Appointments Group' (called the Membership Appointments Group) meets annually (at least) to review / undertake the following:

1. Current and forthcoming vacancies on Council committees – and succession planning strategies for chairs/members.
2. An annual review of the skills requirements of Council committees.
3. An annual review of committees’ terms of reference (informed by feedback from the committees).
4. An annual review of diversity of Council committees (to include lay, staff and student members) including submission of an annual report to Council.
5. Development of proposals for co-opting members onto committees where there is a significant lack of female or male representation.
6. Consideration of training and development needs for members of Council committees.
7. Preparation of an annual report to the Nominations Committee which sets out any expertise/skills gaps on key committees and/or any diversity issues.This report would then inform the Nominations Committee’s lay member recruitment strategies. The Nominations Committee could also forward the CVs of any Council applicants to the relevant committees if there appeared to be a good skills match.

The University also has a Governance Opportunities website where vacancies are advertised.

Further information

Please see below for more detailed information about what it means to be a Lay Member of Council:

• Roles and Responsibilities and Code of Conduct for lay members of Council (PDF, 40.3kb)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about becoming a lay member of Council (PDF, 62.8kb)
• Roles and Responsibilities and Code of Conduct for lay members of Council Committees (PDF, 35.6kb)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about becoming a lay member of a Council Committee (PDF, 63.8kb)
• Sample application / expression of interest form (PDF, 60.9kb)