GOVERNANCE AND SENIOR STAFF

• University constitution
• 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

Information for Committee Members

Useful Templates

• Travel and Subsistence Expense claim form (PDF,131kb)
• Map of the University precinct

For more information relating to useful University procedures and templates, please visit Procedures and Templates.

Register of Interests

Each year, in accordance with HEFCE policy, the Governance Office asks members of Council to complete and submit a Register of Interests form. The Clerk to Council, on behalf of the Registrar and University Secretary, maintains the overall Register of Interests.  Members are asked to provide details of:

• Remunerated employment outside the University;
• Other relevant sources of income from outside the University;       
• Relevant directorships, trusteeships or similar positions;
• Involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business;
• Positions of authority within any other organisation whose decisions may have an impact on the University;
• Other relevant interests.

The Register of Interests Form can be found online and is accessible via UoB staff login.

Governors' Responsibilities: Useful resources/documents

As the governance of higher education in the UK evolves, there are major implications for governing bodies including:

• increasing expectations about how they undertake their role;
• a greater focus on measuring institutional performance;
• coming to terms with an increasingly complex governance environment.

All of the above and more means that governors/committee members of governing bodies (particularly new ones) need to be well prepared for their roles and the challenges they face, so that they can contribute effectively to their various committees from the outset.

To support governors/committee members in this challenge, we have provided a set of useful internal and external resources below:

External Resources

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) works in partnership promoting and funding high-quality, cost-effective teaching and research, meeting the diverse needs of students, the economy and society.

The following Guide is published by the Committee of University Chairs and available through the HEFCE website:

Guide for Members of Higher Education Governing Bodies in the UK - Incorporating the Governance Code of Practice and General Principles (March 2009)

The following guides are jointly published by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and the Committee of University Chairs (CUC). They have been developed specifically for Governors of UK Universities and Higher Education Colleges:

• Getting to Grips with Risk (PDF, 551 kb)
• Getting to Grips with Audit  (PDF, 320 kb)
• Getting to Grips with Estates and Infrastructure (PDF, 360 kb)
• Getting to Grips with Finance (PDF, 543 kb)
• Getting to Grips with Human Resource Management (PDF, 381 kb)
• Getting to Grips with Internationalisation (PDF, 541kb)
• Getting to Grips with Research and Knowledge Transfer (PDF, 550.3kb)
• Getting to Grips with Academic Standards, Quality and the Student Experience (PDF, 507.8kb)

The Leadership Foundation for Higher Education's Governance is a key resource for governors, council members and others interested in governance in higher education. Below are some helpful publications:

• Governing Body guide to Equality and Diversity (PDF, 1.4mb)

• High Performing Governing Body (PDF, 1.3mb)

• Governing Body Effectiveness Framework (PDF, 312.7kb)

Internal Resources

• Lay Members of Council and Council Committees Roles and Responsibilities and Code of Conduct
• Council's Statement of Primary Responsibilities (SOPR) (approved by Council on 6 July 2012 (PDF, 33.4kb))
• The University Acts, Charter, Statutes, Ordinance and Regulations
• The University's Scheme of Delegation and Key Decision-Making Authorities 
• Structure of University Administration
• Vacation Powers Procedure (PDF, 17.4kb)
• University of Bristol Committee Schedule
• University of Bristol Annual Reporting Schedule
• University of Bristol Committee Structure (PDF, 87.1kb)
• University of Bristol Almanac