ORDINANCE 6
COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL
1. There shall be the following standing committees of the Council:
(a) Audit Committee, pursuant to Article 16 of the Charter, otherwise known as the Audit and Risk Committee;
(b) Finance and Investment Committee;
(c) Governance Committee;
(d) Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee; and
(e) Remuneration Committee.
2. Council shall also have in place a Review Panel to monitor and report to the Council on adherence to the Code of Practice and Memorandum of Agreement between the University and the Students’ Union as set out in Ordinance 13.
3. The terms of reference of each standing committee shall be approved by the Council based on recommendations from the Governance Committee, subject to the following requirements.
(a) The membership of standing committees shall be drawn from the current members of the Council and may be supplemented with co-opted members who are external to the University, or Senior Officers of the University who are nominated by the President and Principal, or both. Current members of the Council shall always form the majority of any standing committee.
(b) The Audit and Risk Committee shall not have current staff or students of the University within its membership.
(c) The Treasurer shall be the Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee and both the President and Principal and the President of the Students’ Union shall be ex officio members.
(d) The Chair of Council shall be the Chair of the Governance Committee and the Vice-Chair of Council, the President and Principal and the President of the Students’ Union shall all be ex officio members.
(e) The Chair of Council shall be the Chair of the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee and the President and Principal shall be an ex officio member.
(f) The Vice-Chair of Council shall be the Chair of the Remuneration Committee and both the Chair of Council and the Treasurer shall be ex officio members.
4. Current members of the Council shall be eligible to be appointed as members of standing committees by the Council based on recommendations from the Governance Committee. The term of appointment on any such standing committee shall be continuous until the member stands down, becomes ineligible for membership or is asked to stand down by the Chair of Council.
5. Members of standing committees who are not current members of the Council shall be appointed by the Council based on recommendations from the Governance Committee. They shall meet the same ‘fit and proper person’ test and comply with the same Conflicts of Interest Policy and related procedures that apply to members of the Council as set out or otherwise referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Ordinance 4. The normal term shall be four years commencing from the date of appointment and extendable by one further period of four years, unless the member stands down, becomes ineligible for membership or is asked to stand down by the Chair of Council.
6. Concerns or complaints about a member of a standing committee who is a current member of the Council shall be raised in accordance with paragraph 10 of Ordinance 4. Concerns or complaints about other members shall be raised with the Chair of Council or the Secretary to Council, who shall report the concern or complaint to the Governance Committee, where a decision will be made on what action to take.
7. Each standing committee shall review its own effectiveness and the suitability of its terms of reference annually and report the outcomes of its review to the Governance Committee.
8. The Council and standing committees may convene ad hoc panels and groups to undertake specific work as appropriate provided that all significant decisions are taken by the convening body.
9. The Secretary to Council or their nominee shall act as secretary to all the standing committees of the Council as well as all ad hoc panels and groups created by the Council and its standing committees.
Approved by the Council with effect from 1 August 2024.