Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
Statute A
THE CHANCELLOR AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY

Chapter IV

THE COUNCIL

1. (a) The Council shall be the principal executive and policy-making body of the University. The Council shall have general responsibility for the administration of the University, for the planning of its work, and for the management of its resources; it shall have power to take such action as is necessary for it to discharge these responsibilities. It shall also perform such other executive and administrative duties as may be delegated to it by the Regent House or assigned to it by Statute or Ordinance.

(b) The Council shall have the right of reporting to the University. It shall advise the Regent House on matters of general concern to the University.

(c) The Council shall perform such duties in connection with financial matters as are assigned to it by Statute F, I.

(d) The Council shall make an Annual Report to the University, and shall initiate and submit a Grace for the approval of the Report by the Regent House.

(e) The Council shall have the power of submitting Graces to the Regent House and to the Senate. The procedure for the submission of Graces shall be prescribed by Ordinance.

(f) The Council shall oversee the work of all those institutions in the University which are placed under its supervision, and shall ensure that the University officers assigned to those institutions are satisfactorily performing the duties and fulfilling the conditions of tenure of their offices.

2. The Council shall consist of the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, nineteen elected members, and four appointed members in the following classes:

  1. (a)four from among the Heads of Colleges;
  2. (b)four from among the Professors and Readers;
  3. (c)eight from among the other members of the Regent House;
  4. (d)three from among the students in the University, of whom at least one shall be from among those certified by the Registrary to be graduate students.
  5. (e)four persons appointed by Grace of the Regent House who at the time of appointment are not qualified to be members of the Regent House except under Statute A, III, 7(a)(ii), nor are employees of the University or a College, one of whom shall be designated by the Council to chair the Audit Committee of the Council.

Members in each of classes (a), (b), and (c) shall be elected by the Regent House in accordance with section 4(a) of this Statute and in a manner determined by Ordinance. Members in class (d) shall be elected by the students in the University in accordance with section 4(b) of this Statute and in a manner determined by Ordinance. Members in class (e) shall be appointed by Grace of the Regent House on the nomination of the Council; the arrangements for nomination shall be prescribed by Ordinance.

For the purpose of this Statute the terms student in the University and graduate student shall be defined by or under Ordinance.

3. The procedure for the election of members of the Council shall be prescribed by Ordinance.

4. (a) Members of the Council in classes (a), (b), and (c) shall be elected to serve for four years, an election of half the members in each class being held during Full Michaelmas Term in each alternate year.

(b) Members of the Council in class (d) shall be elected in each academical year on a date to be determined by or under Ordinance to serve for one year from a date to be determined by Ordinance.

(c) Members of the Council in class (e) shall be appointed to serve for four years from 1 January in a year when the calendar year is odd; the appointment of half the members in this class shall take place in each alternate year.

5. (a) If a member of the Council in any of classes (a), (b), and (c), or any person nominated for election as a member in one of those classes, ceases to be a member of the Regent House, or suffers suspension or deprivation of his or her University office, degrees, or membership of the University, that member's seat shall thereupon become vacant, or the nomination shall thereupon become invalid, as the case may be.

(b) If a member of the Council becomes Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, his or her seat shall thereupon become vacant.

(c) If a member of the Council in class (a) or class (b) ceases to be the Head of a College or a Professor or Reader, as the case may be, that member's seat shall not thereby become vacant.

(d) If a member of the Council in class (d), or any person nominated for election as a member in that class, ceases to be a student in the University as defined in accordance with section 2 above, or suffers deprivation or suspension of his or her degree or membership of the University, or suffers rustication by a University Court or by a College, that member's seat shall thereupon become vacant, or the nomination shall thereupon become invalid, as the case may be.

6. (a) If any casual vacancy occurs by death, by resignation, or otherwise, among the elected members of the Council during their period of service, or if it is known that such a vacancy will occur by reason of a member's resignation, or if any person elected dies, resigns, or is otherwise disabled from beginning service between the publication of the result of the election and the day upon which such a person is due to begin service, the vacancy shall be filled by the holding of a bye-election; provided that no bye-election shall be held to fill a vacancy that occurs less than sixty days of full term before the end of tenure of the member whose death, resignation, or disablement has created the vacancy.

(b) If at any election the total number of vacancies is not filled, the Vice-Chancellor shall arrange a further election to fill such vacancies as are unfilled.

(c) If, after the last date for sending in nominations and before the result of the election has been decided, a person nominated for election in any class dies, or is disabled from serving as a member, or if such a person's nomination becomes invalid under the provisions of section 5(a) or 5(d) above, all nominations for that class shall be deemed to be void, and the Vice-Chancellor shall give notice thereof and shall arrange a new election.

(d) Any bye-election, further election, or new election held under subsection (a), (b), or (c) above shall take place as soon as conveniently may be; the arrangements for the election shall be determined and published by the Vice-Chancellor.

(e) If any casual vacancy occurs by death, by resignation, or otherwise, among the members in class (e), the casual vacancy shall be filled in accordance with the procedure for the appointment of members in class (e) in section 2 of this Statute.

7. (a) The period of service of members in classes (a), (b), and (c) shall be as follows:

  1. (i)A person elected during the Michaelmas Term (otherwise than to fill a casual vacancy) shall begin service on the first day of January next following the election.
  2. (ii)A person elected in any term other than a Michaelmas Term or elected to fill a casual vacancy which has already occurred shall begin service on the day next following the publication of the result of the election; provided that, if at an election of either such kind the number of persons nominated in any class does not exceed the number of vacancies in that class, the person or persons nominated shall be deemed to be elected and shall begin service on the day following the last day for the receipt of nominations.
  3. (iii)A person elected in any term other than a Michaelmas Term (otherwise than to fill a casual vacancy) shall serve, notwithstanding the provisions of section 4(a) above, until the end of the calendar year next but two following the year in which the election takes place.

(b) Any person elected a member in class (d), either at the annual election or at a bye-election to fill a casual vacancy which has already occurred, shall begin service on the day next following the publication of the result of the election; provided that, if at an election of either such kind the number of persons nominated does not exceed the number of vacancies, the person or persons nominated shall be deemed to be elected and shall begin service on the day following the last day for the receipt of nominations.

8. No person shall be elected a member of the Council after attaining the age of seventy years.

9. (a) The Chairman of the Council shall be the Vice-Chancellor, provided that the Chancellor shall have the right to take the chair at any meeting of the Council at which he or she is present. If neither the Chancellor nor the Vice-Chancellor is present, the Chairman shall be a member of the Council appointed by the Vice-Chancellor to act as his or her deputy, or in the absence of such deputy some other member of the Council chosen by the members present.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 9(a), the Council shall from time to time designate a member of the Council in class (a), (b), (c), or (e), as Deputy Chairman of the Council, who shall take the chair at such proceedings of the Council, notwithstanding the fact that the Chancellor or the Vice-Chancellor is present, as the Council shall determine from time to time.

10. The Council shall meet at least twice in each term. No business shall be transacted at a meeting unless nine members at least are present.