Reporter 19/11/03: Second Report of the Council on governance (external membership of the Council): Notice

Second Report of the Council on governance (external membership of the Council): Notice

17 November 2003

The Council have received the remarks made at the Discussion of their Report on 4 November 2003 (Reporter, p. 165). They have noted Professor G. R. Evans's comments about advertisement, etc. This will be a new procedure and the Council are confident that the Nominating Committee will make appropriate arrangements for the widespread advertisement of their intentions to nominate and will include in any such advertisement a request for nominations and expressions of interest to be sent to them for consideration.

The Council regret that Mr N. M. Maclaren does not feel that their Notice of 28 July (Reporter, 2002-03, p. 1262) responded adequately to all his remarks. They draw attention, however, to their statement in that Notice that there was no current proposal to increase further the number of external members since the Council would be giving consideration to the appointment of a Syndicate to consider governance matters generally. As the Council explained in their first Report (Reporter, 2002-03, p. 920), because proposals to amend the composition of the Council had been rejected by the Regent House, they were proceeding only with the proposal which they thought had widespread support, that is to have two external members one of whom would chair the Audit Committee. They would not to proceed at this stage with the proposal for an additional external member who would chair the Council. The Council do not accept Mr Maclaren's apparent suggestion that a Grace published in early August is in some way hidden from the Regent House and do not believe that the business of the University can be held in suspense each summer.

The Report under question is concerned with the Nominating Committee for the external members, and not the number of external members, and the Council are therefore submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 222) to the Regent House for the approval of the recommendations in the Report.

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