Boardof Scrutiny

Thursday 26 February 2004

Robinson College

Garden Room

Present: Mantas Adomenas, Stephen Cowley, Christopher Forsyth(Chairman), Nicholas Holmes, Elisabeth Leedham-Green, Saskia Murk-Jansen,Timothy Milner, David Phillipson, Jennifer Rigby, John Spencer, Helen Thompson.

1.Apologies

RogerSalmon.

2.Minutes of the meeting of 19 February 2004

TheBoard confirmed the minutes with some minor corrections.

3.Matters arising

3.1.Administrative support

TheChair confirmed that Personnel had graded the position of support officer forthe Board at A02. He noted that he is now waiting for the Registrary formallyto say that money is available before advertising can proceed. He reaffirmedthat the Chair would be the formal manager of the officer. He reported that hehad ascertained that it would be possible to house the officer in the Proctors’office.

3.2.Meeting with the Council on 19 February 2004

TheBoard accepted the record of the meeting with some minor amendments.

ElisabethLeedham-Green reported that Professor Brown and George Reid had reported toCouncil that the meeting on 19 February was constructive. Others on theCouncil, she noted, had raised the question of changes to the ordinancesrelating to the Board.

TheChair circulated a letter that he had received after the meeting from theRegistrary. The Board agreed that it had not suggested, or wished to suggest,that it should see Council reports in draft form. Rather, it suggests a changeto the timetable for Reports that would allow sufficient time for the Board tomake considered responses before Discussions. The Board agreed that the Chairwould reply to the Registrary’s letter, stressing that whilst the Boardunderstood the limitations of its role, its purposes were those defined by thestatutes and the ordinances. TheBoard also agreed that it wished to work to improve relations with the Council.

ACTION: TheChair to write to the Registrary.

3.3.The University’s strategy

TheBoard agreed that David Phillipson’s revised working paper on strategy wouldinform its Ninth Annual Report. The Board agreed to request any papers thatthere are on the question of a strategy for the University which have gone toUniversity committees.

ACTION: TheChair to write to the Registrary to request any documents that exist.

3.4.The Building Maintenance Fund

NickHolmes reported that he had heard no further news from the Pro-Vice-Chancellorfor Planning and Resources.

3.5.Audit management letter

TheChair reported that he had received a copy of the audit management letter thathe circulated to the Board. The Board agreed to consider the letter in detailat its next meeting and identified some preliminary areas for discussion: (i)department sign-offs; (ii) the continuing question of consolidated accounts;(iii) the total return policy on amalgamated fund investment, particularly theissue of the income policy of the University.

3.6.Request for the Blue Book

TheChair reported that he had requested the Blue Book from the Director of Financebut had not received a reply.

3.7.The University’s investments

TheChair reported that he had requested the letter sent to the University’sinvestment fund managers and any minutes on discussions of alternatives to thepresent management of investmentsfromthe Director of Finance but had not received a reply.

4.Preparation of the Board’s Annual Report

TheBoard agreed that it would begin its work for the Annual Report by looking inter alia at: (i) the statutoryreports; (ii) RAM; (iii) the University’s financial position; (iv) governance,which will include the role of the Council, the Pro-Vice Chancellors, the K9statute, and the implementation of commitments made by the Council; (v) HERA;(vi) the position of statutes and ordinances on contracts and supplementarypayments.

5.The Staff Development seminar

Stephen Cowley reported that he had attended thepresentation given by the Registrary to the Staff

Developmentseminar. He noted that there were some issues for the future in theRegistrary’s remarks about the purposes of Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and theresponsibility for decisions between different University committees. JohnSpencer reported that in his presentation to the seminar he had explained thepurpose of the Board of Scrutiny and the ways that it worked over the past fewyears.

6.Any other business

6.1.Management Information Services Division (MISD)

The Board agreed torequest a meeting with the Director of MISD and that the delegation for themeeting would be Stephen Cowley, Jennifer Rigby, and Elisabeth Leedham-Green.

ACTION: TheChair to write to the Director of MISD to request a meeting.

6.2.Estates Plan

TheBoard agreed to approach the Director of Estate Management and Building Service(EMBS) to request a copy of the plan.

ACTION: NickHolmes to write to the Director of EMBS.

7.Date of next meeting: 11 March 2004