23 February 2006

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SCRUTINY

MINUTES

Thursday, 23 February 2006 at 12.00pm

Chadwick Room, Selwyn College

Present: Dr Nick Holmes (Chair); Dr
Elisabeth Leedham-Green (Secretary); Miss Emma Easterbrook (Support Officer);
Mr Richard Stibbs; Mr Frank King; Mr David Yates; Dr Catherine Pitt; Mr Nick
Downer, Dr Nick Pyper, Dr John Little; and Dr Margaret Glendenning.

1.        
Apologies

-           
Mr Michael Kuczynski

-           
Position regarding David Phillipson needs to be
confirmed (he is on leave this term)

2.        
Minutes of
Meeting on 9 February 2006

-           
After some trivial corrections, these were approved

3.        
Matters
Arising

-           
Dr Mead had claimed that the Council gave permission
in 2004 to use the name of the University as a strap-line on stationery from
Papworth Hospital, but this is not noted in the relevant Minutes

4.    Report
on EMBS meetings regarding North West Cambridge

-      Chair and others had  met with David Adamson (before his departure)
and subsequently with the Acting Director of EMBS (Michael Bienias) regarding
the development of NW Cambridge

-      A number of costing models had been made
but there were significant mistakes

-      Joint planning framework between Cambridge
City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council will proceed when the
local plan is adopted and the inspector’s report is produced

-      What will happen to the houses not sold on
the open market: University, developer, socially registered landlord?

-      Need to consider the effects of the
options: risk, cost, profit, shared ownership

5.    Preparations
for Annual Report

       Probable topics might include:

-      Finance: 
(awaiting allocations report)

-      The RAM: (how is it being implemented, if
at all, below top level?)

-      Building projects: (projected cost versus
actual cost)

-      Governance: (raise content of March Away
Day with Vice-Chancellor on 27 April)

-      Pay and Grading: (await completion
potentially in April, alternatively next year’s report.  Enquiries need to be made to the Personnel
Division about red and green circles, and the progress of implementation.  It was felt in some cases that the
descriptors were not good.)

-      Professor Ian Leslie, Professor Melveena
McKendrick and Professor Tony Minson : Delegations to be sent

-      It was noted that Professor Minson would be
glad to attend a meeting of the Board

-      Cambridge Enterprise

6.    Any
Other Business

-      Support Officer to research costing and
actual cost of recent major University projects

-      The Chair 
would try to arrange a meeting with the Pro-Vice Chancellor for
Education – David Yates and John Little volunteered to form the delegation  (In the event that none of the dates offered
by Professor McKendrick were convenient, the Chair undertook to ask for further
possible dates.  The Secretary expressed
an interest in joining the delegation.)

7.    Next
Meeting

       Thursday, 9 March 2006 at 12.00pm

       Guest: Stephen Jolly

Emma Easterbrook

Support Officer

23 April 2006