Board of Scrutiny

Thursday 27 November 2003

Robinson College

Garden Room

Present: Mantas Adomenas, Stephen Cowley, ChristopherForsyth (chair), Nicholas Holmes, Elizabeth Leedham-Green, Timothy MilnerSaskia Murk-Jansen, David Phillipson, Jennifer Rigby, Roger Salmon, JohnSpencer, Helen Thompson.

1.Apologies

There were no apologies.

2.Minutes of the meeting of 13 November 2003

The Board accepted the minutes with one smallcorrection in wording.

3.Matters arising

3.1.Administrativesupport

The Chair to reported that he had written to the Registrary againbut had received no reply.

3.2.Clarity ofCouncil papers

The Chair to reported that he had written to the Registrary againbut had received no reply.

3.3.Primateresearch faculty at 307 Huntington Road

The Chair reported on the meeting of he and severalmembers of the Board with the Vice-Chancellor.The Board welcomed the news that there would almost certainly be asecond grace on the proposed building. The Board agreed that there will stillsome outstanding constitutional questions about graces and the apparentpresumption that the Council can censure information to the Regent House forreasons the Council itself determined and that it would return to this matterin a future report.

3.4.RAM Report

The Board agreed that the Chair, Stephen Cowley,Nicholas Holmes and Roger Salmon would attend the meeting that afternoon withthe Pro-Vice-Chancellor for planning and resources. The Board noted that onpreliminary reading the important questions that arise in the RAM report are:the principles for the allocation of resources to the central bodies of theUniversity; the saving targets planned for the central bodies; whether collegesare providing value for money for the revenue top-sliced from teaching income;the use of space in the formulas; the setting of parameters.

3.5.RSD

The Board agreed that the Chair, Stephen Cowley,Nicholas Holmes, David Phillipson and Roger Salmon would attend the meetingwith the Director of RSD.

4.Issues for discussion with the Registrary

The Board agreed to raise several issues in itsmeeting with the Registrary that afternoon: progress on implementing therecommendations on Shattock and Finkelstein, the provision of legal advicewithin the Old Schools, graces not included in Ordinances, and the HEFCE auditmemorandum.

5.Any other business

5.1.TheCouncil’s response to the Board’s Eighth Report

The Board agreed that the Council’s response was, on arange of issues, disappointing. It noted that, pace the Council, the Regent House is the governing body of theUniversity, not a watchdog.

6.Date of the next meeting: 15 January 2004