Royal Northern College of Music
Travel and
Subsistence
Policy
Policy & Procedure
Department: Finance
Document owner: Deputy Principal
Approval Committee: Finance Committee
Revised: June 2014
Period of Approval: 3 years
Review Date: June 2015
The RNCM Travel & Subsidence Policy is founded on the premise that individual
members of staff are entrusted to secure value-for-money for the College.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The RNCM Travel and Subsistence Policy sets out the circumstances under which the
College will reimburse staff for travel and subsistence expenses incurred whilst
undertaking official College business in the UK, EU and internationally. The Policy also
covers the arrangements for travel and subsistence allowances for part-time academic
staff travelling to and from the College for their regular teaching commitments.
2.
TRAVEL ALLOWANCES FOR APPROVED COLLEGE-RELATED BUSINESS
(excluding travel allowances for regular teaching commitments undertaken by parttime staff teachers – see Section 6).
i)
All members of staff who are asked to travel away from the main College site on
approved College-related business will be entitled to claim reasonable travel
allowances. Individuals should endeavour to use the most feasible, cost-effective
mode of transport available in accordance with the information given below. The
College reserves the right to discuss the basis of a claim with the staff member and
amend a claim if, in its view, a journey could have been completed just as easily
using a more cost-effective mode of transport or if the car mileage claimed appears
excessive. If employees are unsure, they should check their plans first with the
Head of Human Resources, Head of International Relations (for overseas travel
undertaken as part of the College’s International Strategy), or the appropriate line
manager.
ii)
Travel by car:
If an employee travels by car then s/he will be entitled to claim the current HMRC
approved mileage rate of 45p per mile for the first 100 miles and 25p per mile
thereafter. If excessive mileage was incurred (e.g. due to road diversions, traffic
problems) claimants must state the reason on the claim form. If the journey begins
or ends at an individual’s home, then the claim should reflect this by deducting the
distance from home to work from the claim. Car parking expenses will also be
reimbursed on the production of the relevant receipts.
iii)
Car sharing:
Where more than one individual is travelling to the same location, the College
encourages car sharing wherever possible.
iv)
Travel by train or bus:
Where an individual uses train or bus, then all reasonable expenses will be
reimbursed on the production of receipts. Any claims submitted without receipts will
not be reimbursed. Staff are expected to travel off peak wherever possible and to
select the cheapest available ticket unless first class of peak time travel has been
authorised (exceptionally) by the Principal in advance.
v)
Travel by air:
Staff travelling overseas on approved College business (excluding international
recruitment activity – see section 4. below) must obtain a quote from the College’s
appointed travel agent (Appendix 1) and seek prior approval from the Principal.
vi)
3.
Travel insurance:
Staff travelling overseas on approved College business will normally be covered by
the College’s Travel Insurance Policy. (Please refer to section 4. for more
information).
SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCES FOR COLLEGE-RELATED BUSINESS
i)
Where an individual is away from work on College business then s/he will be
entitled to claim a maximum meal allowance for one or more of breakfast, lunch and
evening meal, dependent on the timing and duration of the absence. Receipts must
be provided for all items claimed, and claims for alcohol will not be reimbursed.
Maximum subsistence allowances are:
Breakfast
Lunch
Evening Meal
ii)
£12.00 per day
£15.00 per day
£20.00 per day
If it is necessary for an individual to make an overnight stay in the UK, then s/he will
be able to claim the full value of that stay on the production of relevant receipts. If
the cost of an overnight stay exceeds the maximum allowance, prior approval from
the Principal must be sought. Staff travelling on international business on behalf of
the College must obtain an accommodation quote from the College’s appointed
travel agent (see Appendix 1).
Maximum overnight allowances:
UK, Regional
London
Overseas
£75 per night
£160 per night
£160 per night
iii) There may be exceptional circumstances where an individual who is not an employee
of the College accompanies a member of staff on a business trip and is expected to
contribute to the purpose of the business trip. In these circumstances prior approval
must be obtained from the Principal (or Chairman of the Board if the claimant is the
Principal) before making any travel arrangements.
The claim form should be accompanied by receipts when required.
The reason the expense was incurred should be indicated clearly on the form.
4.
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES
i)
Travel by air:
Staff travelling on international recruitment activities on behalf of the College
may be entitled to travel by Premium Economy if the flight exceeds 10 hours
(or the total journey time is over 15 hours). Where there is no Premium
Economy option available, Business Class travel may be authorised
(exceptionally) by the Principal. All other flights must be in Economy Class, or
with Budget Airlines if these are cheaper. All staff must obtain a quote in
advance from the College’s appointed travel agent and submit individual
proposals either to the International Committee (via the Head of International
Relations) or direct to the Principal if the purpose of the visit is not specifically
related to international recruitment.
ii)
Accommodation:
Staff must obtain a quote from the appointed travel agent and submit a quote
for the prior approval by the International Committee via the Head of
International Relations.
5.
iii)
Subsistence:
Individuals must submit their expected subsistence cost for the prior approval
of the International Committee.
iv)
Insurance:
Staff travelling overseas on approved College business will be covered by the
College’s travel insurance. Dates of travel must be submitted to the Finance
Department. Before travelling, staff should take the time to read through the
advice provided by our insurers and make a note of the emergency contact
number to be used in the event of a claim. Emergency contact numbers and
details can be obtained from the Finance Department. Staff should note that if
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to a particular
country or region, they will not be covered by the College’s travel insurance,
and will be advised to cancel or postpone their visit.
v)
Method of claiming:
All proposals for overseas activities are to be submitted on the RNCM template
which can be obtained from the International Administrator. The prior approval
of the International Committee is required.
METHOD FOR CLAIMING ALLOWANCES
All claims for travel and subsistence allowances must be made on an official College claim
form, including where an expense has incurred the use of an official College credit card.
6. SCHEME OF ASSISTANCE - PART-TIME ACADEMIC STAFF
NOTE: This section applies to part-time staff employed by the College from
1 December 2011 onwards. The Scheme of Assistance in the previous version of
this Policy applies only to staff employed by the College prior to 1 December 2011.
ELIGIBILITY
All part-time hourly paid academic staff whose normal place of residence at the
commencement of their contract is outside a 50 mile radius of the College will be
eligible for assistance with travel and accommodation costs.
Any change in circumstances during the period of the contract which affects the
level of assistance that would be applicable will be subject to approval by the
Deputy Principal.
The College will determine the distance between the member of staff’s normal
place of residence and the College.
6.1
TRAVEL ALLOWANCES
a)
Travel by train, car or bus:
For part-time staff whose normal place of residence is more than 50 miles from
the College a contribution towards the cost of travel, taking into account the
distance and time factor between the normal place of residence and the
College, is payable within the following bands.
Band
Round trip distance
Contribution
A
B
C
D
E
101-150 miles
151-200 miles
201-300 miles
301-400 miles
401+ miles
£20
£30
£45
£68
£101
Rates effective from 1 September 2014
The above allowances are per round-trip journey. Example: An employee
travelling, whether by car or train, from London to Manchester and back
(400miles) will be eligible to receive a £68 allowance (Band D). These
allowances will be determined on the commencement of employment.
Any change to the number of visits agreed at the commencement of a contract
of employment must be notified to/agreed with the relevant Head of School
who must notify and seek approval through HR and Finance before any change
can come into effect.
b)
Travel by air:


c)
Tutors wishing to claim for the cost of travel by air to meet their regular
teaching commitments must first obtain the express approval of the
Deputy Principal.
The College will expect the tutor to take advantage of any College
scheme providing cheap air fares. Where it is not possible to take
advantage of the College’s scheme, the tutor must show that they have
taken advantage of the most economic method of travel and provide
appropriate receipts.
Taxation:
All payments under this scheme will be made through the College's payroll and
will therefore be subject to Income Tax and National Insurance contributions as
appropriate.
6.2
ACCOMMODATION ALLOWANCES
a)
Overnight accommodation is normally provided in support of College tutorial
activities. Requests for accommodation for other teaching, research or
administrative activities must be authorised by the Deputy Principal. Room
bookings will be monitored and subject to Head of School / Department
authorisation.
b)
If tutorial commitments make it necessary for part-time tutors, whose home is
outside a 50 mile radius from College, to stay overnight, then they will be
entitled to free access to a Guest Room in the Hall of Residence. Entitlement
to free access to accommodation for staff living within a 50 mile radius of the
College must be approved in advance by the Deputy Principal.
c)
The Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence on the site adjacent to the Main
Building provides the College with access to a number of Guest Rooms on a
daily basis. These Guest Rooms are all en-suite and include facilities for
limited self-catering.
7.
d)
The scheme is based on room only provision. Breakfast facilities are available
in the College Café at the tutor's own expense.
e)
Requests for overnight accommodation should normally be made at least 14
days in advance through the College's Registry. Exceptionally, requests may
be made within this period subject to availability. Further details of the booking
procedure are shown below.
f)
Reservations may be made up to 3 months in advance.
g)
The College must be given at least 7 days’ notice for the cancellation of a
confirmed booking. Failure to give the necessary notice may result in a charge
for the accommodation being levied against the tutor.
h)
The provision of this accommodation is not liable for personal Income Tax or
National Insurance. The College has accepted liability under an agreed
scheme with the Inland Revenue for the payment of statutory deductions on
this provision.
i)
Exceptionally, where accommodation in the Sir Charles Groves Hall of
Residence is not available, tutors may be offered an overnight allowance of £45
to contribute towards the expenses they incur. This allowance is normally paid
on a monthly basis and is included in the tutor's gross pay, which is assessable
for Income Tax and National Insurance. Where tutors wish to claim an
overnight allowance on a regular basis, prior approval is required from the
Deputy Principal. This allowance will normally be payable only when there are
no rooms available in the Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence. The tutor will
be expected to show that s/he has submitted an application to Registry and that
it has been confirmed that there are no rooms available when required.
FRAUDULENT CLAIMS
Any false claim that is made under this Policy will be considered to be
fraudulent and if proven, would be taken to be a very serious offence that
may warrant disciplinary action (including dismissal) being taken against
the individual responsible.
Appendix 1
RNCM Appointed Travel Agent:
Mark McCormick
Flight Centre
Unit 4b Piccadilly Plaza
Mosley Street
Manchester M1 4AH
Tel: 0161 228 2900 / 7 0870 228 6184
Email: mark.mccormick@flightcentre.co.uk