COMMITTEE GUIDELINES
I. Guide to servicing committees
II. Agenda notes
III. Minutes notes
IV. Committee report/paper notes
Hugh Martin
Head of Governance
Governance Office
secretariat@bristol.ac.uk
I. GUIDE TO SERVICING COMMITTEES
Purpose of this guide
1.
This guide has been produced for new and existing Committee Secretaries. It aims to
establish a consistent approach to committee servicing across the University and to
share good practice. This guide accompanies templates for key committee documents
including agendas, reports/papers, and minutes, which can be found at
www.bristol.ac.uk/governance/committeeservicing/procedures-templates
Definition of a committee
2.
Within this guide, the term ‘committee’ refers to the various types of collective body
which the University has established to conduct its business, including:
 Council and Senate and their formal sub-committees
 University Planning and Resources Committee (UPARC)
 Faculty Boards and Assemblies
 Project Boards
 Steering Groups
 Working Groups
 Other University/Faculty/School/Divisional committees, groups, boards
Further advice
3.
Further advice and training can be obtained from the Governance Office:
secretariat@bristol.ac.uk
Basic information that you will need to organise the committee and its business
4.
You should begin by making sure that you have read the following key documents:
Terms of reference
Every committee should have terms of reference. These should be reviewed annually at
the first meeting of the year. The terms of reference will define:
 The committee’s role and its powers to make decisions and/or take action
 Information about the committee’s “parent”, ie to which body or bodies the committee
should report and/or make recommendations
 Information about the Chair of the committee, his/her term of office, and who should
cover for the Chair if he/she is unable to attend
 The committee’s membership
 The committee’s quorum – many committees (especially more formal committees)
specify a quorum, which is the minimum number of members who must be present
at
a
meeting
for
the
proceedings
to
be
valid
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Constitution and membership
The list of members who constitute the committee should include the following key
information:
 Each member’s category of membership. Members can be appointed or elected to a
committee:
 in a representative capacity (ie on behalf of a particular staffing group or on
behalf of their Faculty or School)
 for their expertise
 by virtue of the office that they hold (ex officio)
 The date on which each member first joined the committee, and the end date of their
current term of office
 Those who are routinely in attendance (ie not members of the committee) – these will
include the Secretary (sometimes called Clerk in more formal committees), and may
include senior staff, student sabbatical officers, and others who come regularly as
observers
Previous meeting papers and minutes
These will inform your understanding of the format of the committee’s meetings, the
style of its reports/papers and minutes, and what business and/or decisions that
committee has outstanding.
The role and responsibilities of the Committee Secretary
5.
As Secretary, you will be expected to work with the Chair to undertake the following
tasks:
 Arrange and convene the meetings
 Put together an agenda which summarises the business to be discussed at each
meeting
 Prepare committee reports/papers and circulate them to the members of the
committee
 Draft the minutes of each meeting and circulate them to the members
Working with the Chair
6.
Supporting the Chair is a critical role of the Committee Secretary. You will need to
involve the chair with the planning of agendas and agreeing the minutes and any reports
that need to be drafted following committee meetings.
7.
It is strongly recommended that you meet with the Chair to establish how he/she would
like you to work with him/her. You could do this face-to-face, by telephone or by email.
8.
Key questions that you should ask the Chair include:
 How involved would he/she like to be in preparing for the meeting?
 Would he/she prefer to meet in person to plan the agenda, or could this be done by
email or on the phone?
 Does he/she wish to review the content of committee reports/papers before they are
circulated to members?
 Does he/she require a written chair’s brief in advance of meetings? If yes, what sort
of things does he/she wish to be briefed about?
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9.
For more formal committees (especially committees of Senate and Council) it may be
helpful to meet with the Chair to review draft agendas and then to meet again once
papers have been produced, so that you can discuss each item in turn, anticipate any
questions or concerns, and plan a rough timetable for the meeting.
10. Every chair is different and new or less experienced chairs may require more support
than others.
Arranging the meeting
11. This guidance is based on the assumption that your committee will meet once per term;
of course you will need to modify these timings if your committee meets more or less
frequently, but it will give you a sense of the order and flow of support that you’ll need to
provide.
12. The dates of meetings which appear in the University’s Committee Schedule are set by
the Governance team each year.
13. If your committee does not appear on the University Committee Schedule, you should
begin setting your committee meeting dates as soon as possible. Try to arrange a whole
year’s meetings in advance (it’s far easier to cancel them if they are not required than it
is to set up additional meetings at short notice). Canvass the Chair and any other key
attendees before checking other members’ availability and remember that it is not
always possible to accommodate everyone; sometimes you just have to go with the
majority.
14. Once your dates are set, you should book an appropriately sized room (making sure
that any audio-visual requirements can be catered for). Other considerations might be:
can the room be set up boardroom style? Can refreshments be provided if needed? Are
the external noise levels likely to be disruptive?
15. You could then book any necessary refreshments and/or visitor parking – the earlier the
better.
16. Make sure that all members have the dates in their diaries as early as possible.
Setting the meeting agenda
17. Depending on the frequency of your meetings, you should begin to set the agenda at
least 4 weeks beforehand (you may also find it useful to meet with your Chair for a final
briefing a day or two before the meeting itself). Helpful sources of information for doing
this are:
 Any schedules of business/lists of standing items that previous Secretaries have
prepared
 The minutes of the previous meeting and/or any action registers – these will alert you
to any matters arising; any business that the committee has requested to be
included on future agendas; and/or any unresolved business that needs to be
followed up
 The agenda of the corresponding meeting from the previous year – this will help you
to spot any standing, annual and/or regular items
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 Liaison with the Chair and any senior staff who are linked with the committee – they
may know of items coming up from other meetings which are relevant to your
committee
18. The following standard items should always be included on each agenda:
 Date/time/venue of meeting
 Minutes of the previous meeting (for approval)
 Any Matters Arising (if they do not appear elsewhere on the agenda)
 Standing items (such as reports from sub-committees)
 Any Other Business (AOB) – it is not helpful to allow members to present substantive
business under the AOB heading as the committee will not be prepared for it. The
Chair will exercise his/her discretion for AOB matters
 Equality and Diversity considerations
 Consultation and Communication issues
 Dates of next meetings
19. Think carefully about the order/structure of the agenda and try to group related matters
together (for example, if there are a number of research-related items, you might want to
put them together). Your aim should be to make the discussion flow as easily as
possible, and to avoid duplication. If there are a number of papers which have been
included for members’ information only and you do not anticipate much discussion, you
should group these together towards the end of the agenda (and assume that no
discussion will be necessary unless specifically indicated).
20. Use the agenda to indicate whether there will be a paper to support an item. The papers
on the agenda should be assigned a unique document reference number.
21. Give your Chair an opportunity to approve the draft agenda before circulating it more
widely. Circulate the draft agenda to key contributors and other report authors and give
them a deadline for submitting their papers to you (usually 10 to 14 days before the
actual meeting date).
22. Prepare a Chair’s brief if appropriate, which should be sent to the Chair in advance (if
you meet with the Chair a day or two before the meeting you can go through it then).
The style of Chair’s brief will depend on individual Chairs, but it should note the
following:
 Approximate timings of each agenda item
 List of apologies
 Names of any new members to welcome or departing members to thank
 Names and titles of those presenting papers/giving presentations/attending to speak
to agenda items
 A very concise summary of any substantive agenda items if helpful
23. An example agenda, set out using the University’s house style, can be found in part B of
these guidelines.
Getting the committee papers ready to send to members
24. Once the agenda is agreed and your report authors know your deadlines, it is your
responsibility to make sure that the committee papers are sent out in a timely manner
(usually a week before the meeting so that members have sufficient time to read the
papers; in some formal committees this requirement will be set out in its standing
orders).
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25. It is also your responsibility for checking that the papers are coherent and
understandable. You should check for any grammatical and/or punctuation errors and
also check that the papers conform to the agreed University template. Information
about the University template for committee reports/papers, including an example
committee report/paper, can be found in part C of these guidelines.
University house style guide
26. The University’s Public Relations Office has a house style guide (ref:
https://www.bris.ac.uk/visualidentity/guidelines/house-style.html. Please refer to this
when preparing your committee reports/papers and minutes.
Quality control
27. You will not have time to re-write every single committee paper so that it conforms
completely with the University’s house style guide and to do so would not be a good use
of your time. However, you should check the documents thoroughly to make sure that
they are accurate, understandable and contain no grammatical or other basic mistakes.
It is the Secretary’s job to make sure that members of the committee receive good
quality and reliable information on which they can make informed decisions.
Committee report/paper cover sheets
28. Every paper should include a cover sheet. This contains essential information about the
paper and what the committee is being asked to do with it. An example cover sheet can
be found in part D of these guidelines.
29. If you feel that the report/paper or the cover sheet is unclear, you should ask the report
author to clarify it.
Executive summaries
30. More detailed papers/proposals (those over five pages) should include an executive
summary, prepared by the report author.
New University policies/strategies
31. New policies and strategies should be accompanied by clear rollout plans including:
consultation and communication strategy; information about costs and resourcing
implications; and an assessment of key risks.
Making amendments to University Statutes and/or Ordinances
32. In accordance with Statute 17, all amendments to University Statutes and Ordinances
must be presented to Council for approval with a written report from the University
Secretary. In practice, this means that a written report will not be issued unless the
amendment has been approved by the Secretary’s Office. Please, therefore, ensure that
on the first occasion any proposed amendment is discussed, a copy of the preliminary
draft is sent with an explanation of the purpose of the amendment to the Director of
Legal Services and Deputy Secretary, who will work with you to finalise the drafting and
obtain the University Secretary’s agreement to the amendment.
Confidential papers
33. Clarify the level of confidentiality of the paper. Check with the report author if you are not
sure. As a general rule, the University uses the following classifications for its committee
papers:
 Open: papers that can be given general circulation or on which members of a
committee should solicit views before a meeting takes place
 Confidential: matters that should be kept confidential before discussion at the
committee for which the papers have been prepared but which would normally be
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generally available following the meeting. The Chair may decide it appropriate to
require members to keep their papers confidential after the meeting
 Strictly Confidential: matters that should remain confidential unless specifically
released by the Chair of the relevant committee. These will be primarily staffing
matters, matters that are commercially confidential, and matters of policy where
premature disclosure could damage the University’s interests
Late reports/papers
34. Chase up any late reports/papers and be strict with your deadlines. Late or tabled
reports/papers (ie reports/papers that are presented to the committee on the day of the
meeting) are not generally conducive to good decision-making and should be avoided
unless absolutely necessary.
35. If reports/papers must be sent late they should be marked as ‘to follow’ on the agenda; if
reports/papers must be tabled, they should be marked as ‘tabled’ on the agenda.
Sending out committee papers
36. Generally, papers should be circulated one week before the meeting. For internal and
less formal working groups, particularly those which meet more frequently, it may be
appropriate to shorten this time period. If in any doubt, you should check with the Chair.
Quality control
37. It is the Secretary’s responsibility to make sure that each member receives all of the
papers for the meeting in a readable format and in the correct order. This is essential for
a successful meeting and for good governance.
38. You should give yourself time to check:
 That all of the papers are included in the bundle
 That the papers correspond to the order of the agenda, and that the reference
numbers match
 That any appendices and/or annexes have been included and are properly labelled
 That no printing errors have occurred
Hard copy/email distribution of papers
39. Most committees will have a preferred method of circulating papers, usually in either
hard copy or by email but sometimes it will be a mixture of both (depending upon
members’ requests). You should check the protocol with the previous Secretary but feel
free to challenge this. For example, could more be done electronically? Or could lengthy
‘for information’ papers be circulated electronically only?
40. If sending hard copy papers, please be mindful of the environment and print papers
double-sided. Consider carefully whether documents really do need to be printed in
colour, for example.
41. If sending electronically, try to send papers as .pdf documents so that they cannot be
accidently or intentionally edited by recipients. This also makes printing easier.
Taking and drafting minutes
42. The Secretary will be expected to take a note of the meeting and to draft the minutes of
the meeting
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43. Try to write your minutes in such a way that they fulfil the committee’s requirements.
Consider the needs of the committee and the reasons for taking the minutes. The
reasons could include:
 For the formal historic record
 For statutory audit/legal purposes
 To record decisions taken and actions agreed
 To update absent members/wider audiences on committee business
44. Adopt a formal style and always write in the past tense.
45. If a formal paper has been submitted, it is not usually necessary to re-write the detail of
the paper into the minutes. It is acceptable to use phrases such as ‘The Committee
approved the changes to the xxx Policy, as set out in document xxx/xx/xxx.’ It is,
however, important to summarise the key substantive elements of any discussion that
the committee has about a particular paper/proposal as this information is not recorded
formally anywhere other than within your minutes.
46. It is not appropriate to record verbatim minutes. If the discussion is lengthy, use a
phrase such as ‘The Committee discussed the paper and raised the following key
concerns and/or noted the following main points’.
47. The style of minutes should not be discursive. For example, it is acceptable to use bullet
points to list key concerns and main points, and it is advisable to avoid subjective or
opinion-based language. As far as possible try to remain objective in tone and content.
Record substance and not rhetoric; summarise discussions by concentrating on future
actions and proposals, amendments to current process(es), and matters of import which
will have substantive effect(s) on others.
48. Focus on accurately recording the outcome of the decision. For example, the
Committee:
 APPROVED the proposals in report/paper xxx/xx/xxx
 NOTED the concerns raised
 AGREED to recommend x to Senate
 RECEIVED the recommendations from the sub-committee
49. If referring to individual members, try to use their job title rather than their name. They
may change job title many times throughout their employment at the University and the
minutes should refer to the individual’s position at the time of the meeting.
50. Refer to the Committee as a single entity rather than a group of individuals.
51. When you have drafted the minutes, you should send them to the Chair for his/her
approval before you circulate them to other members.
52. An example of minutes set out using the University’s house style can be found in part C
of these guidelines.
53. As minute taking and drafting can be complex tasks often specific to the nature of the
committee itself, the Governance Office can be contacted to offer detailed help and
guidance where necessary (secretariat@bristol.ac.uk).
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On the day of the meeting
54. Arrive early to check the room layout and catering arrangements, and to test any audiovisual equipment.
55. What to take to the meeting:
 Note pad and sufficient pens or laptop for taking minutes
 Minute book (a folder of previous meeting minutes) if appropriate
 Any late papers to follow or tabled (if tabled, provide enough copies for everyone
attending)
 A few spare copies of agenda and papers
 The committee’s terms of reference, membership lists, and standing orders if
available
 A list of apologies
 Any notices from absent members
 Remind the Chair to welcome new members and thank departing members at the
start of the meeting
Action register
56. An action register for the committee should be maintained separately from the minutes,
recording the actions assigned to members of staff. It is useful to go over the Action
Register with the Chair when you meet to set the agenda.
57. The register should be circulated to committee members with the finalised minutes for
each meeting, with completed actions removed, ongoing actions updated, and
outstanding actions listed with anticipated dates of completion.
58. On the agenda the action register is normally taken as part of Matters arising and
actions.
Further reference
59. Copies of The Charter, Acts, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations of the University of
Bristol, and the Guide to the University Council (known as ‘The Purple Guide’), can be
obtained from the Governance Office (secretariat@bristol.ac.uk). These are helpful
reference tools for some Chairs and Secretaries depending on the nature of their
committee.
Hugh Martin
Head of Governance
April 2013
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II. AGENDA NOTES
Standard template information:
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Font = Arial 11pt
Item titles = bold
Document reference numbers = bold
Further advice and training can be obtained from the Governance Office:
secretariat@bristol.ac.uk
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MEETING OF COUNCIL, FRIDAY 10 MAY 2013
Richmond Building
0830
Refreshments
0900
1. Welcome and announcements
2. Apologies
3. Declaration of interests*
4. Minutes of meeting on 15 March 2013
Previously circulated
5. Matters arising and actions
0915
1000
6. Presentations
Faculty of Engineering
Industrial engagement
1045
Refreshments
Matters for decision and/or discussion
1100
7. Chair’s report
CN/12/xxx
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8. Vice-Chancellor’s report
CN/12/xxx
9. Financial matters
i. Monthly financial report
ii. University budget and business objectives 2013/14
iii. Tuition fees#
CN/12/xxx
CN/12/xxx
CN/12/xxx
Matters for information
14. Committee reports
i. Audit Committee
ii. Estates Committee
iii. Finance Committee
CN/12/xxx tabled
Oral
CN/12/xxx to follow
15. Other reports
i. Annual report, Faculty of Engineering
ii. Chair appointments
CN/12/xxx
CN/12/xxx
16. Standing items
i. Equality and diversity implications
ii. Communications and consultation
17. Date of next meeting(s)
Friday 5 July 2013
NOTE: paper CN/12/xxx has been withdrawn
*Declaration of interests
Any member who has a pecuniary, family or other personal interest in any matter under
discussion at any meeting of the Council shall as soon as practicable disclose that fact to the
meeting. The Chair shall determine whether the member shall withdraw from the discussion.
A member is not, however, considered to have a pecuniary interest or personal interest in
matters under discussion merely by being a member of staff or student of the University.
#
Reserved business
Please send apologies to:
Hugh Martin
Head of Governance
hugh.martin@bristol.ac.uk
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III. MINUTES NOTES
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Font = Arial 11pt
Main headings = bold
Level 2 headings = underlined, not bold
Level 3 headings = italics, not bold
Further advice and training can be obtained from the Governance Office:
secretariat@bristol.ac.uk
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MEETING OF
HISTORIC BUILDINGS & GARDENS CONSERVATION GROUP
27 February 2013
Verdon-Smith Room, Royal Fort House
Present:
Dr Martin Crossley-Evans, Ms Jo Elsworth, Mr Michael Liversidge, Mr
Kevin O’Flaherty (Chair), Mrs Cecilia Pready, Mr Anthony Richards
In attendance:
Miss Lucy Barling (Governance Officer), Mr Hugh Martin (Head of
Governance) (Secretary)
Apologies:
Mr David Alder, Mr Nick Fryer, Professor Mark Horton, Mr Neil
Sapsworth, Mr Alan Stealey, Mrs Narell Thomas
1.
Minutes of 25 September 2012
APPROVED: the minutes of the meeting on 25 September 2012.
2.
Matters arising
Chairs for Royal Fort Dining Room/Chandelier/Library
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2.1
It was agreed that the University Curators’ Group would be part of the consultation
regarding the redecoration of the Library.
2.2
CORRECTION: Anthony Richards had suggested he may be able to source a new
lantern, not a second-hand lantern.
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
Tours/Open Gardens
It was noted that twenty tour places had already been filled; these would be made
available free of charge to any Historic Buildings and Gardens Conservation Group
(HBGCG) member wishing to attend.
Temporary Housing of Paintings within Wills Memorial Building
RECEIVED: an oral update by the Chair on the temporary housing of paintings within
Wills Memorial Building. The key issues identified were:
 damp;
 costs of removing;
 time constraints as a result of examinations’ requirements.
University Curators’ Group
NOTED: that the next meeting of the Group would address gazetteering of artworks
not specifically in individual curator’s collections.
Preservation/protection of building assets
AGREED: that Alan Stealey’s paper (Strategy for Conservation Plans for Historic
Assets) would be the substantive item for discussion at the next meeting of the
Group.
Action: HM
Student Union book update
The project group had met twice under the leadership of Sam Budd, Chief Executive
of UBSU; the book would be aimed at current students and alumni (as well as the
general public), and would focus on construction of the Student Union building from
the 1960s to the present day.
2.8
The project group would next meet at the end of March; a report to this Group would
then follow.
3.
Communications with Deputy Vice-Chancellor
3.1
A copy of the notes of the previous meeting had been sent to the Deputy ViceChancellor.
4.
Project updates
4.1
These were handled in Matters Arising.
5.
Equal Opportunities
5.1
There were no issues raised.
6.
Any Other Business
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6.1
Further information was requested regarding the work being carried out to the north
and south of Royal Fort House.
Action: HM
7.
Date of next meeting
7.1
The next meeting would be held in May; date and venue to be confirmed.
Signed …………………………………….
(Chair of Committee)
Dated ………………………………………
Note: A final, signed copy of the minutes is available from the Secretary on request.
Hugh Martin
Head of Governance
hugh.martin@bristol.ac.uk
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IV. COMMITTEE REPORT/PAPER NOTES
Standard template information:
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Font = Arial 11pt
Main headings = bold
Level 2 headings = underlined, not bold
Level 3 headings = italics, not bold
Further advice and training can be obtained from the Governance Office:
secretariat@bristol.ac.uk
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TITLE OF REPORT/PAPER
XXX Committee is asked to: APPROVE/NOTE/RECOMMEND TO X.
This report has been prepared by: Professor A O Business
Date of report: 12 May 2012
Paper History: The following key information should be included in this section of the
coversheet:
(a) What is the background to the paper and where was it initiated?
(b) Who has been involved in its development/any consultation (this can be
individuals, departments, schools, faculties, working groups, committees,
students, staff etc)?
(c) Who else will subsequently be asked to consider/approve the paper?
Next Steps:
Include a summary of what will happen next. For example, will a parent body
be asked to approve a new policy or procedure or changes to an existing
policy or procedure, and who will be responsible for overseeing any resultant
changes or implementation plan?
Timescale for implementation: When will the changes be made?
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TITLE OF REPORT/PAPER
The main body of the report should begin here.
Report style tips:
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If appendices/annexes are required, they should be labelled with the document
reference number, for example: SN/12/005/Appendix A; CN/12/045/Annex 1
Pages should be numbered using the page x of y format, within the document footer;
Acronyms/abbreviations should be typed out in full for their first use (with the
abbreviation in parenthesis). The abbreviation/acronym can be used thereafter
Paragraphs should be numbered wherever possible to aid discussion within the
meetings (members can quickly refer to a paragraph number in a meeting if they
wish to focus attention on a particular aspect of the report)
Separate guidance about how University reports/proposals should be structured has been
prepared specifically for report authors.
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