TEMPLATE FOR COMMITTEE PAPERS
University Court
Date of Meeting TITLE OF PAPER
COMMITTEE NAME
Date of Meeting
Paper Title
Description of paper 1. State the purpose of the paper in clear layman terms. Succinctly state what the Committee is being asked to decide. If this is a paper for discussion, please set out which particular issues should be considered. (Length guide: 2 or 3 sentences)
Action requested 2. Detail what Court or the relevant Committee is being asked to do. If a decision is time-critical identify when a decision needs to be reached by. Most transactions over £500K also need Court approval. Please see the Delegated Authorisation Schedule to confirm whether Court or another Committee’s approval is required. Example “Court is asked to approve/note/consider/receive x.” (Length guide: 1-3 sentences)
Recommendation 3. Recommend what you think Court or the Committee should do. Management recommendations should be short, clear and identify all decisions needed. (Length guide: 1 sentence – 1 paragraph)
Background and context 4. Court and Committees need to be able to understand very quickly what it is they are being asked to consider and why. This section should cover the reasons for the paper. Please state how the topic relates to the Strategic Plan (or not) here. (Length guide: 1-2 paragraphs)
Discussion (this section can be adapted as appropriate) 5. This is the meat of the paper – please provide sufficient detail for Court or Committee Members to understand the issue and any proposals.
6. Comments should be focused on essential information and the key issues necessary for good decision-making. Alternative options and arguments for and against proposals can also be included here, as well as the rationale for any course of action. More headings can be added to draw out key issues. (Length guide: main part of the paper - 1 paragraph +)
Resource implications 7. Please detail here any resource implications associated with the paper. If appropriate, outline the costs and how they will be met. Please specify if funds are being requested. Court or the relevant Committee will not approve any new policies/procedures where the cost implications are not clearly identified. Normally proposals are expected to be met from within existing budgets and should be approved by the relevant College/Support Group budget holder, with additional items being identified in the planning round. (Length guide: 1-2 paragraphs)
Risk Management 8. Key risks associated with the proposal should be outlined here. Reference the University’s Risk Appetite (Length guide: 1 sentence – 1 paragraph)
Equality & Diversity 9. The University is required by law (Equality Act 2010 and supporting Regulations) to give due consideration to equality and diversity. If proposing new or revised policies or practices these also require an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). Please detail whether equality and diversity has been considered, whether an EIA is required and any major equality impacts. (Length guide: 1 sentence – 1 paragraph)
Next steps/implications 10.Include a summary of what will happen next. For example, who will be responsible for overseeing any changes or for implementation? (Length guide: 1 sentence – 1 paragraph)
2 Consultation 11. Please state who has reviewed and approved the paper. Include here whether any other Committees have reviewed the document and their views. (Length guide: 1 sentence – 1 paragraph)
Further information 12. Please state who can supply further information if required – this should include the paper author and the paper presenter to Court or the relevant Committee. The date the paper was prepared should also be included here. For example:
“Author Presenter Joe Bloggs Vice-Principal Smith Team X Directorate/Area X 15 January 2014”
Freedom of Information 13. Where-ever possible papers should be open. Please specify whether the paper is open/closed. If closed - please detail which exclusion this falls under. Please note if closed - the description, action requested, recommendation, risk management, equality and diversity, consultation, further information sections will be published. (Length guide: 1-3 sentences.)
Court Services July 2014
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