Minutes of the 316th meeting of the University Council held
on Tuesday 19 July 2005.
Members:
Sir Bryan Carsberg (Chair); Dr Memis Acar; Phil Blake; Dr Jim
Blood; Roger Boissier;
Professor Russ Bowman; Graham Chivers (ab); Peter Davenport; Venu Dhupa;
Professor Marianne Gilbert; Professor Peter Golding (ab); John Harper; Peter
Haslehurst; Norma Honey (ab);
Sir John Jennings (ab); Rob Kirkwood; Dr Marsha Meskimmon; Mansoor Moghal; Dr Bill
Moss;
Jim Mutton; Professor Richard Parry-Jones (ab); Simon Proffitt (ab); Professor
Phil Roberts; Jason Scott; Jackie Strong (ab); Margaret Tomlinson; Professor
Sir David Wallace; Bob Wilson; Dr Cyril Woodruff; Dr Alan A Woods
In attendance:
Professor Chris Backhouse; Professor Morag Bell; Malcolm Brown (for item relating to Minute 05/49); Dr Sandie Dann; Chris Earle (for item relating to Minute 05/54); Professor Neil Halliwell; Professor Terence Kavanagh; Professor Ron McCaffer; Professor Ken Parsons; Michael Pearson; Dr Fytton Rowland; Gab Stone; John Town; Jon Walker; Miranda Whyte
Apologies
for absence were received from:
Graham Chivers; Sir John Jennings, Simon Proffitt and Jackie Strong
05/41 Business
of the Agenda
Item 18 [COUN05-P59] on the Agenda relating to Travel and Expenses Policy was withdrawn. Item 23 on the Agenda relating to the Health, Safety and Environmental Committee was unstarred.
05/42 Minutes
It was RESOLVED to CONFIRM the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 1 April 2005 [COUN05-M1].
05/43 Matters
Arising
05/43.1 Council
Steering Group
[minute redacted because of confidential material].
05/44.1 Progress
Report
COUN05-P30
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) introduced
an update report on the Strategic Review of the University and the Estates
Strategy which had been prepared for the last meeting of Senate. Council welcomed the update and supported the
approach being adopted by the University in moving towards greater stability
and a sustainable position for the future.
In asking Council to approve specific recommendations (detailed below
05/44.3 and 05/44.4), the DVC reported that the initiatives had been fully
discussed by the three Faculties and the Strategic Review Group and had
subsequently been approved by Senate.
The DVC also reported that Charnwood Borough
Council (CBC) had undergone a consultation exercise in relation to the
05/44.2
COUN05-P31
On the recommendation of Senate, Council APPROVED the creation of the
[Secretary’s Note:
The proposals in Appendix B did not form part of the proposal]
05/44.3 Establishment
of
COUN05-P32
On the recommendation of Senate, Council APPROVED the establishment of the
05/44.4 Establishment
of Research Schools
COUN05-P33
On the recommendation of Senate, Council
APPROVED the establishment of the following Research Schools with effect from 1
September 2005 or the earliest practicable date thereafter:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
05/45 University
Budget
05/45.1 Budget
Update 2004-05
COUN05-P34
The forecast outturn was just over £1M
surplus before exceptional items which was lower than originally forecast at
the start of the year. Contributing
factors included rising utility costs, delayed property disposal and a
shortfall in international recruitment and, consequently, a significant number
of vacant rooms in halls of residence.
The University was taking steps to address these issues.
05/45.2 Budget
2005-06 and Outlook 2006-07 and 2007-08
COUN05-P35
The Bursar
presented a paper outlining the budget position for 2005-06 which had been
discussed extensively at Budgetary Review Group and Resources and Planning
Committee. He drew Council’s
attention to the following points:
·
Pension
Funds: the University’s share of the projected deficit in the
Leicestershire County Council Pension Scheme had added £700K to recurrent cost;
however, the Universities Superannuation Scheme was reportedly in a healthy
position.
·
Energy
costs were rising rapidly and had added £600K to costs.
·
Depreciation
and salary costs had risen significantly from the previous year.
International student recruitment posed the biggest financial risk to the University. Like the rest of the sector, the University faced substantial uncertainty with regard to international recruitment and therefore a contingency of £1M against the failure to meet intake targets had been included in the budget. Increases in international recruitment were still required to achieve the budget presented to Council and this remained an area of top priority for the University.
With these contributing factors in mind, reaching a satisfactory budget for 2005/06 had proved difficult and, despite rejecting virtually all plans for increased spending by academic departments and support services, it had not been possible to meet Council’s strategic requirement to achieve a 3% surplus. The planned surplus was £2.374M.
The
advice of Budgetary Review Group was that, at this crucial point in the
development of the University and the preparation for the 2008 RAE, it would be
seriously detrimental to pursue the 3% surplus.
Therefore, on the recommendation
of Resources and Planning Committee, Council APPROVED the budget for 2005-06,
but emphasised the importance of the actions proposed to improve the
University’s operating efficiency.
Council NOTED the outlook for 2006-07 and
2007-08. From
2006, the University would have a new income stream from top-up fees which it
wished to use strategically. Failure to
control costs would put that aim in jeopardy.
05/45.3 HEFCE
Financial Forecasts and Commentary to 2008-09
COUN05-P36
Council APPROVED the Financial Forecasts to
2008-09 for submission to HEFCE.
05.45.4 HEFCE
Indicators of Financial Health 2003/04
COUN05-P37
Council RECEIVED an update on the HEFCE
Indicators of Financial Health for 2003/04.
The Bursar drew attention to the following indicators relating to the
University’s financial performance:
·
Historical
cost surplus as a percentage of total income was 5.4% compared to a sector mean
of 3.2%.
·
Staff
expenditure as a percentage of overall expenditure had fallen below the sector
mean for the first time. The University
was investigating the data in more detail.
·
Net cash
balance (above the sector mean) and liquidity (in the top quartile) remained
healthy.
·
Borrowing
remained in the top quartile - the University was considering ways to address
this.
05/46 University
Planning Activities
05/46.1 Corporate Planning Statement 2005
COUN05-P38
Council APPROVED the Corporate Planning
Statement 2005 for submission to HEFCE.
The DVC commented on the success of the
Foundation Degree run in partnership with
In line with recommendations from the latest
CUC guidance, the University wished to establish Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) against which the institution’s performance could be
measured. A Working Group was looking at
best practice within the sector to produce a draft set of KPIs for Council to
consider.
05/46.2 Schedule of Planning Activities
COUN05-P39 - NOTED
05/47 CUC
Governance Code of Practice
05/47.1 Statement of Primary Responsibilities
COUN05-P40
Council APPROVED a revised Statement of
Primary Responsibilities and NOTED that the Chair had requested that a formal
schedule of delegated authority be produced.
Action: Registrar
05/47.2 Review
of Effectiveness of Council
COUN05-P41
Council RECEIVED a report regarding the
review of effectiveness of Council. In
conducting the review, it was important to understand what was meant by the “effectiveness”
of Council and therefore it might be useful to include a definition in the
questionnaire. A useful measure of
effectiveness was Council’s actual or perceived “added value”
to the University and its operations.
CUC guidance on best practice was that
effectiveness review outcomes should be published in the Annual Report. Further detailed thought would be given to
the publication of the final report and recommendations but it was agreed that
it should be made publicly available in some form.
Council APPROVED the recommendations for
proceeding with the review, as detailed in the agenda paper. The Working Group would prepare the
questionnaire in August and any members wishing to suggest questions to be
included should send them to the Assistant Secretary to Council. Given that the questionnaire was not going to
be anonymous, it was commented that some members may feel inhibited in giving
detailed answers of a critical nature.
In view of this, and the need for an independent report on the
effectiveness of Council, further consideration would be given to the suggestion
that a retired lay member of Council be asked to carry out the survey. Action:
Chair and Asst Secretary, Council
05/48 Capital Programme
05/48.1 Progress
Report
COUN05-P42
Council RECEIVED a progress report and NOTED New Projects and Projects moved to Stage D by Independent Review Group (or its Chair) as detailed in the agenda paper.
05/48.2
COUN05-P43
[minute redacted because of commercial confidentiality]
05/48.3 Car Park 7 Development
COUN05-P44
Council
APPROVED the creation of a supervisory group (membership as detailed in the
agenda paper) for the Car Park 7 Residential Development.
05/49 imago
COUN05-P45
The Chief
Executive of imago at Loughborough Limited attended to present a progress
report. By bringing all the commercial
activities together under one heading, imago at Loughborough Limited had
contributed almost £1M to the University in 2004/05. The Board had dealt with a number of issues
in the first year including:
·
increasing
bedroom capacity and quality (current extension to
·
restructuring
the conference office to increase emphasis on sales activity (currently 75%
sales were repeat business)
·
resolution
of VAT issues to enable the
·
strengthened
marketing activities
·
successful
applications for external awards (e.g. Investors in People) and quality
standards
The extension of
Future growth included both external and
internal markets. Work was underway to
help integrate the commercial activities with other University activity and to provide
more opportunities for internal use of the facilities. The University had invested heavily in the
Sir Denis Rooke building and it was essential that occupancy and usage were
increased. It was commented that
cancellation charges for internal customers had caused a problem in the past
and this was now being investigated.
In response to a question, the Chief Executive
reported that the EHB refurbishment was expected to be completed on time and
would provide the University with access to high quality meeting rooms.
05/50 Risk and
05/50.1 Consolidated
Statement on Risk and
COUN05-P46
Council RECEIVED a Consolidated Statement on Risk and Opportunity Management 2004/05 and, with the advice of Audit Committee, APPROVED the revised Risk and Opportunity Management Policy and Procedures Manual and Risk Register.
Council noted the emphasis on risk and opportunity management in the documentation which aimed to identify and categorise risk in terms of likelihood and impact, rather than create a culture of risk aversion within the institution. It was also noted that the Risk Register presented to Council was supported by more detail for each risk including which Committee supervised it, which member of the Executive Management Group (EMG) was responsible and when it had last been considered by EMG and the Audit Committee. It was noted that certain aspects of Information Services were still considered to be a major risk.
05/50.2 Risk Management Procedures
Council NOTED and ENDORSED the Audit Committee’s opinion that the University’s risk management procedures provided satisfactory assurance.
05/51 Audit Committee
05/51.1 Report
of Meeting held on 2 June 2005
COUN05-P47
Council RECEIVED a report of the meeting the of Audit
Committee held on 2 June 2005 and:
i.
APPROVED the appointment of, and fees for, Internal
Auditors.
ii.
APPROVED the appointment of, and fees for, External
Auditors.
iii.
NOTED and ENDORSED the Audit Committee’s
opinion that the University’s arrangements for pursuing and evaluating
Value for Money were satisfactory.
The Chair
of the Audit Committee also commented that the Health, Safety and Environmental
Officer had met with the Audit Committee.
Although Council retained overall responsibility for Health and Safety
matters, much of the work was devolved.
The remit of the Health, Safety and Environmental Committee could
usefully be clarified to lend formal authority to its advice and
recommendations and to ensure that actions were taken forward. Health and Safety should be added to the
University Risk Register. Action: EMG
05/51.2 HEFCE
Assurance Service Report
COUN05-P48
- NOTED
05/51.3 Statement
of Corporate Governance
COUN05-P49
Council
APPROVED the draft Statement of Corporate Governance recommended by the Audit
Committee.
05/52 Nominating Committee
COUN05-P50
Council RECEIVED a report from the Nominating Committee and
APPROVED the co-option of the following individuals from the start the
2005/2006 session.
For a period of three years: Dr Cyril Woodruff and Mr Peter
Haslehurst
For a period
of one year: Dr Jim Blood (exceptionally extended beyond three terms of three
years) and Dr Bill Moss
The Chair of Council informed members that the Nominating Committee was looking at establishing mechanisms for succession planning to ensure that lay members of Council were appropriately replaced when their period of office expired. It may be necessary, on occasion, for Nominating Committee to meet more than once a year.
05/53 University
Ordinances
COUN05-P51
On the
recommendation of Senate, Council unanimously APPROVED:
·
amendments to Ordinance III: Substantive Awards and
Honorary Degrees, with effect from 3 October 2005
·
amendments to Ordinance VI: Appointment of Academic
and certain Academic Related Staff, with effect from 19 July 2005
·
amendments to Ordinance XVII: Conduct and Discipline
of Students, with effect from 3 October 2005
·
repeal of Ordinance XIX: Assessment, with effect from
28 October 2005
·
repeal of Ordinance XX: Standing Committees of
Senate, with effect from 28 October 2005
·
amendments to Ordinance XXXVIII: Student Complaints Procedures,
with effect from 3 October 2005
05/54 Sporting
Success at
COUN05-P52
The
Director of the Sports Development Centre introduced his report on student
sporting successes as detailed in the agenda paper. Whilst not specifically mentioned in the
paper, Council acknowledged the major contribution made by the Athletics Union
(AU) which managed over 50 sporting teams.
Council AGREED to receive the report annually but requested that future
reports should cover the AU contribution.
Action: Director, SDC
05/55 Matters for Report
05/55.1 Pro-Vice-Chancellor
(Research)
(i) Research Grants and Contracts
COUN05-P53 and COUN05-P53a
The PVC(R) presented the latest data on research grant and contract applications and awards. The success rate of applications had increased to 34%, this was thought to be attributable to internal quality monitoring procedures in departments. The value of new grants and contracts awarded had reached record levels, an increase of 37% on the previous year. Notably the Science Faculty’s research income had increased by £1M.
(ii) Update on RAE 2008
HEFCE had published guidance on submissions and the sub-panels had issued criteria for consultation. Each institution was expected to produce a fully documented Equal Opportunities Code of Practice for selecting members of staff for submission. The University was well represented on the sub-panels, with five members of staff selected as Chairs and four others as members.
(iii) HEFCE Capital Funding for
Research and Infrastructure (SRIF3)
The
University had been allocated £10.7M of which £8M was earmarked for the Health
and Exercise Bio-Sciences Labs.
05/55.2 Pro-Vice-Chancellor
(Teaching)
(i) Recruitment for 2005/06 entry
COUN05-P54
The PVC(T) reported the latest
applications data for 2005 entry. At
this stage of the applications cycle, conversion was the key factor. The PVC(T) was confident that the University
would meet its UK/EU undergraduate target.
The conversion rate for international undergraduates was slightly lower
than the previous year but the University was doing all it could to ensure that
targets were met. The position with
regard to UK/EU postgraduates was broadly comparable with the previous year. The biggest area of uncertainty remained the
international postgraduate market.
Applications had been similar to the previous year and there had been an
increase in offers. However the
University remained cautious about the conversion rate due to a change in the
profile of applicants’ country, increased competition in Asia and the EU,
tightening of visa procedures and the possibility that some applicants
perceived a threat to security in the
(ii) Additional
Student Numbers
HEFCE had announced that it was making an additional 30,000 student places available, The University had bid for 80 in total. If successful, this would not result in an increase in the overall student population.
(iii) Learning
and Teaching Capital 4
COUN05-P55
There was £5,567M available to the University through the HEFCE for capital funding for teaching and learning. Council NOTED the details of the University bid as outlined in the agenda paper. The University was keen to invest in the refurbishment of teaching space in preparation for the introduction of top-up fees in 2006.
05/55.3 Director
of Business Partnerships, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer
COUN05-P56
Council RECEIVED the report from the Director of Business Partnerships, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer,
noting in particular the negotiations with emda
regarding the framework agreement to develop the Science Park and the efforts
of all those involved in the success of the Systems Engineering Innovation
Centre, which now had all funding elements in place.
05/55.4 Director
of External Relations
COUN05-P57
Council RECEIVED a report from the Director of External Relations, noting in particular the plans for the 40th Anniversary of the University Charter and the continued marketing efforts in preparation for the introduction of top-up fees in 2006.
05/56 Vice-Chancellors Report
05/57 Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy
COUN05-P58
Council APPROVED the revised Anti-Fraud
and Corruption Policy.
05/58 Membership of Council and Appointments to
Committee Chairs and Standing Committees
COUN05-P60
· Council NOTED the membership of Council for 2005/06 thus far determined.
· Council APPOINTED the Chairs of certain Committees and NOTED vacancies for Chairs for 2005/06.
·
Council NOTED recent appointments to Council Committees.
·
Council REAPPOINTED members eligible to serve in 2005/06 and AUTHORISED
the Chair (delegated to Registrar) to take action on behalf of Council to make
appointments to remaining vacancies on Council Committees, Joint Committees of
Senate and other bodies to which Council appoints.
05/59 Loughborough
Students’ Union (LSU)
05/59.1 LSU Constitution
COUN05-P61
In accordance with Ordinance XIX, Council RECEIVED interim recommendations regarding the review of the LSU Constitution.
05/59.2 LSU Annual Report
COUN05-P62
- NOTED
05/60 Resources
and Planning Committee
05/60.1 Report
of Meeting held on 3 June 2005
COUN05-P63
Council RECEIVED the report from the meeting of Resources and Planning Committee held on 3 June 2005 and APPROVED the following recommendations:
·
the CIS Finance System Project, subject to
consideration by the Treasurer’s Committee
·
that the appointment of “critical
friends” as per the Capital Procedure for CIS Projects be dispensed with for
the CIS Finance System Project
·
Tuition Fees and Bursaries from 2006/07
·
Car Parking Charges
05/60.2 Chair’s Action: PGCE Tuition Fees
& OFFA Agreement
COUN05-P64
On the
recommendation of the Chair of Resources and Planning, Council APPROVED PGCE
tuition fees from 2006/07 and the subsequent changes to the OFFA Agreement to
include the fee and a bursary arrangement for PGCE students.
05/61 Senate
COUN05-P65
Council RECEIVED the report from
the meeting of Senate held on 29 June 2005 and APPROVED the following
recommendations:
.1 Review of Committees:
·Student
Services Committee: revised Terms of Reference/Membership and new Sub-Committee
Structure
·that the
authority to award Personal Titles be delegated to Human Resources Committee
.2 Programme Proposals (as detailed in the
agenda paper)
.3 Establishment of New Prizes, Amendments
to Existing Prizes and Discontinuation of Prizes
05/62 Health,
Safety and Environmental Committee
COUN05-P66
[This item was unstarred]
[this minute has been partially redacted due to
confidential information]
Council
RECEIVED the reports from the meetings of the Health, Safety and Environmental
Committee (HSEC) held on 23 February and 15 June 2005 and APPROVED the
introduction, within a year, of compulsory health and safety training for
HoDs/HoSSs.
As
previously raised under the Audit Committee item, the remit, reporting line and
delegated powers of the Health, Safety and Environmental Committee were
mentioned. Whilst the Committee had no
formal remit to act in an executive capacity on behalf of Council, in practice
it often did, through the Health, Safety and Environmental Officer. It was suggested that this arrangement should
be formalised.
COUN05-P67
Council RATIFIED the action of the Registrar in affixing the University Seal to the documents listed.
05/64 Executive
Management Group Responsibilities and Organisation Chart
COUN05-P68 - NOTED
COUN05-P69 – NOTED
05/66 Reports of Committees
Council RECEIVED reports from the following Committees:
i)
Performance Monitoring Group – 15 June 2005 [COUN05-P70]
ii)
Research Committee – 28 April 2005 [COUN05-P71]
iii)
Student
Services Committee – 2 March and 1
June 2005 [COUN05-P72]
iv)
Treasurer’s Committee – 21 June 2005 [COUN05-P73]
Council NOTED that the HEFCE Strategic Plan 2003-2008 was available on the Internet at the following URL: www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_16/
Council
NOTED the dates for meetings in 2005/06 as follows:
Friday, 28
October 2005 (1.30pm)
Tuesday, 20 December 2005 (10.15am)
Friday, 17 February 2006 (10.15am)
Friday, 31 March 2006 (10.15am)
Wednesday, 19 July 2006 (10.15am)
A member
commented on the high quality of the latest Alumni Magazine and encouraged
other members to read it.
Friday, 28 October 2005 (1.30pm)
Author - M T Whyte
Date – July 2005
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All rights reserved.