Agenda item

Joint Report of the Chamberlain and the Comptroller & City Solicitor.

The Board received a Report of the Principal concerning the independence of Members.

A Governor expressed his concerns that the City should not have approached the Office for Students directly, but should have liaised, in the first instance, with the Principal, who as the established contact, was the appropriate person to seek clarifications from the OFS.

It was vital, he added, that with the RISTA (Review of Institution Specific Targeted Allocation) Report coming up, all stakeholders were conscious of the risk that the OFS will be keeping a very close watch on all governance related matters and that this approach may well have flagged something, causing further / closer inspection in due course.

A Governor stated that whilst consideration should be given to the OFS’s concerns, City officers were operating in good faith and, significantly, in their corporate capacity and had every right to do so. The Principal accepted that appropriate City officers had the right to communicate with external bodies such as the OFS but said it would have been helpful if the initial communication had gone through her, so any further discussions or outcomes were dealt with swiftly and effectively.

RESOLVED – that the Board noted the Report.