Council

Statement of Primary Responsibilities

Note: This statement (first approved by Council in December 2003, in essentially this form) was further amended by Council on 29 June 2010 and by Chair's action on behalf of Council in the Summer term 2011.

Council is responsible for the management and administration of the College. It delegates some of its responsibilities to committees, but has approved reserved powers for itself as follows.

• to ensure high standards of corporate governance to include integrity, objectivity, openness and transparency;
• to approve the Strategic Plan, and Key Performance Indicators to be used to monitor the performance of the College as a whole;
• to monitor the College's delivery against the Strategic Plan and Key Performance Indicators;
• to approve the College's Annual Report
• to receive copies of annual planning submissions to the Higher Education Funding Council for England;
• to approve the annual budget;
• to ensure that funds provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are used in accordance with the Financial Memorandum, and that the conditions of funding of any other funding bodies, including the Teacher Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are similarly met;
• to ensure that the College complies appropriately with other regulatory documents from the Higher Education Funding Council for England which are for the time being in force;
• to approve borrowing or loans above an agreed value;
• to approve contractual commitments over an agreed value and authorise College signatories;
• to approve the Financial Statements and accompanying reports, including the Corporate Governance Statement;
• to approve the appointment of the College's bankers, and internal and external auditors;
• to approve policies and strategies designed to ensure good financial and risk management, and to monitor the College's arrangements for risk management in ways which Council shall from time to time determine;
• to approve the Articles of Governance of the Goldsmiths Students' Union, the Memorandum of Understanding between the College and the Union, and procedures designed to ensure that the College complies with its legal responsibilities in relation to the Union 's conduct of its affairs
• to approve the College's Health and Safety Policy and Procedures and to monitor their implementation;
• to approve the sale, purchase and lease of College land over an agreed value and/or an agreed period of time;
• to approve building projects over an agreed value and monitor their progress;
• to approve employment policies and strategies to ensure compliance with employment legislation and guidance and to monitor their implementation;
• to approve recommendations made by a properly-constituted Redundancy Committee to make academic and academic-related staff redundancies;
• to approve procedures for handling internal grievances and for managing conflicts of interest;
• to appoint the Warden, the Registrar and Secretary and the Director of Finance, and to approve recommendations for the appointment of Pro-Wardens, including the Deputy Warden;
• to appoint the Secretary to Council;
• to ensure compliance with all legislation affecting the College;
• to act as appropriate in relation to the role of Council as trustees, and to ensure that the College complies with charity law, and with the requirements of HEFCE in its role as Principal Regulator;
• to agree proposed changes to the College's Statutes, Ordinances, General Regulations and Financial Regulations.