13. Committee Papers Overview

The Committee Team is the main and formal repository of Committee papers and Secretaries are responsible for maintaining papers in the Team. Please refer to Section 16 for guidance on how papers should be stored in the Team. 

High-quality papers are important to a Committee’s effectiveness and a secretary should work with paper writers to ensure they are produced in a consistent format. The following provides some key principles for Committee papers: 

1. Committee Papers should use Arial font-style, size 12. It is recommended that 1.5 line-spacing is used to facilitate reading clarity.  
2. For all formal committees papers should always have the Committee coversheet, which can be found in Section 14 of this handbook. Other committees are encouraged to use the coversheet routinely for other committee items to ensure that key aspects are explicitly covered.  
3. As a minimum papers should include the name of the Committee, the subject of the paper, the origin (person) of the paper, the action required, other committees consulted and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations. Where a paper is submitted by an individual, their name, status and School/section should be included under origin if at all possible.
4. Papers should identify clearly the action that the Committee is asked to take (E.g. To APPROVE, To CONSIDER, To NOTE, To RECOMMEND). This should be in a box at the top of the paper in the format in the example below:

5. The author of the paper should be clear together with any previous committees which have considered the paper.
6. Papers relating to changes in ordinances, regulations or procedures should clearly indicate the ‘with effect from…’ date and detail any transitional arrangements that may apply.
7. Once a paper has been submitted into the committee system, amendments and/or modifications should normally only be carried out on the recommendation of the committee(s) considering the paper and should be clearly recorded in the minutes of relevant meetings. Exceptionally other amendments may be permitted, for example corrections of errors of fact or updating in the light of new information. However, any such changes must be clear in the paper itself or on the cover paper so that members of higher committees are explicitly aware of the changes. 

1. All papers must be numbered in the top-right corner of the paper, to identify the Committee, the calendar year, and the consecutive paper number, e.g. COUN24-P1. Guidance on paper numbering is set out in Section 9 of this Handbook.
2. A paper which needs approval by several committees will normally be given a new paper number for each committee at which it is considered. The paper should ideally make clear whether it is the same as the version considered by the previous committee (with reference to the previous paper number) or whether any amendments have been made. In the case of the latter, and/or if the minute from the more junior committee contains substantive issues of which the more senior body needs to be aware, a cover paper setting out the report from the junior committee should be prepared. This should be headed and numbered in accordance with the system for the committee to which the item is to be submitted whilst the attachment retains its original heading and number if unchanged.  

Committees should operate on a “paperless” basis with all papers stored and accessed electronically by all members. A hardcopy can be provided for committee members where agreed, or where there is an access need.

The agenda and papers should be finalised 5 working days in advance of the meeting and circulated to members via Board Intelligence or via Teams, with an email notification sent to members to alert them that the papers are now available.  

Working groups, perhaps working to shorter timescales, may find it easier to circulate papers by a link and email notification as appropriate.

Some committees have a list of people who receive papers for information only. The Secretary should review this list regularly. Those on this list should normally be expected to access the papers electronically. 

1. All papers should be circulated with the agenda. However, on occasion a paper will not be available when the main agenda and pack are circulated and will need to be sent as a late paper a few days before the meeting. Such papers should be clearly marked as “to follow” on the agenda.
2. Occasionally the secretary will receive a request for a late agenda item with or without a paper after the deadline for the papers has passed. Acceptance of such items is at the discretion of the Chair, but as a general rule, late additions to the agenda should be avoided. If an item is accepted, the committee members should be informed and any late papers circulated before the meeting (time permitting).
3. Papers should only be tabled at the meeting in exceptional circumstances, and the practice should be discouraged as it does not allow members time to consider the content in detail or to seek further advice and guidance from colleagues as appropriate. By definition tabled papers cannot be regarded as starred items as members would not have the opportunity to unstar them in advance. Where tabled papers are permitted, they should be circulated to any members not in attendance immediately after the meeting and added to the agenda of the meeting on the Committee website.
4. All late and tabled papers should be given a paper number so clear reference to them can be made in the minutes and by other committees if required.