Regulations for Committees Reporting Directly to Council or one of its Main Committees

Council Regulations 15 of 2002

Made by Council on 26 June 2002

Main Committees

Part 5: Planning and Resource Allocation Committee

Amended with effect from 8 May 2003 (Gazette Vol.133, p1335, 29 May 2003)
Amended on 14 July 2005, 23 March 2006
Amended with effect from 7 February 2007 (Gazette Vol. 137, p. 788, 22 February 2007)
Amended on 21 February 2008, 22 May 2008 (date of effect 1 October 2008), 6 May 2010, 25 June 2010, 9 December 2010 (with effect from 1 January 2011), 19 July 2012, and 21 December 2012

Renumbered on 28 July 2011

5.1. The Planning and Resource Allocation Committee shall consist of:

(1) the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Resources), who shall be chair of the committee;

(2)–(4) the Proctors and the Assessor;

(5) the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Colleges, as determined by the Conference of Colleges;

(6) the Chairman of the Committee of Estate Bursars;

(7)–(10) the heads of each of the divisions;

(11)–(15) five persons appointed by Council from among the members of Council specified in section 4 (15)–(25) of Statute VI;

(16), (17) two external persons appointed by Council each of whom may be members of Council specified in section 4 (7)–(10) of Statute VI;

(18) the Chairman of the Building and Estates Subcommittee of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee;

(19) the Chairman of the Value for Money Subcommittee of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee;

(20) one student member representative, selected by the Council of the Oxford University Student Union from among the student member representatives on Council.

5.2. In appointing the members at regulation 5.1 (11)–(17) above, Council shall always ensure that there is within the total membership of the committee an appropriate balance across the academic activities of the various divisions, and between the divisions, and the non-divisional constituency as reasonably practicable.

5.3. Subject to the approval of Council on each occasion, the committee may co-opt one additional member, on condition that the committee shall always ensure by the use of its power of co-optation that the range of interests in the collegiate University is as fully reflected within the total membership of the committee as is reasonably practicable.

5.4. The committee shall be responsible to Council for monitoring and implementing the University's Strategic Plan, setting its annual budget, and resource allocation. In particular, it shall be responsible for the following matters:

(1) reporting annually to Council on the implementation of the University's strategic plan through divisional and service plans;

(2) making recommendations to Council on updates of the University's strategic plan, with reference to divisional plans and with regard to financial sustainability;

(3) recommending the approval, or reference back, of five-year plans prepared annually by the divisional boards, the Department for Continuing Education, the services, and any other spending sectors, with reference to the University's financial sustainability and against the priorities set out in the University's strategic plan, and reporting to Council as appropriate;

(4) the preparation and annual updating of a five-year rolling plan for income and expenditure for all aspects of the academic, service, and other activities of the University (in the light of plans referred to under (3) above);

(5) making recommendations to Council on the University's annual budget in the light of the overall plan proposed by the Finance Committee and agreed by Council, the annual operating statements from the academic divisions and other spending sectors, and other relevant information;

(6) the development, implementation, refinement, and monitoring of resource allocation procedures to enable annual budgets to be set, and the making of recommendations to Council as appropriate;

(7) the keeping under review of, and the making of recommendations to Council as necessary on, student numbers, the distribution of students between various categories, and levels of student fee;

(8) the monitoring of the work of the academic divisions, the Department for Continuing Education, and the services sector against their approved plans and budgets;

(9) the embedding within the University's processes and culture of greater economy (minimising the cost of an activity), greater efficiency (the relationship between the output of goods and services and the resources used to produce them) and greater effectiveness (the extent to which objectives are met), collectively known as 'value for money';

(10) the oversight of, and the making of recommendations to Council on, the institutional financial arrangements between the University and the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls in relation to the provision of teaching, research, administration and services;

(11) the consideration of termly reports on the progress of the University's fundraising for capital and recurrent purposes;

(12) approval of expenditure on capital projects and space allocations and where appropriate reporting to Council on such approvals; and submitting recommendations to Council for expenditure on capital projects and space allocations which require approval of Council, all in accordance with the financial limits set out in the Financial Regulations.

(13) the consideration of, and the giving of advice to Council on, the use of any resources which are not delegated or allocated to the academic divisions, services, or other bodies (whether trust funds, university reserves, unearmarked benefactions, capital funds, or reserves of any other description);

(14) as appropriate, the consideration of, and the giving of advice to Council on, all aspects of the financial relationships between the University, HEFCE, and other external funding bodies.

5.5. (1) The committee shall have power to make, amend, and repeal regulations concerning any of the following matters, on condition that it shall bring forward to Council for decision any case which it considers to raise particular difficulties:

(a) the university fees payable by Home/EU students and by overseas students, within such policy in that regard as may be laid down by Council from time to time;

(b) the fees, other than fees under (a) above, payable by candidates for examinations, and related fees (such as fees in respect of degree certificates);

(c) the establishment of a new statutory post, and any changes in regulations governing existing statutory posts (in cases in which the making of such provisions by regulation is permissible in law).

(2) The committee shall also have power to delegate to the divisional boards, at its discretion and within such guidelines as it may agree from time to time with the boards, authority to make regulations under (c) above.