Opening the doors: Leeds University Union

Neil Mackenzie, former-Communications and Internal Affairs Officer (not pictured)

“There were two drivers for change in our governance system, the first was legal in that we needed to be in compliance with the charities act, and the second was that the executive generally aren’t going to have the skills to hold the senior management to account, especially regarding finances.

“The changes we made were about creating a balance of powers and clarifying which body had which role, so there was a greater level of accountability. Previously the union council was supposed to be the trustees, but it never acted in that way, so the job was left to the elected officers. Now we have a board, which acts as trustees, and undertakes the financial and legal work. This means that the union council and officers can focus on the politics - which should be their role anyway. The chair of the board ensures that they don’t overstep the mark into political issues.

“The board is made up of the executive, four appointed students and four externals with specific expertise. Currently, we have a lawyer who specialises in media and charity law, an accountant, a commercial expert who is used to dealing with multi-million pound budgets and a communications and marketing executive who is a former sabbatical officer and member of the Block of 12.

“Having a board has been a fantastic help. I now spend about 30 per cent less time doing administrative work and can concentrate on my portfolio. It also helps in doing things such as appraisals of the senior managers as we have people who are used to being on a board and know how this works. It’s useful in a number of other ways, particularly concerning finance. How on earth are we supposed to understand the intimate budgetary workings of a £9.5 million organisation with no previous experience? Working with external people such as an accountant gives you the confidence to know that it is being done right.”