Standing Committees are dealt with under Section 7 of the Constitution.
A Standing Committee is set up by an Annual General Meeting which shall specify its terms of reference. BCA currently has four Standing Committees:
The Chair of a Standing Committee is often referred to as the ‘Officer’ for that Committee (for example, the Conservation and Access Officer) with respect to BCA Council.
In addition to this (as of the 2019 AGM), the BCA has a Publication and Information Officer, elected as per a Standing Committee Chair and serving the same term, but functioning as an autonomous Officer (no committee) who reports to BCA Council.
Standing Committees are open to a representative from each of BCA's Constituent Bodies and Regional Councils. In addition, they are free to co-opt such experts as they see fit.
Within the constraints of the standard operating procedures laid out below, each Standing Committee is free to regulate its own business.
The purpose of these Standing Orders is to allow all Standing Committees working as part of BCA to regulate much of their own business whilst also ensuring BCA's interests are safeguarded.
Notice of any meeting of a Standing Committee should be sent to each committee member (including nominated Regional Council or Constituent Body participants) and all members of BCA Council at least two weeks before the meeting.
The agenda, including the date, time and venue (or online joining details), together with details of all items to be discussed and any relevant supporting papers should also be circulated to each committee member and BCA Council at least one week before.
As a general rule, an agenda should contain sections for reports from convenors or others with specific duties, specific headings for items of importance as well as items concerning apologies for absence, acceptance/discussion of previous minutes and any other business. If possible, the date for the next meeting should also be considered, although it is acknowledged that for some Standing Committees who meet on a ‘when required’ basis, this may not be appropriate.
Templates for an Agenda and Minutes are available to assist Standing Committee convenors.
Meetings should be arranged by general agreement of members of the Committee at a mutually convenient venue or using an appropriate online meeting platform suitable for the purpose of the committee. The Doodle website may be useful for arranging a convenient date.
Committees may meet as business demands, but this shall generally be at least once a year.
Timing of meetings may wish to be considered with respect to the dates of National Council meetings, bearing in mind the deadlines for submission of agenda items and reports. This is particularly important if any outcomes from the Standing Committee will need to go forward for Council consideration.
As well as the Standing Committee Convenor, who shall hold the casting vote at Standing Committees, each Constituent Body and Regional Council is entitled to a seat, and a vote, at a Standing Committee. The Constituent Body and Regional Council Representatives shall be confirmed by their organisation annually.
Soon after the AGM each year, BCA Council (which includes all Constituent Bodies and Regional Councils) should be emailed to encourage participation in the various Standing Committees and to ask for any new participants or points of contact to be made known. It may be more practical for a single email to be sent on behalf of all Standing Committees (for example, by the Secretary) to avoid individual emails from each Standing Committee.
Once this email is sent, the onus is on the various Bodies/Councils to nominate participants (or to confirm continuation of previous participants, the latter being assumed if no reply).
It is the responsibility of the Standing Committee convenor to ensure an up-to-date mailing list of participants (including co-opted members) is maintained. All meeting notifications, agendas and minutes should be circulated to this mailing list.
The successful functioning of a Standing Committee requires a two-way effort; by the Convenor to encourage participation and communicate clearly meeting details to the right people, and by potential participants (all Regional Councils and Constituent Bodies) to keep the Convenor up to date with relevant contact details and to get involved.
Other Committee members may be co-opted by the Standing Committee, either to fulfil specific roles, or because they bring special skills. These co-opted members are full members of the Standing Committee and also hold a vote. The Standing Committee Convenor should inform Council of any new co-options in their next written report.
Minutes of Standing Committee meetings should include:
Minutes should be distributed as soon as practical after meetings. It is considered good practice to distribute draft minutes before they are accepted by the next meeting. Before publication, draft minutes should be agreed by at least two participants. If any of the points within the minutes are considered sensitive or controversial, it may be advisable to seek input from the Executive before they are published.
Once checked, draft minutes should be sent to:
Draft minutes should be upgraded to final minutes after approval at the next Standing Committee meeting, and the final document provided to the BCA Secretary to publish on the BCA website, replacing the draft minutes. It remains the responsibility of the Standing Committee Convenor to ensure minutes on the BCA website are kept up to date.
Formally adopted at the January 2020 Council meeting Last Review: 11/01/20