The role of Council members

1. Council members undertake the governance of the College, in accordance with the powers and obligations set out in the Charter and the Act.
2. Council meetings usually take place between six and eight times a year, at which Council members:
   • Make bylaws under the Charter and approve draft regulations for submission to the Privy Council, to be made under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
   • Agree the Strategic Plan; the five-year financial plan; and the budget for the forthcoming year, including fees to be levied
   • Ensure that income and expenditure are properly accounted for, investments prudently made and audited accounts presented to the membership in the Annual Report and at the AGM
   • Receive reports from committees and make decisions on matters escalated from committees to Council or which the Council has decided to retain under the delegation scheme
   • Elect the president, vice-presidents and treasurer
   • Appoint the CEO and secretary, and registrar, and any assistant registrars
3. Council members are also required to sit on working parties, boards and committees (which can act with delegated authority on certain matters and make recommendations to Council on the more important and strategic issues). 
   • Please note the Preliminary Investigation and Disciplinary Committees are set up by statute and have autonomous powers. No Council member may sit on either of these committees.
4. Council members may be asked to represent the College on outside organisations and at meetings, or to speak to the media on behalf of the College, as requested or agreed with one of the officers.
5. All Council members are required to act in accordance with the public service principles set out in the Nolan Committee’s first report on standards in public life, which include selflessness (acting solely in the public interest), integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
6. Council members are required to maintain up-to-date declarations of interests for publication on the website and to provide the College with biographical information and photographs for publication on the website and elsewhere.
7. Council members are required to participate in induction and training sessions.
8. For further details, please download the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members and the RCVS policy for managing potential conflicts of interest. 
   • Please note Council members are not elected or appointed to represent or be answerable to any constituency or particular group of individuals and all have a responsibility equivalent to trustees for the governance of the College. This means their actions and words should be consistent and in-line with the role and remit of the RCVS, and seek to further our mission to enhance society through improved animal health and welfare.

How Council members work

9. In order to enable the RCVS to fulfil its vision, and to discharge its functions under its Royal Charter and the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, RCVS Council members are required to:
   • Abide by the Nolan principles of public life
   • Work in the best interests of the public, and of animal health and welfare and public health
   • Respectfully listen to the voices of the professions, the public and other stakeholders, and reflect them in discussions where appropriate, ensuring they are put into context
   • Neither be answerable to, nor represent, any group of individuals
   • Support the College’s vision and work towards the success of the College and its functions
   • Live the College’s values
   • Act at all times in a constructive, supportive and compassionate manner
   • Exercise a duty of care to the staff employed by the College, working through the CEO and registrar
   • Recognise the importance of a collegiate atmosphere where robust discussion is welcomed in the formation of policy and multiple points of view are listened to and respected
   • Respect and support the decisions made by Council when communicating externally
   • Communicate College activities and positions to relevant stakeholders
   • Abide by the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members

Collective responsibility

10. Council members are collectively responsible for the decisions, even if they have voted against, abstained from voting or were absent when the decision was made and are expected to respect and support the collective decision when communicating externally. The aim of collective responsibility is to ensure that there is no confusion amongst the profession as to the decision that was made.

Confidentiality

11. Council members must not disclose information that has been shared with them but designated by the RCVS as private or confidential. If members are in any way unsure if they can disclose informaton, then they should in the first instance seek advice from the President. If members disagree with a classification of private or confidential then members should raise with the relevant committee chair/president. 
    • Please note that the use of  unsupported and/or unauthorized Artificial Intelligence (AI) software is prohibited during College meetings, in particular, their use in summarising private or confidential papers. 

Committees, subcommittees and working parties

12. Being a member of RCVS Council provides opportunities to serve on one of our specialised committees, subcommittees, and working groups, overseeing everything from veterinary education to professional standards to governance and risk to CPD compliance. Our expert panels, made up of Council and VN Council members and appointed specialists, work together to ensure veterinary care in the UK stays safe, effective, and up to date. 
13. Membership of committees will depend upon a number of factors, for example, gaps in membership and consideration of individuals’ skills matrices completed as part of their induction process and updated regularly thereafter.  These skills matrices to help identify interests in subject areas and also potential training requirements, although there is no guarantee that a member will immediately be placed on a preferred committee. 
14. Generally a Council member will be on a committee for three years before being rotated onto a different committee/subcommittee, unless they were to stand and be successful for a Chair, or Officer Team, role that requires movement e.g. the treasurer must sit on Finance and Resources Committee.
15. Our organisational chart sets out the specific committees and councils, including their subcommittees and working groups. More details about each can be found on our Committees, subcommittees and groups webpage. 
16. The seven permanent standing committees – Advancement of the Professions, Audit and Risk, Education, Finance and Resources, Professional Conduct Liaison, Registration, and Standards – each report to RCVS Council although have delegated decision-making powers. While VN Council is technically a committee of Council it has its own elected members and is responsible for all matters relating to veterinary nurse training, post-qualification awards and the registration of qualified veterinary nurses.