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Our Committees

New Association Committee structure

Last updated: 14 February 2023

Over the last eighteen months or so, the Board of Trustees and Association staff team have been working on developing a new Committee structure which reflects the needs of the organisation. The outcome of this review has been to disband the previous Committees and create three new ones – Finance & Governance Committee, Resources Committee and Standards Committee.

The purpose of this new structure is to allow small groups of Trustees to be able to focus in more detail on certain parts of the Association’s work, and the new Committees will adopt some of the responsibilities which used to be held by the previous ones. Perhaps the main difference in the new structure is that the Committees are now exclusively made up of Trustees and members of staff, which is a more conventional model of governance but does represent a shift away from what the Association has done previously.

Increased member engagement will be achieved through a dynamic network of working groups. Some of these will be permanent groups with no end date – such as the Utility Arboriculture Group or the Women in Arboriculture Group. Others will be formed for a specific purpose, for example in order to produce or review a particular document. In the coming months we will be speaking to our existing working groups about this and identifying different areas to focus on, as well as considering what gaps there are and whether new working groups might be required.

The new Committee structure represents a considerable change in the governance of the Association, and the Board of Trustees and staff team feel that it is a really positive step forward which will create many opportunities for us to develop and improve.

Our members remain the most important element of the Association and without the work of our amazing volunteers we would not be able to operate as successfully as we do. If anyone is interested in becoming more involved with the work of the Association or has any ideas for working groups then please do get in touch – john@trees.org.uk.

Committee Terms of Reference

1. General

1.1 The Arboricultural Association has three Committees in its governance structure: Finance & Governance Committee (FGC), Resources Committee and Standards Committee. Membership of Committees is comprised of a combination of the Association’s Trustees and staff team.

1.2 The purpose of the Committees is to assist with governance by allowing small groups of Trustees to focus on specific parts of the business. Committees will report to full Board and will make recommendations about certain issues, but will not have delegated decision-making powers.

1.3 Each Committee will be governed by Terms of Reference, which will be reviewed and ratified annually by the Board. Committee updates will be a standing item of Board meetings and Trustees will have regular opportunities to provide feedback about the effectiveness of the structure.

1.4 It is anticipated that each Committee will have responsibility for oversight of, and liaison with, specific working parties, whether permanent groups or ones which have been convened temporarily to achieve a specific output.

2. Membership

2.1 Membership of this Committee for the year will be determined at the final Board meeting of the previous year. At the first Committee meeting of each calendar year, a Committee Chair will be agreed by the Committee members.

2.2 If necessary the Committee may invite other Trustees, members, staff members or other individuals to attend Committee meetings for a particular discussion or purpose. Any other Trustees who would like to attend Committee meetings as an observer may do so.

2.3 Changes in Committee membership over time will be driven both by wider changes on the Board and by the makeup of the Finance & Governance Committee, which will be comprised of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board, the Treasurer and one other Trustee.

3. Meetings

3.1 Committee meetings will be held quarterly, approximately two weeks before the Board meeting. It is anticipated that all Committee meetings will be held online, and should last approximately one hour. Additional, or longer/shorter meetings, can be held as necessary.

3.2 The Association’s staff representatives will endeavour to ensure that all documentation relating to Committee meetings will be sent to members at least one week before the meeting. It is not expected that formal minutes be recorded, but notes of actions and recommendations will be taken.

4. Responsibilities
Finance & Governance Committee

The Finance & Governance Committee will have responsibility for focusing on supporting the following areas of the Association’s work:

  • Reviewing and overseeing the budget, income and expenditure and cashflow, including providing feedback and analysis of financial updates in advance of Board meetings.
  • Corporate governance, including oversight of the review and implementation of the Articles of Association and Scheme of Delegation.
  • Risk management, including the Risk Register.
  • Insurance policies and documentation.
  • Investment strategy and property ownership.
  • Annual audit, including overseeing implementation of recommendations generated by the audit.
  • Policies relating specifically to finance, such as the Reserves Policy.
  • Review of the Annual Summary prior to publication.
  • Allocation of the annual Research Grant.
  • CEO performance management and remuneration.
Resources Committee

The Resources Committee will have responsibility for focusing on supporting the following areas of the Association’s work:

  • Development and review of internal and external Association policies.
  • Development and review of internal and external Association procedures.
  • Annual/periodical review of policies and procedures.
  • Development and review of certain Association documents (such as the Volunteer Handbook).
  • Development and review of information and welcome packs (Members, Tree Care Supporters, volunteers).
  • Discussions with the staff team about Association publications (such as the Arb Journal).
Standards Committee

The Standards Committee will have responsibility for focusing on supporting the following areas of the Association’s work:

  • The development of standards of professionalism in arboriculture and the Association.
  • Development and review of documentation relating to membership.
  • Development and review of documentation relating to complaints.
  • Coordination of a volunteer network of reviewers for complaints.
  • Coordination of a volunteer network of reviewers for Fellowship applications.
  • Development and review of documentation relating to Chartered Environmentalist and other Society for the Environment accreditations.
  • Development and review of the Code of Conduct & Ethics.
  • Encouraging member contribution to the development of new standards in arboriculture.

Our current committee members