What is governance?

Governance is:
1   Using all available information to make the best possible decisions
2   Steering our work to ensure the best possible outcomes or greatest impact

It generally takes place through discussion, whether that be around a table, by email, or on Skype. It also generally requires a fair amount of thought beforehand, in order to comprehend all the information, or come up with well thought out solutions.

Good governance should:


1   Have people who understand what they’re there for and work for the
good of the organisation
2   Have people who can work well as a team, but come up with ideas
as individuals too
3   Know what the organisation is doing, spending and what it has to comply
with so it can make sure good decisions are being made by everyone
4   Behave with integrity
5   Be open and accountable

 

District Board of Trustees

Charity trustees
Scout Districts in England and Wales are considered charities by law, and some may be registered with the appropriate charity regulator. All members of the District Board of Trustees are charity trustees. To comply with legislation, all charities must have a governing body, which in scouting we call a Board of Trustees. Members of the Trustee Board must act collectively as Charity Trustees of the Scout County.

Our District Trustee Board plays a vital role in the running of our Scout County. Our Trustee Board makes decisions and carry out administrative tasks to ensure that the best quality scouting can be delivered to young people across Royal Greenwich.

Our Trustee Board exists to support our Lead Volunteer for Royal Greenwich District Scouts in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment. Its members act collectively as charity trustees of Royal Greenwich District Scout Council and in the best interests of our members.

 

Ex-officio members

These people have a role on the board due to their role in scouting.

These are:

  • District Lead Volunteer
  • District Youth Lead

Appointed members
These people are appointed by the District Trustee Board and approved at the Annual General Meeting.

Co-opted members
Co-opted members are chosen to take on a role by the District Board of Trustees due to specific skills or knowledge useful to the committee; there must be no more co-opted members than elected members.

The membership is set up this way to ensure that the interests of the District Scout Council and the District Trustee Board.

The Trustee Board must act in the charity’s best interests, acting with reasonable care and skill and take steps to be confident that:

The scout district is:

● well managed
● carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
● complying with the charity’s governing document and the law
● managing the charity’s resources responsibly

And that the scout district:

  1. is operating compliant with the current edition of Policy, Organisation & Rules (POR), including effective management of the key policies listed in chapter 2 - equal opportunities, privacy and data protection, religious, safeguarding, safety, vetting, youth member anti-bullying policies
  2. ensures that young people are meaningfully involved in decision making at all levels
  3. plan so that there are sufficient resources (funds, people, property and equipment) available to meet the planned work of each of the county to enable the delivery of high quality programmes and the youth training programme
  4. has a positive image in the local community

The trustee board members must themselves collectively:

  1. develop and maintain a risk register, including putting in place appropriate mitigations
  2.  ensure that the district's finances are properly managed, including development and maintenance of appropriate budgets to support the work of the district
  3. maintain and manage:
    o   a reserves policy (including a plan for use of reserves outside the ‘minimum’)
    o   an investment policy
    o   a public benefit statement for the county
  4. ensure that people, property and equipment are appropriately insured, and that any property and equipment owned or used by the district is properly protected and maintained
  5. promote and support the development of scouting in the local area
  6. ensure the appointment and management and operation of any sub-committees, including appointing a chair to lead the sub-committee
  7. ensure that effective administration is in place to support the work of the trustee board
  8.  appoint any administrators, advisers and co-opted members of the trustee board
  9. ensure transparency of operation, including: o prepare and approve the annual accounts and arrange that they are signed-off by an auditor, independent examiner or scrutineer as appropriate and as appointed by the Scout Council at their Annual General Meeting (AGM)
    o   prepare and approve the Trustees’ annual report (which must include the annual accounts)
    o   present the approved Trustees’ annual report and annual accounts to the scout council at the AGM
    o   following the AGM, ensure that a copy of the trustee annual report and accounts is sent to the the Charity Commission for England & Wales
    o   take responsibility for adherence to data protection legislation (GDPR), recognising that, dependent on circumstances, it will at different times act as a data controller and as a data processor
    o   individually and collectively maintain confidentiality regarding appropriate trustee board business
  10. where staff are employed:
    o   act as a responsible employer in accordance with scouting’s values and relevant legislation
    o   ensure that effective line management is in place for each employed staff member and that these are clearly established and communicated
    o   ensure that appropriate specific personnel insurance is in place

The following served as Trustees for the Year 2024/25

Ex-Officio

District Lead Volunteer - Terry Wiggins

District Youth Lead– Joseph Shippam (Until 22.02.25)

District Youth Lead– Kellie Passanha (From 22.02.25)

 

Chairman – Barry Matthews

Bookkeeper  –  John Sweeney

District Explorer Lead – Andrew Barber

District Scout Network Lead– Josh Sharrad

 

Appointed

Chris Bishop (Until 10.03.25)

Barry Matthews 

James Vallely

Jenny Grant

Jo Graham

Stephen Ellis

Conway Tearle 

 

Co-Opted

Joseph Shippam (From 10.03.25)

You can view the current and previous annual reports here: Annual Report

Dwayne Fields proudly holds the title of the UK's 11th Chief Scout

An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.

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