About Rep Council
Rep Council is the Students' Union's primary legislative body. It is composed of elected student representatives, and is responsible for making policy decisions and monitoring and directing their execution - think of it like the Students' Union parliament. Alongside its central role in the Students' Union's representative decision-making and governance, Rep Council is also responsible for providing oversight and accountability for the Union at large. It receives, reviews and approves reports on the progress of other Union bodies, including the Officer Team and Trustee Board, to ensure the Union is fulfilling its mission, that students are adequately represented, delegated actions are being carried out appropriately, and that elected representatives are carrying out their mandates.
More detailed information on the precise membership and duties of the council can be found in our constitution and byelaws.
Membership
The membership of Rep Council is made up of three main groups, who between them ensure the council has the broadest possible representative coverage: Department, Site and Graduate School Representatives represent the academic interests of students in each department across the university, Network Managers provide a voice for minority demographics, and the Full-Time Officer Team represent students at large. All three groups have speaking rights, but Officers are not granted a vote.
These three groups of members are supported by the Chair, who directs the flow of the meeting, and members of the Voice Team. The Chair and supporting staff do not have a vote or participate in discussion, though supporting staff may provide context and inform discussion at the Chair's discretion.
Rep Council welcomes observers, who may not vote but can speak at the Chair's discretion. Anyone wishing to observe a council meeting should e-mail the Voice Team to request an invitation.
Decision-Making
Its relatively small membership means Rep Council is able to make most of its decisions by consensus. If the Chair feels that the council is unlikely to reach consensus in a timely manner, or if the constituion or byelaws require a matter to be put to one, they will call a vote. Votes will typically be cast by way of a voice vote or show of hands and recorded as passed or failed, unless this is specifically requested or required.
Rep Council Meetings for 2023 - 2024
The Representative Council meets twice a semester, for a total of six times a year. These meetings cover several standard points: a review of previous actions, updates from the Officer Team and Trustee Board, and receiving the recommendations from any Better Staffs and Better London forums that have taken place since the last meeting. The remainder of the session is then dedicated to discussion of other items submitted to the agenda.
Dates for 2023/24 have not yet been set.
Previous Academic Years
Records from past meetings can be found below. Rep Council sat monthly until 2019/20, then semesterly until 2023/24. Please note that documentation from previous years may not be fully available.
2022 - 2023
Actions Summary for 2022/23
2021 - 2022
2020 - 2021
2019 - 2020
2018 - 2019