About the board

The Board consists of a total of 18 members, headed up by Chair, Dr Griff Jones (pictured right, top) and Vice-Chair Alun Thomas (pictured right, bottom). The Board meets regularly throughout the year dividing its work between four sub-committees, namely a Finance & Resources Committee, Chair's Committee, Audit & Risk Committee and a Curriculum, Students and Standards Committee. Drawing its membership from a wide experience pool, the Board includes unpaid volunteer representatives from business, local authorities, community, staff, students, along with a number of co-opted members to provide a full complement.

The Board is legally responsible for determining the "educational character and mission" of the Grŵp whilst ensuring that there are effective means of knowing whether it is being properly managed to fulfil its mission, ensuring the effective management of resources to ensure its solvency whilst safeguarding its assets; approving annual estimate of income and expenditure; appointing, grading, suspension, dismissal, and the determination of pay and conditions of service of senior post holders and the Director of Governance, and setting a framework for the pay and conditions for all other staff.

During Covid-19, social distancing has meant Governors working together in entirely new ways. The Board has agreed an appropriate method by which to achieve this for as long as the crisis lasts. It continues to exercise its duties ably via its Chairs Committee and separate Audit & Risk Committee, whilst reporting and consulting with all members regularly on all aspects of the Grwp's progress.

The Board's work

How it all fits

The Board

Handles standard objectives outlined in the Instrument and Articles of Governance collecting and authorising recommendations and findings from its sub-committees. Provides final sign off on statutory finance, audit and quality items and all other matters as required. Holds the power to form statutory "Special" and "Reporting" Committees as necessary. Directly monitors regeneration, work based learning, employer engagement and economic development activity (as below) plus associated risk referral to ARC.

• Financial Memorandum
• Further Education Audit Code of Practice
• Further and Higher Education (Governance and Information) (Wales) Act 2014
• Financial Health Monitoring
• Role of FE Principal Regulator

Local College Councils:

Leading best practice in the sector, Local College Councils have been developed with a primary purpose of sustaining local representation, whilst promoting close relationships with staff, students, local authorities, education partners, wider stakeholders and businesses on a specialised basis across a very diverse geography. Each College Council is chaired by a Governor to focus local interests through a committee of select area representatives, allowing matters to be aired which are specific to each area of the Grŵp's operations, thereby promoting ownership, participation and integration with the community and at the same time providing a direct voice to the Grŵp Board. Council chairs are:

• Vacancy
• Andy Billcliff (Rhos)
• Hedd Pugh (Glynllifon)
• Hedd Pugh (Dolgellau)
• Helen Halpin (Pwllheli)
• Dr Griff Jones (Llangefni)
• John Pierce-Williams (Bangor)

All College Councils are administered by Caroline Jones (Grŵp Clerking Officer).

Freedom of Information

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai aims to operate in an open and fully accountable fashion. Amongst the wealth of information already published by the Grŵp, the FOI Act generally empowers you to seek further information from public bodies like us, as and when necessary.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000

• has been lawfully in force since 01 Jan 2005
• gives everyone both in and outside the College a right of access to information held by the Grŵp and its colleges
• covers all digital and print records and information held by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai whether current or archived

There are conditions and exceptions where information is not required to be released and should not be released.

Grŵp Publication Scheme

To help with our obligations under FOI, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai complies with a sector standard Publication Scheme detailing the types of information the Grŵp routinely provides to the public and how the public may access the information. It includes things like College structures and organisation, its services and procedures, practices, and guidelines. Under the FOI Act, the public has a right to ask for information which is not contained in the College publication scheme

Responsibility for Freedom of Information requests rests with the Grŵp Director of Governance.

• Freedom of information policy and procedures (PDF)
• Model publication scheme
• Definition document for colleges of further education