Alnwick and District Choral Society Conflict of Interest Policy

 

This policy applies to all trustees of Alnwick and District Choral Society (The Charity). A ‘conflict of interest’ arises when the best interests of an individual trustee are, or could be, different from the best interests of the charity itself.

The trustees acknowledge that it is inevitable that conflicts of interest will occur. They are however committed to managing these potential conflicts in order to protect both the charity and the trustee from any impropriety or appearance of impropriety.

Statement of Intent

Alnwick and District Choral Society is committed to ensuring its decisions and decision-making processes are, and are seen to be, free from personal bias and do not unfairly favour any individual connected with the charity.

Policy

It is the policy of Alnwick and District Choral Society to:

         Ensure every trustee understands what constitutes a conflict of interest and that they have a responsibility to recognise and declare any conflicts that might arise for them.

         Document the conflict and the action(s) taken to ensure that the conflict does not affect the decision making of the organisation.

 

Procedure

When a trustee identifies that they have a potential conflict of interest they must:

         Declare it as soon as they become aware of it.

         Ensure it is entered in the conflicts of interest register (ongoing conflicts), and/or appropriately minuted (one-off conflicts).

         Not take part in any trustee discussions relating to the matter.

         Not take part in any decision making related to the matter.

         Not be counted in the quorum for decision making related to the matter.

In the interests of frank and open discussion, a trustee affected by a conflict of interest must leave the room while related discussion / decision making is taking place, unless there is good reason for them to stay.

The minutes should state:

         The declared conflict.

         That the trustee left the room, or the reason they were asked to stay.

         That the trustee took no part in discussion or decision making on the matter.

        That the meeting was quorate (not counting the affected trustee).

        Any other actions taken to manage the conflict.

 

If a trustee is unsure what to declare, they should err on the side of caution and discuss the matter with the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Alnwick and District Choral Society for confidential guidance.

Policy adopted on ………28th August 2024………………………. (date)

Next review ……………………………………….(date)

 

ANNUAL TRUSTEE CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATION

 

Name of charity: Alnwick and District Choral Society

 

Name of Trustee: ………………………………

 

Date conflict of interest identified (put n/a if no conflict identified): ………………..

 

Details of conflict:

 

 E.g.

  • being paid to carry out work or services for Alnwick and District Choral Society.
  • other directorships or trusteeships which could create a conflict of loyalty (e.g. trustee of a community building used for rehearsals)
  • being the recipient of a gift in excess of £50

 

This is not an exhaustive list, but just gives some examples relevant to Alnwick and District Choral Society trustees. Essentially, they can be summarised as: benefits to trustees or a person related to them; or conflicts of loyalty;  For more information, please see the Charity Commission’s guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conflicts-of-interest-a-guide-for-charity-trustees-cc29/conflicts-of-interest-a-guide-for-charity-trustees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who does it relate to? (e.g. self, connected person – please specify)

 

 

 

How was it notified? (e.g. verbal at Board meeting, letter, annual declaration)

 

 

 

Trustee signature:……………………………………                                                      Date of signature:………………………….

 

 

Conflict of Interest Register for Trustees – Alnwick and District Choral Society.

Date identified

Name of Trustee

Details of conflict

Who does it relate to?

How notified*

Action taken**

Follow up needed? (Y/N)

End date conflict/current

Reason for resolution***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*e.g. verbal declaration at Board meeting, written declaration etc.

**e.g. trustee withdrawing from a decision making process: disclosure in Annual Report to members etc.

***e.g. conflict of interest ceased, trustee resigned or end of term etc.

 

Alnwick and District Choral Society Conflicts of Interest Policy based on Making Music Policy Template September 2018 

 

 Copyright 2025 – ADCS.