Conflicts of Interest Policy¶

Field	Value
Reference	POL-006
Type	Policy
Version	1.00
Status	Approved
Owner	Chair
Approver	Board
Approval Reference	MIN-2026-08-02
Effective Date	2026-08-05
Next Review	2027-08-05
Review Requirements	As defined in STD-001
Classification	Public

Purpose¶

To make sure Committee decisions are made in BRSA's interests, and are seen to be, by setting out what counts as a conflict of interest and what happens once one is declared. TMP-003 (Committee Minutes Template) already carries a standing "Declarations of Interest" agenda item - this policy is what gives that item substance.

Scope¶

Applies to all Committee members, and to any volunteer given decision-making authority, in any BRSA decision or discussion.

What Counts as a Conflict of Interest¶

A conflict of interest exists where a Committee member's personal interests could reasonably be seen to influence, or compete with, their duty to act in BRSA's interests. This includes:

Financial - the member, or a close family member, stands to gain or lose financially from a decision (for example, awarding BRSA work to a business they own or are connected to).
Personal or family - a decision affects a close family member or someone the member has a close personal relationship with.
Competing loyalty - the member holds a position elsewhere (another organisation, a business, a role with a supplier) that could pull against BRSA's interests on a particular matter.
Prior involvement - the member was previously involved in the matter in a way that could affect their objectivity (for example, reviewing their own earlier decision or work).

An interest doesn't have to be serious or improper to need declaring - the point of declaring it is to let the rest of the Committee judge that for themselves, not to pre-judge it.

Declaring an Interest¶

Declared at the standing "Declarations of Interest" item at the start of every Committee meeting (TMP-003), and additionally, as soon as it becomes relevant, if a matter comes up during a meeting that wasn't anticipated on the agenda.

Managing a Declared Interest¶

The response should be proportionate to the interest, decided by the rest of the Committee at the time:

Minor - noted in the minutes, no further action; the member continues to take part as normal.
Moderate - the member does not take part in the discussion or vote on that specific item, and this is noted in the minutes. They may remain present unless the Committee decides otherwise.
Significant - as above, and the member leaves the room (or call) for that item.

Effect on Quorum and Voting¶

BRSA's Committee is small, so a member stepping back from one item should not automatically be treated as though they were absent from the whole meeting for quorum purposes (see PROC-002) - quorum is assessed for the meeting as a whole, not per agenda item, unless stepping back from that specific item would leave too few members to make a decision on it at all. Where that happens, the item is deferred to the next meeting, or decided by written resolution among the non-conflicted members, rather than forced through without a genuinely independent decision.

Where the Chair has a declared interest on an item, another Committee member present chairs that item, including exercising any casting vote under Constitution 5.4.

Recording¶

Every declaration, and what was decided about it, is recorded in the Committee Minutes for that meeting (TMP-003) - there is no separate register of interests at BRSA's current size. This may be worth revisiting if the Committee grows.

Constitution, Section 5
PROC-002 Committee Meetings and Minutes
TMP-003 Committee Minutes Template
POL-003 Code of Conduct

Review Requirements¶

As defined in STD-001.

Change History¶

Version	Date	Author	Summary
0.10	2026-07-23	DC	Initial draft
0.50	2026-07-24	DC	Version -> 0.50; Status -> Review
1.00	2026-08-05	DC	Version -> 1.00; Approval Reference -> MIN-2026-08-02; Status -> Approved; Effective Date -> 2026-08-05; Last Reviewed -> 2026-08-05; Next Review -> 2027-08-05