Conflict of Interest Policy
All volunteers and trustees working with 15th Glasgow Scout Group will strive to avoid any conflict of interest between the interests of the Group on the one hand, and personal, professional, and business interests on the other. This includes avoiding actual conflicts of interest as well as the perception of conflicts of interest.
The purpose of this policy is to protect the integrity of the Group’s decision-making process, to enable others to have confidence in the Group’s integrity, and to protect the integrity and reputation of volunteers and trustees.
Examples of conflicts of interest include:
1. A trustee or volunteer who is also on the committee of another organisation that is competing for the same funding.
2. A trustee or volunteer who has shares in a business that may be awarded a contract to do paid work or provide services for the Group, with a value greater than £250 per year.
3. A trustee or volunteer who is related* to or close friends with a senior manager/ owner of a business that may be awarded a contract to do paid work or provide services for the Group, with a value greater than £250 per year.
4. A trustee or volunteer who may be paid to provide services for the Group, with a value greater than £250 per year.
Upon appointment each trustee or volunteer will make a full, written disclosure of interests, such as relationships, and posts held, that could potentially result in a conflict of interest. This written disclosure will be kept on file and will be updated annually ahead of the Annual General Meeting.
In the course of meetings or activities, trustees or volunteers will disclose any interests in a transaction or decision where there may be a conflict between the Group’s best interests and the trustee’s or volunteer’s best interests or a conflict between the best interests of two organisations that the trustee or volunteer is involved with. If in doubt the potential conflict must be declared anyway and clarification sought.
In the case of a conflict of interests arising for a trustee during an Executive Committee meeting because of a duty of loyalty owed to another organisation or person, the usual approach will be that:
1. the trustee who has declared the conflict of interest withdraws from the part of the meeting at which there is discussion of any arrangement or transaction affecting that other organisation or person;
2. the trustee who has the conflict of interest does not vote on the relevant matter and is not to be counted when considering whether a quorum of trustees is present at the meeting;
3. the other trustees who have no conflict of interest in this matter will consider whether it is in the interests of the charity to authorise the conflict of interest in the given circumstances; and
4. Any such disclosure and the subsequent actions taken will be noted in the minutes.
For all other potential conflicts of interest advice will be sought from the District Commissioner and the advice recorded in the minutes. All steps taken to follow the advice will be recorded.
This policy is meant to supplement good judgement, and volunteers and trustees should respect its spirit as well as its wording.
* A relative may be a child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother, sister, spouse or civil partner of the trustee/volunteer or any person living with the trustee/volunteer as his or her partner
