On this page...

• What is Union Council?
• Why should I care?
  
• What does Union Council do?
• Can a motion be voted on in parts?
• What happens once a motion is successful?
  

What is the Union Council?

The Union Council sits below the general meeting in decision-making ability within the Union structure. The council provides advice to the Trustees on any matter and in return the Council reports to the General meetings on the conduct and activities of the trustees.

Why should I care about Union Council?

Union Council Chair 07/08, Steve Topazio, explains why every student should be involved in Union Council, here. 

What does the Union Council do?

• The council can provide advice and guidance to Trustees.
• It can ratify, approve or refer back decisions and minutes of all Standing committees.
• It also consider motions of "no confidence" in Trustees.
• It refers relevant matters to Standing committees.
• The council elects two representatives to board at Trustees.
• They propose and second motions to Union General Meetings.
• And finally the council creates working parties and sub-committees for any area determined by the Council if required.

Can a motion be voted on in parts?

Motions can only be voted on in their entirety at Union Council. A recent example of such a motion involved two points (or resolutions) being proposed; while the majority of opinion agreed with one of the resolutions, many felt the second resolution was not workable.

As a result, the motion failed as Union Council members did not feel that the second resolution was workable, despite the fact that, had the first resolution being presented alone, it would most likely have been passed.

What happens once a motion is successful?

The motion becomes effective immediately, but requires ratification at a general meeting to enshrine it into the Union's constitution.

Motions which the Union Council's members are in favour of - determined by a majority vote - are then passed on to a general meeting of the Students' Union, which can either be the Union's annual general meeting (or "AGM"), or an extraordinary general meeting (or "EGM"), for ratification.

In practise, this can mean that a motion - for example one requiring Sabbs to wear pink fluffy hoodies on all days ending with "day" - which is passed by Union Council may be acted on until the next General Meeting, but if it fails to be ratified at that meeting, then Union Council's decision is effectively overturned.

For more information on what happens next with motions passed to a general meeting, see the AGM and EGM pages.