The Accountability Board is made up of elected Students. It is their role to scrutinise the elected officers and student led meetings to ensure they are being as fair and representative as they could possibly be, and to hold them to account. If you have noticed any issues you would like to make the Accountability Board aware of, please get in touch at accountability@upsu.com.

The responsibilities of the Accountability Board fall into 4 main areas:

• Holding meetings with the Sabbatical Officers to hold them to account
• Observing and scrutinising Representative led meetings to make sure they stay democratic and that members of the community being represented are being listened to and treated fairly.
• Observing the Union Council, and making sure the decisions made are fair and representative. Making recommendations about the most appropriate course of action
• Assessing policies submitted by students and making sure they are being progressed.

The Accountability Board is essentially a critical friend to the elected positions at UPSU, and are here to make sure that the student body is being represented properly by the best people for the job. It is within their power to offer improvements and feedback to individuals and bring up issues at the Union Council.

If you have any questions or concerns email accountability@upsu.com 

The Accountability Board Chair

The role of the Accountability Board Chair is crucial in holding elected representatives to account, they ensure all representatives are acting in the best interests of students and conducting the business of the union in a fair and democratic way. Their primary focus will be to uphold the democratic principles of UPSU and ensure that due process is followed in holding representatives to account

Commitment and duties

• This voluntary role will take on average 10 hours per month and includes attending the Union Council meeting, meeting with the Union Council Chair, meeting with Reps and reviewing minutes and liaising with the Student Voice Team about any concerns that have been brought forward by students.
• The Accountability Board Chair attends the Union Council to monitor debate to make sure it is fair and unbiased. They can also make recommendations as to the appropriate course of action, for example, suggesting the matter in question goes to referendum of the whole student body or deferring voting pending further research.
• The Accountability Board Chair, supported by the Student Voice Team, also has the responsibility to investigate any allegations of misconduct or unfair/biased decision making by elected representatives, should these arise.
• The Accountability Board Chair works closely with the Union Council Chair to identify and chase action points arising from Union Council

Ordinary Members of Accountability Board

Up to ten students are elected as "Ordinary Members" to make up the Accountability Board. The Accountability Board members work closely with students to ensure that elected representatives are acting in the best interests of students

Commitment and duties

• Taking an average of 10 hours per month, this role supports the Accountability Board Chair in ensuring that relevant democratic processes are followed in relation to holding elected representatives to account.
• To engage with the student body and collate any feedback relating to the work of elected representatives.
• Present student feedback to elected representatives in a constructive and professional way
• To attend and actively contribute to Accountability Board meetings which will include;
• Reviewing the progress of approved policy proposals
• Making recommendations to union Council regarding lapsing policies and whether they need to be renewed or allowed to lapse
• The delegation of who will review which reps activity, taking into account conflicts of interest and availability

If you would like to get involved with the Accountability Board, please get in touch with the Student Voice Team.