Actions
Actions in response to the Gillies Report
Financial Reporting & Financial Management
| Action | Owner | Implementation Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cash flow monitoring - produce weekly retrospective cash flow reports that spotlight significant movements and extend the cash flow forecast to 24 weeks. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Identify and prioritise critical payments e.g. payroll, utilities and key suppliers. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| A new process to ensure that all recruitment proposals outside of the agreed budget will require a formal business case approval. This process will include: a financial affordability test, a legal risk test, impact on staff cost-to-income ratio, downside scenario modelling impact (e.g., if income drops further), and long-term cost implications of contract type (e.g. one-off cost vs recurrent). | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| UEG will interrogate the totality of short, medium, and long-term operations through the presentation of Integrated income & expenditure, cashflow & balance sheets, with transparent treasury management. Where possible, integrated financial planning will include forecasts and relevant scenarios for a minimum of three future financial years. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Secure early payment of critical revenue streams where possible. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Review and accelerate collection of outstanding receivables. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Continue engagement with major research funders to provide appropriate assurance and secure ongoing commitments. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
|
Implement further cost controls to reduce discretionary spending, non-essential projects and non-payroll operating expenses (e.g. travel, events, consultants).
These include system changes for auto approval and thresholds on low value requisitions and expenses; a process whereby budget holders will review and approve non-payroll spend; and training for budget holders in best practice financial management and empowered to act. |
Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Review procurement practices across the organisation and seek to establish consistent good practice in delivering value for money. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Cancel or defer non-essential capital projects i.e. anything apart from compliance, health and safety or essential for continuation of core activities. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| UEG will establish a rigorous process to ensure that all major executive decisions are supported by an assurance statement, which will include (i) the source of data used, (ii) a risk assessment, (iii) evidence of alignment with strategic objectives, and (iv) an equality impact assessment where appropriate. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Use integrated financial modelling to underpin five-year rolling budget forecasts for the I&E, cash flows, long-term capital planning, regular financial scenario planning and stress testing. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Scenario planning and stress testing will focus on input assumption that may have the greatest impact on financial sustainability, either in isolation or collectively, e.g. student recruitment figures which will be regularly fed into the reports to committees. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Build further relationships with banks with a view to future financing opportunities on a commercial basis. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
| Develop a training plan for financial and budget management to be rolled out to all University budget holders over the next 12 months. | Director of Finance | By end January 2026 |
Governance and Oversight
| Action | Owner | Implementation Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Establish the Framework whereby the Court and UEG will be assured on progress and the impact of the action plan attached to this response. This will include self-assessment, internal and external audit, and peer review as appropriate. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Mandate distribution of papers for UEG and committees of the Court one week in advance of meetings. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Introduce a register of decisions taken by UEG within the limits of delegated authority. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Change the ways in which proposals and papers are presented to Court and its Committees to ensure members have the information they need to offer constructive challenge. The cover sheet for Court and committee papers will be redesigned to include a more detailed executive summary and to make clear whether the paper is presented for information or for approval. It will also make explicit whether there are any financial or governance implications cost estimates and an anticipated timescale for action. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Ensure the normal cycle of Court committee meetings is observed, with additional meetings convened for consideration of high-risk, complex matters. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Ensure all members of UEG and the Court receive training in financial literacy, with particular attention to members of the Finance & Policy Committee (FPC) and the Audit & Risk Committee (ARC). Deliver a risk Workshop for UEG and the Court. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Ensure the Court and all its committees, with particular attention to the Finance & Policy Committee (FPC) and the Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) include appropriately qualified and skilled members. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Ensure the independence of the FPC and ARC by clarifying roles and responsibilities of Chair, members, and observers. This will be achieved by removing any overlap between membership of the committees or those in attendance. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Ensure papers for the Court or its committees are scrutinised at UEG, prior to submission to the relevant committee(s) of the Court. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Initiate the development of a new set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the University’s progress towards achieving objectives and to facilitate UEG and the Court in exercising their responsibilities. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Introduce twice yearly joint strategy and risk sessions between UEG and the Court. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Review the remit, terms of reference and membership of committees of the Court to make clear the delineation of responsibilities between committees and ensure that matters are scrutinised in the appropriate forum. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Revise the remit of the FPC to encompass both the physical and digital estate. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Reduce the level of routine reporting of operational risk issues to the ARC and clarify that Committee’s responsibility for health and safety. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Overhaul the institutional risk register with realistic assessments and regular active and critical monitoring by UEG, ARC and the Court. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Review the Terms of Reference of the People and Organisational Development Committee. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Embed regular reporting on institutional risk in Court and committee workplans. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Introduce a programme of Court visits to different areas of the University to raise the profile of the Court among the staff and students supported by our communications and engagement plans. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Introduce an assurance protocol for senior managers across the University to provide UEG and the Court with assurance on key controls, including compliance and risk. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Review the Schedule of Delegation to ensure appropriate levels of approval and accountability. | University Secretary | By end January 2027 |
| Review University Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and harmonise these with University policies, where relevant. | University Secretary | By end January 2027 |
| Review and where necessary, revise, the University’s Standing Orders to reflect changes to processes, personnel and organisational structures. | University Secretary | By end January 2027 |
| Embed ongoing development opportunities for lay members to maximise the benefit of their skills to the University. | University Secretary | By end January 2027 |
Culture and Leadership
| Action | Owner | Implementation Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Separate roles of University Secretary and Chief Operating Officer. Recruitment to Interims roles has already taken place on this basis. | Director of People | By end January 2026 |
| Recruit and elect a permanent Chair of the Court with appropriate experience in governing large, complex organisations, particularly where transformation and change has been a key feature. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Recruit new lay members of the Court who will draw on experience from diverse backgrounds, to include a balance of local stakeholder interest, experience in higher education, experience in digital transformation and financial skills and experience. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Formalise a role of senior independent member of the Court. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Improve the induction programme for the Court members in compliance with the standards outlined in the Scottish Code of Good Higher Education Governance 2023, to ensure an understanding of the role of trustees, and adherence to the Nolan Principles. This will include explicit training in the fiduciary responsibilities of charity trustees and the powers of the OSCR. In addition, induction will familiarise Court members with their duties in relation to the Financial Memorandum with SFC. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Introduce a training and development programme for the Court members to improve awareness of higher education matters including finance. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Introduce regular meetings between the Chair of the Court and UEG members individually and without the Principal present, to understand key concerns. | University Secretary | By end January 2026 |
| Refresh and mainstream our work on leadership principles. | Director of People | By end January 2026 |
| Reinforce expected leadership behaviours through modelling, providing targeted training, and integrating behavioural expectations into performance reviews. | Director of People | By end July 2026 |
| Integrate behavioural expectations into performance reviews. | Director of People | By end July 2026 |
| Appoint a permanent University Secretary to build on the work of the Interims and establish a stronger support of good governance practices. | Director of People | By end July 2026 |
| Review and update the Public Interest Disclosure Policy (Whistleblowing) to ensure confidence in raising concerns. | University Secretary | By end July 2026 |
| Appoint a permanent Principal & Vice-Chancellor with experience of transformation and change and with a people-focussed leadership style. | University Secretary. Director of People | By end January 2027 |
| Appoint a permanent Chief Financial Officer to build on the work of the Interims and ensure good financial governance practices. | Director of People | By end January 2027 |
| Appoint a permanent Chief Operating Officer to drive better operational processes and efficiency in the non-academic directorates. | Director of People | By end January 2027 |
| Initiate a whole-system approach to integrate the leadership principles and related behaviours into key people practices—such as leadership development, performance reviews, career progression, recruitment, and promotions. | Director of People | By end January 2027 |
| Develop a succession plan for key leadership roles in the organisation, including how we recruit to senior roles within the University. | Director of People | By end January 2027 |
Listening to the University Community
| Action | Owners | Implementation Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule a programme of monthly ‘town-hall’ events. | Director of External Relations | By end January 2026 |
| Implement programme of regular in person and on-line listening events; and regular short surveys for staff and students. | Director of External Relations | By end January 2026 |
| Present reports to UEG and Court on the contributions of staff to the listening exercise with recommendations for further action. | Director of External Relations | By end January 2026 |
| Feedback to staff and students on how their contributions are shaping the implementation of our action plan and the implementation of our University Recovery Plan. | Director of External Relations, | By end January 2026 |
| Further develop the University’s values, by ensuring behavioural standards that support them are built into policies and processes such as annual appraisals. | Director of External Relations | By end July 2026 |
| Develop a listening strategy to support staff and student engagement | Director of External Relations | By end July 2026 |
| Mainstream engagement process for staff and students with recognised activities. | Director of External Relations | By end January 2027 |
| Identify key themes and ideas from staff/student engagement and show where these have impacted decision making. | Director of External Relations | By end January 2027 |
| Initiate the values and behavioural standards into people systems and processes. | Director of People | By end January 2027 |