Wantage Literary Festival Trustee Code of Conduct

The Trustees will adhere to this Code of Conduct.

The Trustees will:

• Act within the governing documents of the Wantage Literary Festival and the law that applies to it;
• Act in the best interest of Wantage Literary Festival as a whole ,considering what is best for the organisation and its beneficiaries; 
• Take all necessary steps to ensure that the charity adheres to its stated goals
• Act in a fair but balanced and proportionate manner between stakeholders;
• Not act in a way which brings the Wantage Literary Festival into disrepute;
• Manage conflicts of interest effectively – registering, declaring and resolving conflicts of interest. Trustees must inform the Board of any conflict of interest as soon as the conflict becomes apparent and in any event before any decision is taken by Trustees on the underlying matter giving rise to the conflict;
• Not gain materially or financially unless specifically authorised to do so;
• Respect confidentiality – understanding what confidentiality means in practice for Wantage Festival, its board and the individuals involved with its work;
• Work collaboratively with the Wantage Literary festival executive team
• Expenses Policy Any expense that a trustee is expecting to be refunded for should be agreed with at least one other trustee before the expense is incurred Trustees cannot agree reciprocal expenses
• Have a sound and up-to-date knowledge of Wantage Literary Festival and its environment –understanding how [organisation name] works and the environment within which it operates.
• Attend meetings and other appointments or give apologies – considering other ways of engaging with the organisation if regularly unable to attend trustee meetings.
• Prepare fully for meetings and all work for Wantage Literary Festival– reading papers, querying anything you don’t understand and thinking through issues in good time before meetings. Actively engage in discussion, debate and voting in meetings – contributing positively, listening carefully, challenging sensitively and avoiding conflict.
• Act jointly and accept a majority decision – making decisions collectively, standing by them and not acting individually unless specifically authorised to do so.
• Work considerately and respectfully with all – respecting diversity, different roles and boundaries, and avoiding giving offence. 
• Trustees will be immediately dismissed in response to any of the following:
• Participation in fraud
• Criminal behaviour resulting in a criminal conviction other than minor motoring offences
• Using charity expenses for personal gain
• Any actions that may bring the Charity into disrepute
• Any discrimination based on gender, race or sexual orientation

Dated 29/07/18