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TS-BGS-16 Trust & Stewardship Board Governance & Strategy CORE Compliance v2.9.7

Participatory-budget board active

Assesses whether the organization has an active community consultation board enabling meaningful stakeholder participation in decision-making. Specifically, it requires allocating ≥1% of the Eligible Participatory Base (EPB) as a ring‑fenced ‘participatory pool’. EPB is defined as the planned unrestricted discretionary programme spend for the coming FY (excluding governance costs, statutory commitments, contractual/committed spend, and designated funds). If EPB results in a pool <£5,000, a floor of £5,000 (or justified alternative) applies.

Assessment Questions
  1. Does the organization have a formally constituted participatory-budget board with a Scheme of Delegation?
  2. Provide the Eligible Participatory Base (EPB) calculation for the last FY and current FY, showing exclusions and the resulting pool amount.
  3. Provide a reconciliation of the ring-fenced pool: opening balance + additions − allocations − spend = closing balance.
  4. How does the organization ensure diverse representation and enforce the anti-capture rule (max 40% per group)?
  5. What specific controls are in place for conflicts of interest, data protection (DPIA), and safeguarding?
  6. Describe the appeals/complaints process and provide evidence of adherence to service standards.
  7. How are proposals screened for Public Benefit, Trustee Benefit, and charitable objects?
  8. Provide evidence of trustee ratification minutes and the rationale for any rejected recommendations.
Evidence Requirements
  • Charter/Terms of Reference and Scheme of Delegation.
  • EPB calculation and Ledger code(s) for ring-fenced pool.
  • Standard eligibility screening form (Objects, Public Benefit, Safeguarding, COI checks).
  • Trustee minutes ratifying allocations.
  • Conflict-of-interest register and independence attestations.
  • Privacy Notice and DPIA (if applicable).
  • Safeguarding risk assessment and training records.
  • Appeals/complaints log.
  • Grant agreements/Tax records for disbursements.
  • Public impact report with decision rationales.
Scoring Guidelines
LevelRatingDescription
5 5/5 Comprehensive community shūrā board; EPB allocation ≥2% (or justified cap); equity gaps decreasing; external review conducted.
4 4/5 Active board; EPB allocation ≥1.5%; ≥90% of pool allocated via process; high stakeholder satisfaction.
3 3/5 Board active; allocates ≥1% of Eligible Participatory Base (EPB); representation and controls meet minimum requirements.
2 2/5 Board active but allocates <1% of EPB or has major representation/control gaps.
1 1/5 No community shūrā board.

Related Criteria

TS-BGS-01 Trustee board meetings are scheduled, quorate, and minuted TS-BGS-02 Trustees set direction & strategy TS-BGS-03 Trustees meet statutory reporting TS-BGS-04 Finance represented in decisions TS-BGS-05 Annual board and executive skills-gap analysis conducted and actioned
Version
2.9.7 2025-11-05

Discussion (1)

Administrator 2026-03-07 11:07:43.393680

📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json

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