Introduction

The Merthyr Tydfil Ministry Area believes that a church is the community of God’s people and recognises that all people are of equal importance in the eyes of God. We are committed to the principles and practices of equality - fairly and consistently treating each person according to their diverse needs and valuing our differences.

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is any situation in which a member’s personal interests or loyalties could prevent, or could be seen to prevent, the member from making a decision solely in the best interests of the Ministry Area.

Conflicts of interest may include (but are not limited to):

• A MAC member who is related to a member of staff, where a decision is to be taken on staff pay and/or conditions.

• A MAC member who also serves on the committee of another organisation that is competing for the same funding or use of a church hall.

• A MAC member who holds shares in a business that may be awarded a contract to do work or provide services for the Ministry Area.

Policy 

This policy applies to all members of the MAC, the Executive Team and any other committees or working parties set up by the MAC.

Upon appointment each member will make a full, written disclosure of interests (see Appendix 1), including any relationships, roles or financial interests that could potentially result in a conflict of interest. This disclosure will be kept on file by the MAC Secretary, and the information provided will not be used for any other purpose.

If new matters arise after the initial disclosure, members must notify the MAC Secretary of all changes or additions as soon as they are known, without waiting for reappointment.

Additionally, in the course of meetings or activities, members will disclose any interests in a transaction or decision where:

• there may be a conflict between the Ministry Area’s best interests and the member’s personal interests or 

• a conflict between the best interests of two organisations that the member is involved with. 

It is desirable that any conflicts of interest are declared to the Chair of the meeting as soon as the agenda is circulated. They must also be declared at the meeting when the relevant agenda item is reached.

After disclosure, I understand that I may be asked to leave the room for the discussion and may not be able to take part in the decision depending on the judgement of the other committee members present at the time.

A member need not withdraw from a meeting if his or her interest (whether financial or non-financial) is common to all MAC members, or the church, and is neither (i) significant nor (ii) substantially greater than the interests of other members of the MAC.

Any such disclosure and subsequent actions taken must be recorded in the minutes.