Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Leamington Studio Artists (LSA) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards and fostering a culture of transparency and accountability. This Conflict of Interest Policy outlines the steps LSA takes to identify, disclose, and manage potential conflicts of interest that may arise for board members, co-opted members and manager volunteers involved with the organisation.

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest exists when a person’s private interests (financial, professional, or personal) could potentially influence their judgement or actions in their role at LSA.  This includes situations where:

• A person has a personal financial interest in an artist, organisation, or supplier LSA does business with.
• A person has a personal relationship with someone who could benefit from a decision made by LSA.
• There are affiliations or business ties with other organisations that could create a conflict between a person’s duties at LSA and their obligations elsewhere.

We need to guard against situations where there is a perception of a conflict, even if no actual conflict exists.

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts

All board members, co-opted members and manager volunteers working with LSA are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. 

Board members are required always to act in the best interests of the charity. For this reason the Board maintains a list of relevant relationships that trustees have outside of the organisation. This allows any potential conflicts to be identified in advance. 

Co-opted members and volunteer managers are not required to make these declarations but any disclosure of any potential or perceived conflict should be made in writing to any board member before any decision-making process begins.

Management of Conflicts

Once a potential conflict is identified, the following steps will be taken:

• Recusal: The individual with the conflict will be recused from any discussions or decisions related to the matter.
• Alternative Decision-Maker: An alternative decision-maker will be designated to ensure an impartial outcome.
• Documentation: The potential conflict and the steps taken to manage it will be documented in the meeting minutes.

Additional Considerations

This policy does not prohibit board members, volunteers, and members from having personal interests outside of LSA.

LSA reserves the right to seek legal counsel or external guidance on complex conflict of interest situations.

Remember

• Confidentiality: All information regarding potential conflicts of interest will be kept confidential, except as required by law.
• Open Communication: If you or anyone has any questions or concerns about potential conflicts of interest, please do not hesitate to discuss them with any member of the board.
• If your concerns remain after discussion, then please send a “private and confidential “email to all board members, this will then be discussed by all the board members at the next board meeting.[Their details are on the LSA website: https://lsa-artists.org/]
• By following this Conflict of Interest Policy, LSA can maintain the public’s trust and ensure that all decisions are made in the best interests of the organisation and the communities we serve.

Review 

This policy will be reviewed every year.