The management committee of OXCAB has these functions:

• To oversee the work of the bureau and plan for the long term. The trustees do not work in the bureau day to day, so they can take a broad view.
• To bring a range of different perspectives from the community into the bureau’s thinking.
• To employ and support the manager, paid staff and volunteers
• To account for and manage the bureau’s finances
• To make sure that the bureau has the resources it needs – money, premises, equipment and people.
• To promote the bureau – arranging publicity, speaking at meetings, lobbying councillors and others,and acting in the best interests of the bureau at all times.

Members volunteer to join the board because they approve of the work of the bureau and want to contribute to it in some way. However, as well as these responsibilities, all trustees have obligations under charity law. They have to ensure that:

• OXCAB achieves what the Articles and Memorandum of Association say it should – that is, that the objectives are being met
• It is using its resources to the benefit of the people it is meant to assist
• It is operating within the law, for example, in its employment practices
• It works within charity law as laid down by the Charity Commission, for instance in its financial management and reporting

Anyone interested in finding out more about the role of management committee member or joining the committee should contact the bureau manager.