A Visitor, in UK politics, is a Privy Council overseer who can intervene in the affairs of a Chartered University in the event of a dispute involving the internal procedures of that University.
They will not usually intervene on matters of employment or academic conduct, but on procedural matters.
The Lord President of the Council is a Visitor for 17 UK Universities:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of East Anglia
- University of Hull
- Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine
- University of Keele
- University of Leeds
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of London (except King's and University Colleges)
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Reading
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of Sussex
- University of Wales (most)
For more information about the role of Visitors, refer to the Privy Council Secretariat website: http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page48.asp