Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director, Corporate Services and Governance

The Council has alocal codeofgovernance,whichwas originally presentedto theAudit Committeein April 2007. The documentwas developed from a frameworkdocument produced byCIPFA andSOLACE.  Thishas been updated on an annual basis.

The codedefines how the Council complies with the principles ofgood governance laid down by theIndependent Commission onGood Governance in PublicServices and forms an integral part of the Councils’ Annual Governance Statement, which is a legal requirement to demonstrate the level of assurance that can be given by the Council’s control systems and governance arrangements.

The Code is essentiallybased on the Council’s existing constitution, protocols andproceduresbutis updated to include changes to documents andprocedures in the previousyear.

The Committee was advisedin March 2015thatCIPFAwas reviewing itsframework documentto ensurethat it remainedfit for purpose. CIPFA issued theirnewDeliveringGood Governance inLocal Government:Framework alongwith comprehensive Guidance inApril 2016. 

The new approach is intendedto better assist local authorities, and associatedorganisationsand vehicles through which authorities now work, in reviewingthe effectivenessof theirown governance arrangementsby referenceto bestpractice andusing self-assessment. 

The new Framework will require a full re-draftingofthe Council’s Local CodeofGovernancealthough the majorityofthe information containedin the current Codewill be pertinent tothenew one.However, rather than just attempting asimple transposingofinformation, to get the best value fromthenew Frameworka new approach was proposed.

The Committee on 6 March 2017 agreedthat an iterativeand measured approachbe takingto developmentofthe new Framework over the following 6-9 months so thatthe new Code couldbe fullypopulated and inplacefor March 2018.  Thiswould involve:

·         creationof a coreofficer working group

·         regular reports to Auditand Standards Committeealong withinvolvement (e.g. by way ofworkshop sessions)in between

·         regular reports to Corporate Management Team andLeadershipTeam.

It was intended that this approach would enabledevelopmentofa meaningfuland inclusivecode whilst communicating the fundamentalsofgood governance toofficers and councillors.

The following actions have been undertaken.

·         a core officer working group was established;

·         update reports were taken to Corporate Management Team on 29 March and 26 July 2017, along with a full session with the Leadership Team (all Directors) on 10 August 2017.  Feedback from all of the sessions was taken into consideration in developing the new code.

·         a workshop session was held on 18 September 2017 involving a number of senior members and members of this Committee.    Issues arising from the workshop were again taken into consideration in developing the new code.

Taking all of the work into consideration a self-assessment document has been prepared which it is proposed will comprise the Local Code of Governance to be adopted for the future.

The Committee was advised that the Code would be the subject of a councillors’ briefing and would also be included in the induction of new councillors and in future training on ethics and probity.

RESOLVED -                        That the updated Local CodeofGovernance based on the new CIPFA Framework be approved.