Agenda item

The Service Director Finance will submit a report providing an update regarding the Annual Governance Review process that has been determined for 2016/17 and which will be used to influence and assist in the preparation of the Council’s statutory Annual Governance Statement for 2016/17.

The Risk and Governance Manager presented a report of the Director of Finance, Assets and IT. 

Members were provided with an overview of the Annual Governance Progress, which would feed into the Annual Governance Statement.

The meeting were made aware of the revised Local Code of Corporate Governance, which had taken cognisance of the ‘Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework 2016’ guidance, published by CIPFA.  It was noted that colleagues from CIPFA had commented positively on the revised code at a recent workshop.

Members commented on the impending changes in senior management within the authority, and changes within Internal Audit and queried whether reassurance could be given that the authority was able to accommodate these departures successfully.

In response it was suggested that this was a reasonable risk to consider and that the AGS system would look at succession planning, with any issues being drawn out through the review process.  Members heard of discussion taking place with members of the Senior Management Team, and assurances had been given of the capacity within the revised structure, which would be monitored going forward.  It was also suggested that there were additional strengths in a single Executive Director overseeing HR, Finance, and Governance.

Members raised questions relating to appendix 2 of the report, and the capacity of officers to review evidence.  It was noted that the process was overseen by a Corporate Assurance Group, comprising lead officers from each directorate who develop the corporate assurance map, and consider governance and control arrangements.  It was also acknowledged that many of the sources of evidence would be regularly tested and reviewed with the year.

With regards to the process map, a comment was received relating to the appendix 1, the Annual Governance Review Process Map.  It was suggested that if assurances could not be provided then there should be feedback to the service in light of this.

RESOLVED:-

(i)     That the Annual Governance Review Process be noted;

(ii)    That the revised Local Code of Corporate Governance be noted; and

(iii)  That outputs from the Annual Governance Review process for 2016/17 be reported to the Committee, where consideration can be given as to whether the process provides sufficient and suitable evidence and assurances upon which the Committee can refer the Annual Governance Statement for Full Council approval in September, 2017.