Agenda item

The Chief Executive and Executive Director Core Services will submit a joint report presenting the updated Action Plan relating to issues identified following the Annual Governance Review for 2017/18.

The Chief Executive and Executive Director Core Services submitted a joint report presenting the updated Action Plan relating to issues identified following the annual Governance Review for 2017/18.  The Action Plan, which was appended to the report, had been approved by the Committee at its meeting on the 20^th July, 2018.  A second Appendix provided details of the Partnership Governance Arrangements Annual Governance Action Plan

The Action Plan was used to track the progress of the actions necessary to deal with the issues raised through the AGS process and generally progress had been positive against all actions identified.  It would be further reviewed in April and May 2019 as part of the 2018/19 AGR process.

In the ensuing discussion particular reference was made to the following:

·         It was noted that a review of the Contract Procedure Rules had been completed and a recommendations paper was to be submitted to SMT next week.  The Executive Director Core Services stated that this had been a longstanding exercise that had taken longer than anticipated

·         Questions were asked as to why approximately 40% of recommendations in relation to FoI/EiR (following the information Commissioners Office review in 201) had not yet been started.  It was thought that some of these issued had not yet been programmed for action but the matter would be referred to the Head of ICT (Service Management) for response in her next report to committee.  The Head of Internal Audit and Corporate Anti-Fraud would also be able to pick up such outstanding issues as part of his role as Data Protection Officer.  It was also noted, however, that a report on progress had been submitted to the last meeting and that the Information Commissioners Officer had indicated that they were happy with the Authority’s action on the recommendations

RESOLVED:-

(i)             that the progress made against each item listed in the Annual Governance Statement Action Plan be noted;  and

(ii)               that the assurances arising as a result of the governance and control arrangements in place relating to the Council’s partnerships, contracts and general relationships the be noted and the Annual Governance Statement Action be closed.