Agenda item

Report of the Interim Director of Resources

The Financial Planning Manager presented the report to members, drawing their attention to the CIPFA and SOLACE six core principles for good governance outlined at section 1.3 of the report, and the statement from the Council’s external auditors set out at Appendix 1.

Councillor S Sheahan sought clarification on how the Council had gone about developing its vision, and how that vision translated into the outcomes for the community. 

The Interim Director of Resources advised that the Council’s vision had been set through the corporate and strategic planning process and was as set out and agreed by the Council in the Council Delivery Plan.  He explained that Annual Governance Statement did not seek to question the benefits of the vision, but to set out whether the Council was being run properly and to establish what had changed since the last Annual Governance Statement. 

Councillor S Sheahan sought clarification on how the Council ensured that users received a high quality service. 

The Head of Legal and Support Services advised that this was ensured via the strong performance management arrangements which were in place, including quarterly performance monitoring by Cabinet.

Councillor S Sheahan made reference to the section on member and officer relations and commented that this section seemed to be silent on how the Council would deal with the public.

The Head of Legal and Support Services advised that the Constitution contained the responsibilities of the organisation to the public and set out what the public could expect in terms of interacting with the Council on a governance level.  She added that some wording could be added to refer to the Constitution.

Councillor S Sheahan questioned whether officers had the capacity to use their legal powers to the full benefit of citizens.  He commented that he was aware the resources in the legal services team were stretched and asked whether capacity in legal services ought to be reviewed.

The Head of Legal and Support Services advised that a whole range of officers within the organisation operated under statutory powers, and as such she felt that this was a broader reference than solely to the legal services team.

Councillor S Sheahan asked what the Council was doing to encourage new talent in its membership. 

The Interim Director of Resources made reference to the BEE programme and the coaching culture within the organisation which sought to ensure that managers were developed and could develop staff.  He added that succession planning was currently under consideration to ensure that the skills within the organisation could be maintained in the future.

It was clarified that seeking to encourage individuals to come forward and stand as members was not the role of the Council.  The Head of Legal and Support Services added that ensuring members were fully inducted and trained was the aspect which was referred to in the Annual Governance Statement.

Councillor F Fenning expressed concerns regarding the lack of opportunity to scrutinise and be involved in the development of policy.  He pointed out that in order for scrutiny to be effective, it should take place before executive decisions were made.

Councillor S Sheahan supported Councillor F Fenning’s comments and added that he felt scrutiny had been cut down to the bare minimum.  He added that he would welcome a comparative analysis of the scrutiny function to assess whether it was a strength or a weakness.

The Interim Director of Resources explained that the scrutiny function was as defined in the Constitution.  He added that he was working with the Policy Development Group to ensure it was carrying out its functions and listening to what changes needed to be made.

It was moved by Councillor D Harrison, seconded by Councillor G Jones and

RESOLVED THAT:

The Annual Governance Statement be approved.