Agenda item

Report of the Head of Finance

The Head of Finance presented the report, referring members to the corporate polices listed with the dates they were last reviewed at paragraph 1.2 of the report and the summary of changes to each policy at section 2.0 of the report.

In response to a question from Councillor D Bigby, the Head of Finance confirmed that the policies predominantly related to staff but the Data Protection Policy and ICT/Cyber Security Policy also related to Members.  The Head of Legal and Commercial Services reminded Members that they had signed to adhere to these policies after they were elected and information was provided in their induction packs.  She added that once the policy changes had been agreed by Cabinet, Members would be sent the relevant updated policy documents with the changes highlighted for information.  It was confirmed that Members would not be required to sign up to the policies again as they had already made the commitment.

Councillor J Clarke drew attention to the Council owned drone referred to at paragraph 2.5 of the report and asked how it was used.  The Head of Legal and Commercial Services explained that the drone was predominantly used by the Planning Enforcement Team to view sites that were inaccessible.

In relation to the Anti-Money Laundering Policy, Councillor C Benfield asked if contractors are made to sign anything when selected.  The Head of Finance explained that contractors are not asked to specifically sign anything but adherence to the Council’s policies were covered as part of the procurement process.

All comments be presented to Cabinet when it considered the report at its meeting on 22 September 2020.