Decision details

The Committee considered a draft revised version of the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for 2014/15.

An initial draft was presented to the Committee in March 2015.  The Committee was informed that officers had now revised the draft AGS to incorporate the opinions expressed in the Internal Auditor's annual report, the Council's response to the emerging governance issues and other relevant issues.  The revised AGS was presented at Appendix 'A'.

In particular, the Committee's attention was drawn to the following:

•  Once embedded it was hoped that the new Income and Debt Management Policy would result in a substantial assurance being given;

•  Improvements in the Council's Information Governance arrangements had resulted in the Council achieving 94% compliance with the NHS toolkit;

•  It was important that a systematic approach to identifying strategic risks and opportunities was embedded across the Council.  Grant Thornton had facilitated a workshop to assist in this process.  The workshop had identified that whilst risk management happened "in practice", the lack of a clear and systematic corporate approach was a weakness; 

•  A Risk and Opportunity map was being developed and work was in hand to set the right governance structures, to assign clear responsibilities and roles, to agree the corporate approach and to provide appropriate training.

•  Going forward it was proposed to present a quarterly risk update to Management Team, as well as monitoring reports to the Cabinet Committee for Performance Improvement and importantly to this Committee. Once a proposal for a corporate approach had been finalised, a report would be presented to the Committee for consultation;

•  Prior to the next meeting of the Committee a self-assessment exercise would be undertaken involving Committee Members and training arranged accordingly.

Resolved: 

 i.  That the draft of the Annual Governance Statement for 2014/15, as set out at Appendix 'A' now presented, be approved for inclusion in the draft Statement of Accounts.

ii.  It be noted that the Annual Governance Statement will be signed by the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council and published on the Council’s website following the final approval of the Statement of Accounts at the Committee's meeting on 28 September 2015.