Meeting documents

A report was submitted which recommended that a new annual report be presented to Council setting out the Committee’s work over the past year, to strengthen overall governance arrangements.

It was reported that the Accounts and Audit Regulations required preparation of an Annual Governance Statement, underpinned by a Local Code of Governance, setting out Wycombe District Council’s corporate governance arrangements, and during the course of work carried out by the Audit Committee on 15 June 2017 to comply with these requirements, in accordance with CIPFA/SOLACE guidance (Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework 2016), the Council’s Local Code of Governance had been approved.

Members were informed that an Action Plan had also been drawn up following a review of the Council’s governance arrangements for 2016/7 which set out a number of areas for proposed improvement.  One of the suggested areas was the introduction of an Annual Report from Standards Committee to full Council, to outline the work programme of the Standards Committee in the past year, including training provided, the number of member conduct complaint referrals and outcomes, and any outside assurance in relation to operational processes.

Members were informed that whilst these areas were already covered in the work which was carried out, and the minutes of each meeting were reported to full Council, Standards Committee had not so far prepared an annual report on its work. Doing so would mean that full Council would have the benefit of a composite annual overview of its work.

In response to a question it was confirmed that the annual report would be a public document.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: To approve, within Standards Committee’s work programme, the provision of an annual report from Standards Committee to full Council, each Spring, setting out the work of the Committee during the past year.