Monitoring and review
The Council has Committees that are responsible for monitoring and reviewing the Council’s Corporate Governance arrangements. These Committees and their functions are set out below. In addition, the Council has an Independent Remuneration Panel to advise and make recommendations to the Council on the scheme of allowances.
4.1 The Audit and Governance Committee is responsible for the Council’s arrangements relating to:
- Approving the Council’s Accounts;
- External audit;
- Policies and practices that ensure compliance with statutory and other guidance;
- Internal audit
The Committee also has responsibility for the following roles and functions:
- i) Promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by Elected Members and co-opted members of the Authority;
- ii) Assisting the Elected Members and, co-opted members to observe the Members’ Code of Conduct;
- iii) Advising and offering guidance to the Council on the adoption or revision of the Members’ Code of Conduct;
- iv) Granting dispensations (unless otherwise delegated to the Council’s Director of Legal, Governance and Human Resources, acting as Monitoring Officer) to Elected Members and, co-opted members from requirements relating to prejudicial or pecuniary interests set out in the Members’ Code of Conduct;
- v) Dealing with any reports from Monitoring Officer on any matter which is referred for investigation under ’arrangements’ to deal with complaints under the Localism Act, 2011.
- vi) The exercise of (i) to (v) above in relation to the Parish Councils wholly or mainly in its area and the members of those parish councils.
Through this Committee, the Council will ensure that these arrangements are kept under continual review by:
- The work of internal audit;
- Reports prepared by Officers with responsibility for aspects of this Code;
- External Audit opinion;
- Other review agencies and Inspectorates;
- Opinion from the Council’s statutory Officers.
The Audit and Governance Committee will also have responsibility for the discharge of all statutory scrutiny functions relating to health and wellbeing under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and Crime and Disorder for the purposes of the Police and Justices Act 2006.
The Monitoring Officer is responsible for the review and monitoring of the Council’s Constitution, and able to make recommendations for changes, where reviewing the Constitution to Full Council (Article 13 of the Council’s Constitution refers).
4.2 The Finance and Corporate Affairs Committee has responsibility for the financial and other resources of the Authority including the formulation, development and implementation of the Authority’s plans and strategies under the Budget and Policy Framework. The role and remit of this Committee is referenced within Article 7 (Policy Committees) and Part 3 (Responsibilities for Functions) of the Council’s Constitution.
All Policy Committee Chairs will be represented on Finance and Corporate Affairs Committee.