Agenda item
To approve the proposed work programme for the implementation of the Act.
Decision:
To approve the
Work Programme
To request an update for the Committee
meeting in October 2021
Minutes:
Submitted – the
report of the Monitoring Officer seeking the Committee’s approval to the draft
work programme in response to Legislation that introduces a number of changes
and powers in relation to the governance of Local Government in Wales. Members
were reminded that the Full Council (4 March 2021) had resolved that the Audit
and Governance Committee would keep an overview of the work in response to the
provisions and requirements of the Act and the proposed work programme in place
to address these measures in a timely and appropriate manner.
Following the Committee's approval of the work programme
a report will be submitted to the Corporate Governance
Group drawing attention to the possible risks together with a series of further
reports to the Council, The Cabinet, The Standards Committee and the Democratic
Services Committee regarding the provisions of the Act and the relevant
elements. It was added
that elements of the work were already underway and a working group of officers
had been identified to implement the work.
In the context of the Audit Committee, it was noted that there were several changes to the Committee's
responsibilities, and it was acknowledged that a few would be far reaching. A
brief overview was given of the aspects that will need
to be prioritised:
- take an overview of the
Council's specific performance monitoring functions - guidance will be set out
by the Legislation and the process will have a formal procedure.
- name of Committee - the
Act notes the need to establish a Governance and Audit Committee.
- keep an overview of the Council's complaints procedure and ensure an
effective complaints system
- review the Audit Committee
membership by May 2022 - the membership will transform the whole Committee and
the need to have a detailed discussion regarding the implications on the
Committee's governance was highlighted.
Thanks was given
for the report
In response to a question about the role of the Committee regarding complaints arrangements and if this would
make the process easier for individuals to submit complaints, it was
noted that the Committee's responsibility was to ensure that the procedure and
its performance were working. In response, it was stated
that the Standards Committee was already looking at the complaints process and
having two committees giving an overview would duplicate the work. In response, the Monitoring Officer noted
that the two committees were two different systems - complaints monitoring of
the code of conduct was the responsibility of the Standards Committee, while
the Audit and Governance Committee was responsible for an overview of complaints
about the Council's services and corporate arrangements.
In response to a comment that appointing lay
Members would be difficult bearing in mind aspects such as the background,
political balance, unbiased attitude, payments, influence and suitability, the
Monitoring Officer noted that guidelines were being prepared to give guidance
on the arrangements and the suggestion that careful forward planning was
required was accepted. It was suggested that a similar
system to that of the Standards Committee was adopted, where an Interview Panel
is established to be responsible for appointments. In terms of payments, it was explained that the Independent Remuneration Panel for
Wales had already highlighted that every lay member will receive payment per
day.
In response to a question
regarding permitting job sharing and how this would work, the Monitoring
Officer noted that a piece of work needed to be completed to consider if this
was realistic. He stressed the need for
an appropriate and transparent system.
During the ensuing discussion, the
following observations were made by Members:
·
That collaboration with the Principal Councils
would raise suspicion about the loss of powers
·
That the introduction of Corporate Joint Committees
(CJC) would be an attack on democracy
·
That CJC undermined local powers
·
Will there be a right not to stand / join CJC?
In response to
concerns about the CJC, it was noted that 3 joint
committees had already been established in the north and it was necessary to
comply with and build a framework around legislation requirements.
RESOLVED
To approve the Work Programme
To request an update for the Committee meeting in October 2021
Supporting documents: