AUDIT & GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE	2 February 2022
Report of the Director of Governance

Progress against the Action Plan prepared in response to the Public Interest Report

Summary

To provide an update on the progress being made with regards to delivery of the Action Plan prepared in response to the Report in the Public Interest dated 19^th April 2021.

Background

The Council is required to address the recommendations set out in the Report in the Public Interest dated 19^th April 2021, and accepted by Full Council on 4^th May 2021.  An Action Plan was also approved by Full Council and Audit & Governance Committee has been asked to oversee the delivery of the Action Plan.

Work to address the various aspects of the Action Plan continues.

The Council’s Constitution

The revised draft constitution has now been published and is to be considered as a separate agenda item for this Committee meeting.  Subject to the views of the Audit & Governance Committee, it is anticipated that the revised draft constitution will be recommended to Full Council on 24^th March 2022, for consideration at immediate adoption and implementation.  Revising the constitution is a supporting theme across the Action Plan.

Once finalised, training plans will be scoped and developed to support the implementation of the revised constitution. 

Model Code of Conduct for Members

The Joint Standards Committee will meet on 24^th January 2022, to continue its work in reviewing the procedures which sit behind the Model Code which was adopted and implemented by Full Council in October 2021.  The Joint Standards Committee has commissioned Hoey Ainscough to review the procedures relating to the conduct of complaints once they are received by the Monitoring Officer, the Relations between Officer and Member Protocol and also the development of a flowchart which can be a mandatory annex to all council agendas and will assist Members in identifying whether they have a conflict of interest or not.

Subject to the views of the Joint Standards Committee, it is anticipated that these above mentioned procedures will be incorporated into the Council’s revised draft Constitution and thus approved for immediate adoption and implementation by Full Council in March 2022.

Implications

Financial – None directly arising from this report.  The Council is a member of the LGA and therefore the support from the LGA is at nil cost.

Human Resources (HR) – None directly arising from this report.

Equalities – None directly arising from this report.

Legal – As detailed within this report, the Council has received and accepted the Report in the Public Interest dated 19^th April 2021, and therefore is required to undertake necessary steps to address the highlighted recommendations.  The various individual steps required in addressing these recommendations may in themselves require legal advice.   

Crime and Disorder, Information Technology and Property - None directly arising from this report.

Recommendations

To receive an update on the progress being made with regards to delivery of the Action Plan prepared in response to the Report in the Public Interest dated 19^th April 2021.

Reasons for the Recommendation

The Audit & Governance Committee is required by Full Council to monitor the delivery of the Action Plan prepared in response to the Public Interest Report.

Options

There are no other options for the Committee to consider on this occasion.

Author &  Chief Officer responsible for the report:	Janie Berry, Director of Governance & Monitoring Officer
	Report Approved	X	Date	24 January 2022
Specialist Implications Officer(s):  Debbie Mitchell, Chief Finance Officer and Section 151
Wards Affected:  List wards or tick box to indicate all					All	X
For further information please contact the author of the report

Background Papers:

· Agenda, Reports and Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of Full Council dated 4^th May 2021

· Agenda, Reports and Minutes of the Audit & Governance Committee

· Agenda and Reports of the Joint Standards Committee on 24^th January 2022

· The revised draft Constitution (published for consideration by the Audit & Governance Committee on 2^nd February 2022)