The city council has developed and adopted a local code of corporate governance which reflects the key components as set out in the CIPFA/SOLACE Framework Corporate Governance in Local Government: A Keystone for Community Governance.
The Code: Community Focus
In carrying out its duties and responsibilities, the city council will:
- Work for and with the local community.
- Exercise leadership, where appropriate, in the local community.
- Undertake an ambassadorial role to promote the well-being of the city through maintaining effective arrangements for:
- accountability to stakeholders for its performance and the effectiveness in delivering its services and the sustainable use of resources
- demonstrating integrity in its dealings to build effective relationships and partnerships with other public agencies and the private and voluntary sectors
- demonstrating openness in all its dealings
- demonstrating inclusivity through effective communication and engagement with the local community
- development of a clear vision and corporate strategy in response to corporate needs.
Service Delivery Arrangements
The city council will monitor the implementation of its agreed policies and decisions and aim to achieve continuous improvement in the procurement and delivery of services by maintaining arrangements which:
- Demonstrate accountability for service delivery at a local level.
- Ensure effectiveness through measurement of performance.
- Demonstrate integrity in its dealings with service users and partnerships to ensure the “right” provision of services locally.
- Demonstrate openness and inclusivity through its consultation with key stakeholders, including service users.
- Are flexible and can be kept up to date, and adapted to accommodate change and meet user wishes.
Structures and Processes
The council will put into place effective political and managerial structures and processes to govern its decision-making and the exercise of its authority, through:
- Defining roles and responsibilities of members and officers to ensure accountability, clarity and ordering of its business.
- Ensuring there is proper scrutiny and review of all aspects of performance and effectiveness.
- Demonstrating integrity by securing a balance of power and authority.
- Documenting its structures and procedures and ensuring they are communicated and understood to demonstrate openness and inclusivity.
- Ensuring these structures and processes are kept up to date and adapted to meet change.
Risk Management and Internal Control
The council will establish and maintain a systematic strategy, framework and processes for managing risk, which:
- Include public statements on its risk management strategy, framework and processes to demonstrate accountability.
- Establish mechanisms to monitor and review effectiveness against agreed standards and targets and the operation of controls in practice.
- Demonstrate integrity by being based on robust systems for identifying, profiling, controlling and monitoring all significant strategic and operational risks.
- Display openness and inclusivity through the involvement of those associated with the planning and delivering of services, including partners.
- Include mechanisms to ensure the risk management and control process is monitored for compliance and that changes are accommodated.
Standards of Conduct
The council will:
- Exercise leadership by conducting itself as a role model for others to follow.
- Define standards of personal behaviour to be expected of members and staff and those involved in service delivery.
- Put in place arrangements that ensure:
The council will deliver these outcomes through:
- Annually defining a series of local procedures and practices which together create the framework for good corporate governance as described in the CIPFA/SOLACE Framework Corporate Governance in Local Government: A Keystone for Community Governance.
- Nominating a lead officer for each, who will be responsible for assessing effectiveness in practice.
- Nominating a member of Directors’ Board as the Council’s “Corporate Governance Champion”, responsible for pulling together assessments from lead officers and reporting to the Board on the overall picture, making recommendations for action as appropriate.
- Annual discussion, deliberation and updates at the Board.
- Annual report members.
- Producing an Assurance Statement on the extent to which the local code has been adhered to and the actions required where, adherence has not been achieved.
The key policies and procedures that will compose the core of this process, are listed below:
- Effective administration of Financial Affairs (Financial Procedure Rules and associated Guidance)
- Effective Human Resource Policies
Members Code of Conduct and Political Conventions
- The Council Constitution
- Whistle-Blowing
- Anti-Fraud and Corruption
- EMAS
- Risk Management Strategy
- Project Management
- Communication Strategy
- Partnership Policies
- Community Plan
- Performance Management Framework
- Consultation Strategy
- Member’s Support framework
- Code of Conduct (Officers)
- Contract Procedure Rules
- Health and Safety Policy
- Information Security Policy
- Procurement Strategy.
