Agenda item

To consider a report by the Corporate Improvement Manager (copy enclosed) to provide information regarding one of the key external regulatory reports received by the Council each year.

9.40am – 10.00am

The Head of Business, Planning and Performance (H:BPP) introduced the report on behalf of the Corporate Improvement Team Manager who was unable to attend the meeting.  The report outlined the Improvement Assessment letter which had been issued by the Wales Audit Office (WAO) on 17^th September, 2012.  The Improvement Assessment Letter had been issued prior to the publication of The Corporate Plan.  The Corporate Plan had been approved at Full Council on the 9^th October, 2012.  The Corporate Plan had also been scheduled for discussion at a future Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting.

The WAO representative gave a summary of the contents of the Improvement Assessment letter.  As the Corporate Plan had not been agreed prior to the 17^th September letter, a further Improvement Assessment letter would be issued at the end of November, 2012.  The letter would assess whether the Council had discharged its improvement planning duties under the Measure and review the goals that the Council had set for itself in order to monitor the delivery of its improvement objectives.

WAO had made two proposals for improvements within the Annual Improvement Report as follows:-

Ø      The Council in common with other Local Authorities in Wales, should use its annual review of governance arrangements to provide a more robust self-assessment of their effectiveness.  The Council undertook a corporate governance review as part of the process to update and agree its Annual Governance Statement.  The review found that the Council had adequate arrangements in place for meeting the six principles in the framework but the review of the effectiveness of the arrangements identified three significant governance risks:

o       Partnership governance;

o       Information governance; and

o       Elected Member performance and development.

Further feedback from WAO would be presented to the Council later this year and WAO were to give feedback to the governance annual statement by March 2013.

Ø      By September 2012 the Council should establish how it would support the Rhyl Going Forward delivery plan including:

o       Showing how it fits with the county regeneration programme;

o       Confirming the staff and financial resources that will be available to support delivery; and

o       Arrangements for periodic evaluation of progress.

Managerial responsibility within the Council for Rhyl Going Forward had undergone a period of transition as part of the reorganisation of duties amongst the Council’s Heads of Service.  At senior level, the newly appointed Corporate Director of Economic and Community Ambition would assume responsibility for economic development.  A further assessment of progress with regard to the Rhyl Going Forward delivery plan would be provided later in 2012.

Following discussion, clarification had been given regarding the issues raised:-

Ø      The risk within the Improvement Assessment Letter regarding elected member performance and development referred to how members would be held to account.  Procedures and scrutiny were in place and WAO would be looking at the totality of performance by the group of elected members.  Following the election of Members in May, 2012, Denbighshire County Council provided a comprehensive training package but the Lead Member had been looking at how this could be taken forward within the next 6-12 months.  There was a piece of work taking place at the moment reviewing the timing of the meetings.

Ø      The definition of partnerships related to the partnerships with other Local Authorities, which was a wide definition. 

Ø      Regarding paragraph 9 of the covering report which stated this report presented no new risks to the Council, any previous risks were within the Corporate Risk Register. 

Ø      It was agreed that following the election of the Police Commissioner, an invitation would be sent to the Police Commissioner to attend a future Corporate Governance Committee meeting.

RESOLVED that:

(a)   following consideration of the report, the Committee did not feel any issues needed to be raised at the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting to be held on the 29^th November, 2012.

(b)   The newly elected Police Commissioner be invited to attend a future Corporate Governance Committee meeting.

10.00am – at this juncture, the Chair, Councillor Jason McLellan left the meeting to attend a memorial service which was being held in Prestatyn for the 5 people who lost their lives in a recent house fire.

Councillor Gwyneth Kensler took over the role of Chair for the remainder of the meeting.