Agenda item

To consider a report by the Chief Officer Financial Services which presents the Annual Governance Statement (AGS), prepared in accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015.

(Report attached)

The Chief Officer Financial Services submitted a report which presented the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) prepared in accordance with the

Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015.

Members noted the document had been prepared in accordance with proper practices specified by the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015. Following a review of the arrangements which together comprise our system of internal control, the AGS supports the opinion that, overall, key systems are operating soundly, and that there are no fundamental control weaknesses.

It was reported that the interim AGS was published in draft on 6th July 2020 to accompany the Statement of Accounts when put on deposit. The AGS had since been updated and is returned to this Committee for approval prior to publication.

In offering comment Members made reference to the delivery of the climate emergency suggesting that key performance indicators (KPI) required establishing to measure progress in achieving the Council’s climate change ambitions.

In responding the Chair suggested that engagement was required with the Chief Officer Sustainable Energy & Air Quality, with a view to the establishment of a Climate Change Plan up to 2030, which could be monitored by this Committee in future.

Commenting on the section “Our Workforce” reference was made to staff wellbeing, with one Member suggesting that in recent months a significant number of employees had left the employ of the City Council, was there sufficient business continuity via HR processes in place to support the changes.

Members were informed that the Annual Business Continuity report would be considered by this Committee at its next meeting on 14^th December 2020, where Members would have the opportunity to raise such issues with the Chief Officer Human Resources.

Referring to Covid-19 Pandemic, Members queried if assurance could be provided that the necessary internal systems had been adapted to respond to the pandemic

The Principle Audit Manager (Corporate Governance) said that all assurance reports coming to this Committee would address Covid-19 implications for that service, which would also feed into the Annual Governance Statement for 2021.

Referring to the customer contact and satisfaction experience and the actions identified to deliver improvements, a number of Members expressed disappointment at the Service’s response. Members were of the view that first contact with a customer via telephone, face to face or online need to be exemplar and the necessary processes; training, ownership and management need to be in place to achieve this.

Members asked that the key action set out in the Annual Governance Statement be amended to provide that “We will continue to set and monitor robust targets for customer contact and satisfaction and will make improvements where necessary to deliver a consistent experience for our customers.”

The Chair suggested the annual customer contact and satisfaction report was due to come to Committee in February 2021 and asked that the Chief Officer Customer Access and Welfare be asked to identify what ‘good’ arrangements look like, and provide an action plan to achieve this.

RESOLVED – That, subject to the amendment to key action 4 in relation to customer contact and satisfaction, the Annual Governance Statement be approved.