Report of the Interim Monitoring Officer attached.

The Interim Monitoring Officer presented a report on the Council’s draft Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for 2018 to provide assurance on the standards of corporate governance spanning all the Council’s priorities and activities. This was a requirement of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015. Members were asked to review and comment upon the draft AGS that was appended to the report along with an action plan of recommended improvements and proposed actions for 2018/19.

Last year’s action plan was also appended to the report and it was noted that a great deal of progress had been made in the last 12 months to strengthen and improve the Council’s governance arrangements.

Although, in accordance with CiPFA guidelines, the Chair considered the draft AGS to be too long and wordy and asked the Interim Monitoring Officer if he could look at a more digestible format for its presentation.

A new performance management system, InPhase, had been recently procured by the authority for managing the Council’s performance. Training for officers was currently being rolled out and a Member Learning Hour would be delivered in the near future.

A lot of work had been undertaken on the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). An officer working group were continuing to make good progress on the implementation of the new arrangements.

Members were concerned that the last Improvement Reference Group meeting had been cancelled and as yet had not been rearranged. This Group was meant to meet on a monthly basis and as the recent Peer Review had suggested a review of the role of Governance Committee, Members were keen to be involved.

RESOLVED: (Unanimously)

That the draft Annual Governance Statement be noted and suggested recommendations be included in the final version, along with some proposed deadlines and persons responsible for completion of key recommendations in the action plan.