Committee Report Checklist
Stage 1
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
|
ITEM |
Yes / No |
Date |
|
Councillor engagement / input from Chair prior to briefing |
N/A |
|
|
Commissioner engagement (if report focused on issues of concern to Commissioners such as Finance, Assets etc) |
N/A |
|
|
Relevant Group Head review |
N/A |
|
|
MAT+ review (to have been circulated at least 5 working days before Stage 2) |
N/A |
|
|
This item is on the Forward Plan for the relevant committee |
Yes |
|
|
Reviewed by |
|
|
|
Finance comments (circulate to Finance) |
LH |
07/11/25 |
|
Risk comments (circulate to Lee O’Neil) |
LH |
07/11/25 |
|
Legal comments (circulate to Legal team) |
LH |
07/11/25 |
|
HR comments (if applicable) |
N/A |
|
For reports with material financial or legal implications the author should engage with the respective teams at the outset and receive input to their reports prior to asking for MO or s151 comments.
Do not forward to stage 2 unless all the above have been completed.
Stage 2
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
|
ITEM |
Completed by |
Date |
|
Monitoring Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
L Heron |
07/11/25 |
|
S151 Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
T.Collier |
9/11/25 |
|
|
|
|
|
Confirm final report cleared by MAT |
|
|
|
Title |
Annual Review of the Confidential Reporting Code |
|
Purpose of the report |
To inform and assure |
|
Report Author |
Linda Heron, Monitoring Officer |
|
Ward(s) Affected |
All Wards |
|
Exempt |
No |
|
Exemption Reason |
N/A |
|
Corporate Priority |
This item is not in the current list of Corporate Priorities but still requires a Committee decision.
|
|
Recommendations
|
Committee is asked to:
1. Note the updated Confidential Reporting Code; and 2. Agree to retain the current Confidential Reporting Code as updated. |
|
Reason for Recommendation |
The current Code is fit for purpose and covers all relevant matters. |
1. Executive summary of the report (expand detail in Key Issues section below)
|
What is the situation |
Why we want to do something |
|
• An annual review of the Confidential Reporting Code is required |
• To ensure continued good governance within the Council and to protect employees |
|
This is what we want to do about it |
These are the next steps |
|
• Note the review that has taken place |
• Agree the updated Confidential Reporting Code |
2. Key issues
2.1 This report seeks to provide assurance to the members that the annular review of the Confidential Reporting Code (“the Code”) has taken place and that the Code is fit for purpose.
2.2 This report also seeks to provide an update on the number of whistleblowing case raised under the Code since the last update in September 2024.
2.3 The Confidential Reporting Code forms part of the Council’s Constitution and sets out how to raise serious concerns about any aspect of the Council’s work. It also sets out legal protection against reprisals under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
2.4 There is a requirement for the Code to be reviewed annually by the Council’s Monitoring Officer and this is then reported to the Audit Committee.
2.5 The Code details:
(a) the nature of concerns which may be reported;
(b) other policies which exist to deal with employment issues;
(c) safeguards against harassment or victimisation as a result of raising a concern;
(d) processes for raising and dealing with concerns including the various officers and organisations who could be contacted.
2.6 In September 2024 a review of the Code was reported to the Audit Committee. The Monitoring Officer concluded that the Code was effective and did not require amendment.
2.7 The Code is currently communicated via different media: indirectly through the intranet and posters on staff boards, as well as presentations at staff meetings.
2.8 A compulsory training module on the Code exists in the Workrite e-learning facility which staff are required to complete every twelve months.
2.9 The Monitoring Officer has concluded that the current Code continues to be effective and does not require modification save updating contact details. The updated Code is attached at Appendix A.
2.10 Since the Code was last reviewed in September 2024, there have been no matters raised under the Code.
3. Options appraisal and proposal
3.1 Option 1 (recommended) The Audit Committee can agree to continue with the current Code (as amended).
3.2 Option 2 The Audit Committee can propose alternative amendments. If so, these alternative amendments will need to be recommended to the Council for consideration.
4. Risk implications
4.1 Effective arrangements for confidential reporting are essential in helping to ensure the risk of fraud, corruption and other forms of misconduct is kept to a minimum. While it is not possible to eliminate such risks entirely, the presence of effective good policies and procedures supported by structured awareness initiatives such as scheduled training and regular reviews can significantly reduce the likelihood of such occurrences.
4.2 No instances have been recorded since the last review in September 2024, but the number of concerns raised under the Code over the last several years have been relatively low.
4.3 Matters raised under the Code are logged on the central register which helps to identify any recurring concerns.
5. Financial implications
5.1 There are no financial implications arising directly from this report.
6. Legal comments
6.1 The Employment Rights Act 1996 as amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 provides protection to employees who raise awareness about malpractice in the workplace, such as the right to bring a claim before an employment tribunal.
6.2 The legislation does not require the Council to have a written policy, but in the interests of promoting transparency, accountability and ethical conduct it is accepted good practice to have appropriate written procedures in place.
Corporate implications
7. S151 Officer comments
7.1 The S151 Officer supports the refreshed Confidential Reporting Code, having robust whistleblowing arrangements are an important element of good governance arrangements. Applying the Code can be resourced from existing resources and therefore there are no budget implications.
8. Monitoring Officer comments
8.1 The Monitoring Officer confirms that the relevant legal implications have been taken into account.
9. Procurement comments
9.1 There are no procurement implications arising directly from this report.
10. Equality and Diversity
10.1 The Code is accessible by all.
11. Sustainability/Climate Change implications
11.1 There are no sustainability / climate change implications arising directly from this report.
12. Other considerations
12.1 None.
13. Timetable for implementation
13.1 If the Audit Committee agrees to continue with the current Code (as amended), the Monitoring Officer will arrange for the Code to be updated accordingly under the delegation in Part 2 Article 13 para 13.2(b) of the Constitution as soon as reasonably practicable.
13.2 If amendments are recommended, these would not come into effect until adopted by Council.
14. Contact
14.1 Linda Heron, Group Head Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer (l.heron@spelthorne.gov.uk)
Please submit any material questions to the Committee Chair and Officer Contact by two days in advance of the meeting.
Background papers: There are none.
Appendices:
Appendix A Confidential Reporting Code