Issue - meetings

To consider the appointment of Mr Sandeep Sehmi as the independent person on the Audit Committee, following the recent interview panels.

Council considered the appointment of Mr Sandeep Sehmi as the independent person on the Audit Committee, following the recent interview panels.

Proposed by Councillor J Boughtflower

Seconded by Councillor R. Noble

Council resolved to appoint Mr Sandeep Sehmi as the independent person on the Audit Committee.

To consider a report setting out the proposed process for the appointment of an Independent Member to the Audit Committee.  

Victoria Statham, Group Head of Corporate Governance, presented her report setting out the proposed process to recruit an independent person to sit on the Audit Committee.  Council had approved the proposal to include an independent member on the Audit Committee at their meeting on 25 March 2021 and the terms of reference for the Committee reflected this.  The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (CIPFA) advocate the benefits of having an independent member on an Audit Committee.

The Committee welcomed the proposal but questioned whether the allowance was appropriate for the role.  The Group Head of Corporate Governance advised that the allowance had been set by the Independent Remuneration Panel as part of their annual review process and adopted as part of that.  Research had been conducted into the allowance paid by other councils for a similar role and it had been noted that many do not pay an allowance at all.  Another factor to consider was the allowance paid to other independent members who have chair or vice chair responsibilities for committees. It was acknowledged that there may be a need to review the allowance later once the requirements of the role are more established.

The Committee wished to move the recruitment process forward without delay and proposed that approval of the selection panel’s recommendation to appoint was delegated to the Group Head of Corporate Governance so that the recommendation could then be considered by full Council on 14 October.

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Approve the recruitment of an Independent Member of Audit Committee through public advertisement based on the recruitment pack; and

2.    Approve a selection panel of three members consisting of Cllrs Boughtflower, Fidler and John Doran with a view to making a recommendation on the appointment of an independent member.

3.    Delegate authority to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to approve the recommendation of the selection panel and recommend thereon to Council for consideration at their meeting on 14 October 2021.