Committee will receive an update on Governance Assurance and Risk Management from Rob Winter.
Minutes:
Rob Winter, External Advisor attended the meeting remotely to provide the Committee with an update on the Governance Assurance approach to risk management.
The External Advisor provided an update on progress in implementing the Governance Assurance approach, noting that Members had received regular updates and that a number of Committee Members had attended recent training sessions. The training had outlined how the new approach had been developed, how it would operate in practice, and the format of reports to be received by both the Audit Committee and service committees. A worked example had also been shared with Members in advance of the meeting.
The Committee was advised that all Group Heads had engaged with the process and devoted appropriate time to providing the required information. Senior managers and other officers had also contributed, enabling the assurance system to be populated effectively. Senior Management (MAT+) would consider all 12 governance assurance areas for moderation and quality control, ensuring ownership at the top of the organisation.
It was explained that, following this moderation process, governance assurance reports would be ready for presentation to the Audit Committee and relevant service committees from the start of the new municipal year. Some minor refinements might arise from moderation, but the approach would be sufficiently embedded to allow reporting to proceed.
The Committee were advised that training had already been delivered to approximately 50 officers and 22 Councillors, demonstrating a strong level of engagement. A further “mop?up” training session would be provided for any Councillors or officers unable to attend earlier sessions.
The system was designed to be largely self?sufficient, with managers able to access and review their own information. Reports could be generated easily and were formatted to be incorporated directly into committee agenda packs.
It was anticipated that, initially, all 12 governance assurance areas might be presented to the Audit Committee, over two meetings of the Committee, with two to three assurance areas phased to be considered at each subsequent meeting. Over time, this would provide Members with clearer insight into governance arrangements, progress against actions, and the overall direction of travel. Service committees would be better equipped to undertake scrutiny and performance oversight using this information.
It was emphasised how important councillor feedback was during the early reporting cycles, to ensure that both the content and presentation of reports met the Committee’s needs.
In response to a query regarding engagement by all individuals critical to the success of the new approach it was confirmed that mop?up sessions would ensure any remaining key individuals, including Committee Chairs and Vice?Chairs if required, were covered and that the new Chief Executive had been briefed.
Councillor Nichols asked whether the Governance Assurance reports would support ad hoc scrutiny by service committees, particularly in relation to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). It was explained that the Governance Assurance process provided insight into the strength of governance arrangements, rather than detailed operational progress. However, one of the assurance areas related to programme and change management, which would give assurance on how well the Council’s arrangements were supporting the LGR transition. Detailed progress on LGR activity would continue to be scrutinised through the relevant service committee, alongside this governance assurance.
RESOLVED that the Committee noted the update on the Governance Assurance approach to risk management.