Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Remotely via Teams
Contact: Nicola Headon
No. | Item |
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Declaration of Interest Minutes: The
following Member made a declaration of interest at the commencement of the
meeting. Councillor O.S.Davies - Re: External Independent Governance
Review, as he is a family member. He considered
the declaration as prejudicial and left the meeting before the start of the
item. |
|
Minutes: The
Chief Executive thanked Audit Committee for attending at short notice. The
Chief Executive explained that the meeting had been called in order to give
assurance regarding actions that had been taken and to give Members an opportunity
to ask questions regarding the commissioned review, as detailed in the
circulated Terms of Reference (Appendix 1 of the report). It
was noted that the Chief Executive was unable to discuss the case itself as the
investigation of the matter was now being dealt
with by the Public Services Ombudsman, but would take questions on the Terms of Reference. Members
questioned the communication with the community affected by school
reorganisation within the Swansea Valley.
The Chief Executive explained that a decision had been taken to delay
the issuing of the report and a timetable was currently being put together,
when completed this would be reported back to Members and members of the
public. The
Chief Executive explained that the review had been commissioned last week and
was currently underway. The reviewers
were expecting to produce a report by mid-April, but this would be dependent on
findings. It was highlighted that
investigations were on the current processes and systems that the Council has
in place in relation to each of the items in the Terms of Reference. Members
commented that the Chief Executive had acted correctly and the proposed way
forward was the correct one. Members
questioned if it would be beneficial to hold a seminar/ training session as a
refresher for all Members on current protocols.
The Chief Executive agreed that it was something that could be
considered. It would be worth waiting
for the outcome of the case in order to establish if there were any changes
that the reviewers recommended to the Council, although if there were any
specific matters Members felt they would like as refresher training session in
the near future this would be considered. A
discussion took place regarding individuals undertaking the review. The Chief
Executive explained that the review would be led by Rod Alcott who had extensive experience
with corporate governance reviews and he would be assisted by Jack Straw. The Chief Executive went onto explain there
had been work around the Regional Partnership Board that Jack Straw had been
involved with and that he had also worked in a number of authorities. The Chief Executive highlighted that there
was no reason to believe it was inappropriate for Jack Straw to be involved in
the review, and that he was recommended by the Welsh Local Government
Association as someone who would be an appropriate person to support this, but
if Members had any concerns to inform the Chief Executive. Members
stated that they were not questioning the professionalism of Jack Straw and
were content to support his involvement. Members questioned whether there was a possibility of a public inquiry. It was noted that a public inquiry was not something that the Council had the power to invoke. That would be a matter for Government. ... view the full minutes text for item 2. |