Agenda item

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property gave a brief summary of the report. The Annual Governance Statement (AGS) this year was longer than in previous years to provide further detail and comparison against the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) standards.

The Chairman thanked the Head of Strategic Finance and Property for the comprehensive document.

Councillor Curtis said that whilst informative detail was welcome, it may make the document more difficult for the general public to digest.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that there was a summary page included. The purpose of the AGS was to provide assurance to the public, alongside the statement of accounts. However, it would likely be difficult to digest it in any case, without an understanding of the relevant governance framework.

Councillor Townsend said that those seeking out the AGS were likely to be able to comprehend it and therefore the level of detail and clarity of the report was appropriate.

Councillors Stowe, Curtis, Townsend and the Chairman made several comments about the possibility of a Members being required to complete a minimum level of training.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that this was something that would need to be referred to the Constitution Review Group as this would not be within his remit.

The Chairman requested that Member briefings being added to the Assurance Cycle graphic in the AGS. This was agreed. He also asked about policies being reviewed by Members.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that the whistleblowing and anti-money laundering policies were due to be reviewed by the Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS).

The Chairman and Councillor Curtis asked how the impact and consequences of decisions were measured. Councillor Curtis also said that Overview and Scrutiny Committee could improve at this.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property outlined a number of ways the Council did this, including by using key performance indicators (KPIs).

Councillor Williamson, Executive Member for Financial Sustainability, said that there was also the Quarterly Corporate Health Check which afforded Members ongoing oversight.

The Chairman asked whether the Council was still committed to apprenticeships.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that Leadership Team (LT) had rejected a proposal to stop the apprenticeship scheme. This was still valued and partly funded by the apprenticeship levy.

The Chairman asked about the assurance mapping exercise.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that this would be included for the first time and the Council would be the first in Hertfordshire to utilise it. This would afford a visual tool to assist in understanding the areas of assurance and identify areas which the Council needed to provide more or less assurance. This would form part of the SIAS Officer’s report going forward.

The Chairman asked about the cross-service Officer group which would be established to discuss asset management issues. He also asked whether the Committee would be involved in the Commercial Strategy.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that the Executive Member for Financial Sustainability would attend the cross-service Officer group and other Members may be welcome depending on their areas of interest.

Councillor Williamson said the Commercial Strategy would be discussed by LT and the Executive and its scrutiny path would then be decided.

Councillor Townsend asked whether the asset strategy would include planned preventative maintenance.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that the Council was adhering well to the asset management plan, including on projects such as Hertford Theatre and Grange Paddocks.

The Chairman asked when the planned external review of the ICT strategy would take place.

The Head of Strategic Finance and Property said that procurement would take place soon. A new Interim Head of IT had just been appointed.

RESOLVED – that the report be received and considered.