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Havant’s Local Code of Corporate
Governance (Revised 2008)
Definition of Governance
“Governance is the system by which an organisation directs and
controls its functions and relates to its community”
Good governance is central to the Audit
Commission’s Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) of the quality of
services we provide. Good governance is about :
- Good management
- Good performance
- Good stewardship of public money
- Good public engagement
- Good outcomes
Good Governance Standards
Havant’s good corporate governance standards
are outlined below. The Council will prepare an Annual
Governance Statement to evaluate its governance against the
principles below :-
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 1
Havant will focus on the purpose of the authority and
on outcomes for the community and create and implement a vision for
the local area
We will :
- develop and promote the authority’s purpose
and vision
- review on a regular basis the authority’s
vision for the local area and its impact on the authority’s
governance arrangements
- ensure that partnerships are underpinned by a
common vision of their work that is understood and agreed by all
parties
- publish information on a timely basis to
communicate the authority’s activities and achievements, its
financial position and performance
- decide how the quality of service for users
is to be measured and make sure that the information needed to
review service quality effectively and regularly is available
- put in place effective arrangements to
identify and deal with failure in service delivery
- decide how value for money is to be measured
and make sure that the authority or partnership has the information
needed to review value for money and performance effectively.
- Measure the environmental impact of policies,
plans and decisions.
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 2
Havant will, by Members and officers working together, achieve
a common purpose with clearly defined functions and roles
We will :
- set out a clear statement of the respective
roles and responsibilities of the cabinet and of the cabinet’s
members individually and the authority’s approach towards putting
this into practice
- set out a clear statement of the respective
roles and responsibilities of other authority members, members
generally and senior officers
- determine a scheme of delegation and reserve
powers within the constitution, including a formal schedule of
those matters specifically reserved for collective decision of the
authority, taking account of relevant legislation, and ensure that
it is monitored and updated when required
- make a Chief Executive or equivalent
responsible and accountable to the authority for all aspects of
operational management
- develop protocols to ensure that the leader
and Chief Executive negotiate their respective roles early in the
relationship and that a shared understanding of roles and
objectives is maintained
- make a senior officer (the S151 officer)
responsible to the authority for ensuring that appropriate advice
is given on all financial matters, for keeping proper financial
records and accounts, and for maintaining an effective system of
internal financial control
- make a senior officer ( the monitoring
officer) responsible to the authority for ensuring that agreed
procedures are followed and that all applicable statutes and
regulations are complied with
- develop protocols to ensure effective
communication between members and officers in their respective
roles
- set out the terms and conditions for
remuneration of members and officers and an effective structure for
managing the process
- ensure that effective mechanisms exist to
monitor service delivery
- ensure that the organisation’s vision,
strategic plans, priorities and targets are developed through
robust mechanisms, and in consultation with the local community and
other key stakeholders, and that they are clearly articulated and
disseminated
- when working in partnership (a) ensure
that members are clear about their roles and responsibilities both
individually and collectively in relation to the partnership and to
the authority; (b) ensure that there is clarity about the legal
status of the partnership (c) ensure that representatives of
organisations both understand and make clear to all other partners
the extent of their authority to bind their organisation to partner
decisions.
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 3
Havant will promote values for the authority and demonstrate
the values of good governance through upholding high standards of
conduct and behaviour
We will :
- ensure that the authority’s leadership sets a
tone for the organisation by embedding and sustaining a climate of
openness, support and respect
- ensure that standards of conduct and personal
behaviour expected of members and staff, of work between members
and staff and between the authority, its partners and the community
are defined and communicated through codes of conduct and
protocols
- put in place arrangements to ensure that
members and employees of the authority are not influenced by
prejudice, bias or conflicts of interest in dealing with different
stakeholders and put in place appropriate processes to ensure that
they continue to operate in practice
- develop and maintain shared values including
leadership values for both the organisation and staff reflecting
public expectations and communicate these with members, staff, the
community and partners
- put in place arrangements to ensure that
systems and processes are designed in conformity with appropriate
ethical standards, and monitor their continuing effectiveness in
practice
- develop and maintain an effective standards
committee
- use the organisation’s shared values to act
as a guide for decision making and as a basis for developing
positive and trusting relationships within the authority in
pursuing the vision of a partnership, agree a set of values against
which decision making and actions can be judged. Such values must
be demonstrated by partners’ behaviour both individually and
collectively.
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 4
Havant will take informed and transparent decisions which are
subject to effective scrutiny and managed risk
We will :
- develop and maintain an effective scrutiny
function which encourages constructive challenge and enhances the
authority’s performance overall and that of any organisation for
which it is responsible
- develop and maintain open and effective
mechanisms for documenting evidence for decisions and recording the
criteria, rationale and considerations on which decisions are
based
- put in place arrangements to safeguard
members and employees against conflicts of interest and put in
place appropriate processes to ensure that they continue to operate
in practice
- develop and maintain an effective audit
committee which is independent of the cabinet and scrutiny
functions
- ensure that effective, transparent and
accessible arrangements are in place for dealing with
complaints
- ensure that those making decisions whether
for the authority or the partnership are provided with information
that is fit for the purpose – relevant, timely and gives clear
explanations of technical issues and their implications
- ensure that professional advice on matters
that have legal or financial implications is available and recorded
well in advance of decision making and used appropriately
- ensure that risk management is embedded into
the culture of the authority, with members and managers at all
levels recognising that risk management is part of their jobs
- ensure that arrangements are in place for
whistle-blowing to which staff and all those contracting with the
authority have access
- actively recognise the limits of lawful
activity placed on us by, for example, the ultra vires doctrine but
also strive to utilise powers to the full benefit of our
communities
- recognise the limits of lawful action and
observe both the specific requirements of legislation and the
general responsibilities placed on local authorities by public
law
- observe all specific legislative requirements
placed upon us, as well as the requirements of general law, and in
particular to integrate the key principles of good administrative
law – rationality, legality and natural justice – into our
procedures and decision-making processes.
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 5
Havant will develop the capacity and capability of members and
officers to be effective
We will :
- provide induction programmes tailored to
individual needs and opportunities for members and officers to
update their knowledge on a regular basis
- ensure that the statutory officers have the
skills, resources and support necessary to perform effectively in
their roles and that these roles are properly understood throughout
the authority
- assess the skills required by members and
officers and make a commitment to develop those skills to enable
roles to be carried out effectively
- develop skills on a continuing basis to
improve performance, including the ability to scrutinise and
challenge and to recognise when outside expert advice is
needed
- ensure that effective arrangements are in
place for reviewing the performance of the cabinet as a whole and
of individual members and agreeing an action plan to address any
training or development needs
- ensure that effective arrangements designed
to encourage individuals from all sections of the community to
engage with, contribute to and participate in the work of the
authority
- ensure that career structures are in place
for members and officers to encourage participation and
development
GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLE 6
Havant will engage with local people and other stakeholders to
ensure robust public accountability
We will :
- make clear to ourselves, all staff and the
community to whom we are accountable and for what
- consider those institutional stakeholders to
whom the authority is accountable and assess the effectiveness of
the relationships and any changes required
- produce an annual report on the activity of
the scrutiny function
- ensure that clear channels of communication
are in place with all sections of the community and other
stakeholders, and put in place monitoring arrangements to ensure
that they operate effectively
- hold meetings in public unless there are good
reasons for confidentiality
- ensure that arrangements are in place to
enable the authority to engage with all sections of the community
effectively. These arrangements will recognise that different
sections of the community have different priorities and we will
establish explicit processes for dealing with these competing
demands
- establish a clear policy on the types of
issues we will meaningfully consult on or engage with the public
and service users about, including a feedback mechanism for those
consultees to demonstrate what has changed as a result
- on an annual basis, publish an annual report
giving information on the authority’s vision, strategy, performance
plans and financial statements as well as information about its
outcomes, achievements and the satisfaction of service users in the
previous period
- ensure that the authority as a whole is open
and accessible to the community, service users and its staff and
ensure that it has made a commitment to openness and transparency
in all its dealings, including partnerships, subject only to the
need to preserve confidentiality in those specific circumstances
where it is proper and appropriate to do so
- develop and maintain a clear policy on how
staff and their representatives are consulted and involved in
decision making.
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