Agenda item

Members of the Committee heard from the Monitoring Officer who introduced the report. It was stated that the report for 2024-2025 aimed to provide an overview of governance matters associated with the Governance and Audit Committee. The Monitor Officer noted the report included details of governance arrangements in place to manage commercial and economic growth, updates on complaints received under the Code of Conduct, pending appointments of independent laypersons, updates on the use of urgent delegated decisions, and an update on the Council’s Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Policy.

It was explained that regarding the Council and companies, four companies were listed at paragraph 2.2 of the report; no major concerns had been reported around the governance of the companies, and they had not been subject to any legal challenge. The Monitoring Officer specified that the Council had not purchased any additional investment properties during 2024-2025, and no matters of concern were raised around subsidy control. It was stated that the Contract Procedure Rules had been updated in line with new procurement changes, and training sessions were provided to staff. According to the Monitoring Officer, the Council had received 19 complaints under the Code of Conduct regime during 2024-2025, with details provided in the report. It was noted that the Government was reviewing the standards legal framework, and this would be monitored as it developed.

The Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that interviews had been conducted for Independent Members of the Remuneration Panel, and the report recommended the appointment of Ms Sarah Lawrie and Ms Fiona Souter to the panel. It was emphasised that the successful candidates had experience in government organisations, lived locally, and wanted to become more involved with their Council.

It was confirmed by the Monitoring Officer that in the year 2024-2025, two urgent delegated decisions had been made relating to the Local Authority Housing Fund and a decision requiring urgency regarding Thurrock Council litigation. The Monitoring Officer concluded that the Council had not needed to use its formal powers under the RIPA regime but had policies and procedures in place as needed.

The Chairman acknowledged the role of the Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer in handling issues brought by parish councils, which could be time-consuming and complex.

Having been proposed and seconded, the Chairman took the vote, and it was

RESOLVED that:

a)    The information contained with the Monitoring Officer’s Annual Report be received and RECOMMENDED to Annual Council for endorsement; and

b)    it be agreed that the governance, as outlined in Section 2 of the report, in respect of managing Commercial and Economic Growth provided assurance that the Council was taking appropriate mitigating measures against the risks identified in its commercial approach; and

the following appointments be RECOMMENDED to Council:

c)    the appointment of Ms Fiona Souter as a Member of the Independent remuneration Panel until Annual Council May 2029 (Section 7.1 of the report) be approved; and

d)    the appointment of Ms Sarah Lawrie as a Member of the Independent remuneration Panel until Annual Council May 2029 (Section 7.1 of the report) be approved.