Agenda item

The Director of Finance submits a report, which provides an opportunity for the Committee to comment on the Council’s Draft Annual Governance Statement 2019-20, before it is brought back to committee for formal approval.

The Chief Accountant submitted a report, which provided an opportunity for the

Committee to comment on the Council’s Draft Annual Governance Statement 2019-2020.

It was reported that the Statement would be brought back to the Committee for formal approval as part of the Statement of Accounts.

It was reported that the Council was required to publish, as part of its financial

accounts reporting, an Annual Governance Statement. The intention of the Statement was to provide assurance that the Council operated in accordance

with the law and had due regard to proper standards of behaviour and

safeguarded the ‘public purse’.

It was noted that the Statement had provided an update on progress made on issues identified in the previous year such as cybersecurity, the medium-term financial strategy and the letter from OFSTED on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  It also outlined new issues and issues outstanding at the end of 2019/20, as such the medium-term financial strategy remained in the statement.

The pressures on resources and services brought about by Covid-19 were acknowledged.

The Chief Accountant offered to set up an informal Questions and Answers session with Members and also offered one-to-one meetings to go into more detail on the issues involved.

Councillor Dr Moore raised the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic and asked the Committee to consider issues in the key pledges in the City Mayor’s strategic vision and which should be prioritised in the context of the pandemic. Specifically, she suggested that the issue of ‘Health and Care’ be higher among the bullet points.

Referring to the point on ‘A Safe and Inclusive Leicester’, she suggested this could include the issue of Black Lives Matter and as such could be higher on the list.

With regard to the point on ‘A Fair City’, she requested further precise clarification as to what this meant.

Councillor Dr Moore further requested that a plan currently being devised by Cllr Clarke on the issue of factories in Leicester be included in the list of pledges when completed.

Referring to the section which discussed the bodies that supported the review processes and delivery, she suggested that the Standards Committee be added to this particularly with regard to supporting the codes and rules laid out in the report.

The Chief Accountant responded noting that there was no particular order to the pledges, and it could be difficult to get a consensus on the priorities.  She further noted that the document focussed on what had been completed rather than looking at priorities for the future.  She added that she would be happy to include the Standards Committee on the list of supporting bodies.

Grant Patterson added that whilst the Annual Governance statement was primarily backward-looking, it would be signed off with the data publication of accounts in September, and as such it would need to stay under review until then for any significant issues that may arise up until that point.

The Chair thanked the Chief Accountant for her offer of a Questions and Answers session.

RESOLVED:

That the Draft Annual Governance Statement 2019-2020 be noted.