Issue - meetings

The Committee considered proposed amendments to Sections A and B of the Council’s Finance and Contract Procedure Rules and the creation of a ‘Project Gateway’ to provide a strong quality assurance model for major projects and programmes in Cheshire East.

The new Project Gateway would bring about a more robust discipline to the management of major Projects and Programmes across the Council. The new governance arrangements associated with the Project Gateway impacted on the decision-making process and the required financial controls and therefore a review of the Finance and Contract Procedure Rules was required.

A key aspect of effectively operating the Project Gateway was the formation of a high-level, Member-led Governance group called the Executive Monitoring Board which would take on the challenge role as part of the development of the Council’s Business Plan and the monitoring of its delivery. The Board would replace the Capital Asset Group by taking on the Capital Modelling, Planning and Monitoring role as described in the current Capital Strategy. One of the key aims of the Board would be to provide consistent and robust direction for all major Projects and Programmes in Cheshire East through the Project Gateway model. Further details of the Gateway model were set out in the report.

The proposed amendments to the Finance and Contract Procedure Rules were set out in Appendix 1 to the report and fell broadly into two main categories:

1.    Amendments to Section A with regard to Virements and Supplementary Estimates

2.    Amendments to Section B with regard to Capital Approvals, Capital Block Provisions, Capital Monitoring and Amendments to the Capital Programme   

RESOLVED

That Council be recommended to approve that

(1)  the proposed amendments to Sections A and B of the Finance and Contract Procedure Rules be approved subject to the following amendment:

“That projects with an estimated cost of between £100,000 and £250,000 are to be brought to the appropriate Policy Development Group for consideration and/or noting.”

(2)  the Constitution be amended accordingly.