Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a report providing an updated action plan and progress report to improve working practices highlighted by the findings of the internal audit review of Lyme Green.

A special meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee had been held on 14^th June 2012 to consider the outcome of a review of Lyme Green. The Committee resolved, among other things, that the findings and recommendations of the Internal Audit investigation and the agreed Action Plan be noted and endorsed, and that progress reports against the identified actions in the Action Plan be submitted to the Committee on a quarterly basis. This was the first such quarterly report.

The action plan had since been developed further to ensure that the issues identified were properly addressed and that learning points were fully embedded. The findings had been separated into three central themes covering: the need for more robust option appraisal; the need for a comprehensive framework for programme and project management; and the need for better systems to ensure compliance.

The action plan included a proposed new gateway process for project approval to be managed by an executive management board, a technical enabler group to replace the Capital Appraisal and Monitoring Group, a new project management framework with appropriate training, and the setting up of a task and finish group on planning enforcement to review all aspects of planning enforcement. 

By implementing improvements in project initiation, governance, monitoring and staff training, the sanctions which existed for non-compliance with the enhanced arrangements could, and would, be instigated in future where appropriate.  

It was noted that Lyme Green was one of the significant governance issues identified in the Council’s Annual Governance Statement for 2011/12 to be considered later in the meeting.

The Interim Chief Executive, Mr K Ryley, attended the meeting for this item. He commented that the actions required to address the issues raised by Lyme Green were wide ranging and required a whole Council approach. There would be no excuses not to understand what the corporate requirements were and proper sanctions would be applied where appropriate. To some extent, organisational change would require a shift in attitudes and culture, which would take a little longer to embed as people became used to the new system and its requirements. A programme of staff training in project management was being carried out across the organisation and financial reporting systems were being improved. Within the next three months it should be possible to ‘tick all the right boxes’.

Councillor B Moran, speaking for the Cabinet, assured Members that the Cabinet was committed to ensuring that the action plan was implemented and embedded. He commended the action plan to the Committee.

During consideration of this matter, Councillor S Corcoran moved, and Councillor S Hogben seconded, that the terms of reference of the task and finish group on planning enforcement, as set out in the action plan, be extended to include the following:

“To review the impact of pre-application procedures to ensure that they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17