Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Interim Monitoring Officer on progress in respect of the adoption of a Whistleblowing Protocol.

The Committee considered an update report on progress in developing and adopting a Whistleblowing Protocol.  It was important for the Council to have such a Policy in place to ensure the highest standards of openness, probity and accountability were embedded in the Council’s work.  Such a Protocol would provide for a situation in which an employee, Member or contractor witnessed practices that seemed suspicious.  The Protocol set out a process by which an individual could report their concerns internally and how the Council would respond.

A proposed Protocol had been considered and endorsed by the Governance and Constitution Committee.  However, as the Standards Committee was responsible for promoting high standards of ethical behaviour within the organisation it was appropriate for this Committee to be informed of the development of the Protocol.

A Whistleblowing Protocol was envisaged as being “proper practice” for Local Authority good governance and for meeting the requirements of the Accounts and Audits Regulations 2003 which required a Local Authority to produce an annual governance statement.

RESOLVED:  That the report and Protocol be noted.