Membership
Members of the Executive shall not be eligible to be
appointed to the Governance Committee and the Chair and Vice Chair
of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee shall not be eligible to be
Chair or Vice Chair of the Governance Committee.
Audit Activity
To consider the Head of Internal Audit’s
Annual Report and opinion, and a summary of internal audit activity
(actual and proposed) and the level of assurance it can give over
the Council’s corporate governance arrangements.
To consider summaries of specific internal audit
reports as requested.
To consider reports dealing with the management and
performance of the providers of internal audit services.
To consider a report from internal audit on agreed
recommendations not implemented within a reasonable
timescale.
To consider the external auditor’s annual
audit letter, relevant reports and the report to those charged with
governance.
To consider specific reports as agreed with the
external auditor.
To comment on the scope and depth of external audit
work and to ensure it gives value for money.
To liaise with the Audit Commission over the
appointment of the council’s external auditor.
To commission work from the internal and external
audit.
Regulatory Framework
To maintain an overview of the Council’s
constitution in respect of contract procedure rules, financial
regulations and codes of conduct and behaviour.
To review any issue referred to it by the Chief
Executive or a Director, or any council body.
To monitor the effective development and operation
of risk management and corporate governance in the
Council.
To monitor Council policies on ‘raising
concerns at work’ and the anti-fraud and corruption strategy
and the Council’s complaints process.
To oversee the production of the authority’s
Statement on Internal Control and to recommend its
adoption,
To consider the Council’s arrangements for
corporate governance and agreeing necessary actions to ensure
compliance with best practice.
To consider the Council’s compliance with
it’s own and other published standards and
controls.
(a) To approve the annual statement accounts and
report of this Council (with delegated power). To review the annual
statement of accounts. Specifically to consider whether appropriate
accounting policies have been followed and whether there are
concerns arising from the financial statements or from the audit
that need to be brought to the attention of the Council.
(b) To consider the external auditor’s report
to those charged with governance on issues arising from the audit
of the accounts.
Standards
To review and recommend amendments to the
Council’s Code of Conduct for Members and procedure for
dealing with complaints.
To receive and hear and make decisions on standards
complaints following investigation.
To hear appeals against decisions made at a hearing
of a standards complaint.
To report sanctions imposed on
Members to full Council.
When a complaint is made about a
Councillor
There is procedure for when a complaint is received that a Member,
Co-opted Member or Parish Member has or may have failed to comply
with the relevant Code of Conduct for Members within the
Council’s Constitution which can be viewed
here. Please view the procedure in
Appendix 6.
Complaints about Councillors must be made in writing
by post or email to: –
The Monitoring Officer
Chorley Council
Town Hall
Market Street
Chorley
PR7 1DP
Or to chris.moister@chorley.gov.uk