Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors, Carpenter, Patel, Smith and Wade.

To confirm the minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 27 November 2019.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 27 November 2019 be agreed as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of interests relating to matters on the agenda.

The Board received a presentation updating the Board on the Serving You publication.

The Cabinet Lead and officers answered questions raised by Members of the Board.

The Board expressed its continued concern that an overreliance on the web to communicate its latest news excluded a large part of the Borough’s communities.

The officers agree to look at alternative ways of engaging the public.  

The Board is asked to consider whether to pass a resolution excluding the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the agenda.  If members wish to do so then this could be achieved by passing the following resolution.  Members are not required to pass the resolution but the Interim Head of Legal recommends this as to the items set out below.

That the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the items headed and numbered as below because:

it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the descriptions specified in paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 shown against the heading in question; and

in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Item 8                  Budget Update
(Paragraph 3)

Item 9                   Corporate Services Contract

                              (Paragraph 3)

Paragraph 3        Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

RESOLVED that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the minutes headed and numbered as below because:

it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during those minutes there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the descriptions specified in paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 shown against the heading in question; and

in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minute 38 - Budget Update (Paragraph 3)

Minute 39 – Corporate Services Contract (Paragraph 3)

The Board was given an opportunity to comment on the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel.

The Board expressed concern over the lack of evidence to support the recommendations set out in the report.

RESOLVED that Council be recommended not to agree to the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel but to adopt the scheme recommended by the Board at its meeting held on 27 November 2019.

The Board was given opportunity to comment on the Corporate Services Contract.

RESOLVED that the verbal report be noted.