Corporate governance (CIPFA/SOLACE Statement)

We are responsible for ensuring that our business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards - and that public money is safeguarded, properly accounted for, and used economically, efficiently and effectively.

To make sure this happens, members and senior officers are responsible for putting in place proper arrangements for the governance of the authority's affairs and the stewardship of the resources at its disposal.

We have approved and adopted a code of corporate governance, which is consistent with the principles and reflects the requirements of the CIPFA/SOLACE in their document Delivering Good Governance in Local Government.

Download a copy of the Code of Corporate Governance.

The Corporate Governance self-assessment 2007/08 was approved by the Resources and Finance Committee at its meeting on 30 June 2008.

Download a copy of the Corporate Governance self-assessment for 2007/2008.

During the year, we have started to put in place appropriate management and reporting arrangements so we can satisfy ourselves that our approach to corporate governance is both adequate and effective in practice. Each year the Code will be reviewed on terms of its content and effectiveness and a Statement of Assurance will be published, setting out whether the standards expected are still being met.

The Chief Executive has been given responsibility for overseeing the implementation and monitoring the operation of the code, reviewing the operation of the code, reviewing the operation of the code in practice and reporting annually to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on compliance with the code and any changes that may be necessary to maintain it and ensure its effectiveness in practice.

On the basis of the reports of the Chief Executive arising from the review of our corporate governance arrangements, we are satisfied that, excepting for those matters reported where action has commenced, they are adequate and are operating effectively.

We are satisfied that these steps will address the need for improvements that were identified in our annual review and we will look again at their implementation and operation as part of our periodic review.