At the inaugural meeting of the Committee held on 26 October 2011 Members had requested further development of the Comprehensive Work Programme.  Consequently, a report by the Chief Executive presented the Committee with Project Initiation Documents (PIDs) for prioritised areas from the programme previously considered; discussed issues around how external support was to be acquired; and contained an initial summary timeline for the programme.

The report also included a number of other issues considered by the Committee at its last meeting, including:

• a review of Legal and Committee Services;
• the formation of a Policy Unit; and
• the need for specific budgetary provision.

Some Members considered that a definition of the Lead Member’s role should be drawn up to provide clarity whilst others were of the view that it was wrong to be too prescriptive and that a single definition might not suit all ten of the Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs).  Ultimately, it was acknowledged that the Committee’s role was to test, debate and reach final decisions.

It was proposed that an information gathering exercise be undertaken, best practice models identified and options, based on experience, be reported to the Committee at a future meeting for its consideration.  Once the Committee was able to discuss this report, it was hoped that a consensus could be reached. on how to take the KLOEs forward.  The Chief Executive agreed that an email to this effect would be drafted and the three Group Leaders be consulted on it, before it was sent to all Members of the Committee for information and clarity.

The Committee considered the ten KLOEs in detail and noted their content.  The Chief Executive circulated a revisedlist of suggested Lead Members, Lead Officers and Managers for the ten KLOEs.  Councillor J Green offered support to Councillor S Foulkes the proposed Lead Member for KLOE 1 - Alignment of Corporate Planning & Budget Making Process and his offer was accepted.

Councillor S Foulkes referred to AKA’s Supplemental Report entitled ‘Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council’s Corporate Governance Arrangements: Refresh and Renew’ (The Corporate Governance Report) which had summarised organisational weaknesses which the Council had failed to address.  He informed that one of its criticisms was that Members’ involvement had not been sufficient.  This had now been addressed and improved as Members would act as a conduit and lead on each of the KLOEs.  It was noted that Lead Officers would be responsible for keeping Lead Members up to date and briefed on the KLOEs.

The Chief Executive also circulated a revised Appendix 2 to the Committee’s report which set out a revised procedure for recruiting external assistance to support the Corporate Governance Improvement Programme.  The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management reported that the revisions made closer reference to the recently revised Council’s Procurement Rules.  External assistance would now be procured in accordance with these rules.  Councillor Foulkes informed that there had been some concerns expressed about giving priority to AKA’s opinion and the Committee was happy to take her advice to make external appointments.  Good practice was being encouraged in terms of the Council’s Constitution and procurement process and Paragraph 7 summarised exactly what could be done.  Councillor Foulkes also made specific reference to Paragraph 8 and reminded Members that AKA had been appointed by a resolution of the Cabinet and so, too, would any external support.

The Committee also considered Appendix 3 to the report detailed an initial summary timeline.  It was proposed that if problems were encountered which meant that timelines needed to be amended, a report on the situation should be presented to the Cabinet, rather than Members and Officers finding themselves in a situation were it was obvious that they were working to unrealistic timescales.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the ten prioritised Projection Initiation Documents be agreed with the following amendments:

  KLOE 1 - Alignment of Corporate Planning and Budget Making Process

  Lead Members: Councillor S Foulkes with Councillor J Green

  KLOE 2 - Review and Refresh Code of Corporate Governance

  Add to Objective “Ensure issues raised in the Annual Governance Statement are addressed within this process, and that this includes issues raised within previous Annual Governance statements and action taken to address them.”

  Lead Member: Councillor S Foulkes

  KLOE 3 - Relationships between Devolved and Central Corporate Functions

  Add to Objective “That this should include appropriate representations from Trade Unions”.

  Lead Member: Councillor AER Jones

  KLOE 4 - Review of Internal Audit

  Add to Objective “to which management and all members respond”

  Lead Member: Councillor J Crabtree, Chair of Audit and Risk Management Committee assisted by the two Political Group Spokespersons

  Other Member Involvement: Members of Audit and Risk Management Committee.

  KLOE 5 - Review of Policy

  In the light of the need to keep a separate identity and function for the Policy Unit, and the fact that the Corporate Governance report alludes to the need for a separate identity, delete under Assumptions the statement “A Policy Unit would be an integral part of the Council’s Performance Management Framework.  (interdependency with KLOE 3).

  Lead Member: Councillor P Davies

  KLOE 6 - Review of Committee Services including a Review of Committee Reports over the last three months

  Add to In Scope “the provision of independent and consistent advice and guidance to members”

  Lead Member: Councillor A McLachlan

  KLOE 7 - Review of Performance (Corporate)

  Add in Link to HR Function as far as an appraisal process is concerned.

  Lead Member: Councillor AR McArdle

  KLOE 8 - Equalities

  Under Objectives add: To ensure that the Council takes on concerns of Trade Unions and external stakeholders in recruitment, employment, service delivery and policy development perspectives.

Lead Member: Councillor AER Jones

KLOE 9 - Fees and Charges

Add to In Scope: Scope does not include political decision making on the level of charges to be set.

Officer led work in first instance.

KLOE 10 - Member Capacity

Lead Member: Councillor T Harney

Member Involvement: Member Training Steering Group

(2)  the agreed Lead Members, Lead Officers and Managers for the ten KLOEs be as set out in Appendix A to the Minutes;

(3)  in the light of the need to move as quickly and expediently as possible to complete this Corporate Governance review by April 2012, and in the light of the urgency of the situation as outlined in the highly critical independent report on the Council’s Corporate Governance, this Committee also agrees the recommendations on the procurement of External Support as outlined in Appendix B to the Minutes.  The Committee is clear that this refers to advice related to this Committee and supporting improvements in Corporate Governance only; and

(4)  the provisional timelines set out in Appendix 3 to the report be endorsed.