Issue - meetings

Purpose of the Report

To inform the Executive of the outcome of the annual review of the Code of Corporate Governance conducted during March and May 2021.

Decision

That the amendments made to the Code of Corporate Governance (including changes to the format of its contents), following its annual review in March and May 2021, be approved.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

No alternative options were considered, as the Council had adopted a new Code of Corporate Governance in March 2017, and had agreed to review this annually to ensure it remained current. 

Reasons for the Decision

The City of Lincoln Council must ensure that its business was conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards, and that public money was safeguarded, and used economically, efficiently and effectively.  It also had a duty under the Local Government Act 1999 to secure continuous improvement in the way its functions were exercised, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness. 

To discharge this overall responsibility, a code of corporate governance had been approved by the Executive in March 2017, which was consistent with the framework developed by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.  An annual review of the code was also approved, which this year had included checking the titles and review dates of all policy and strategy documents listed in the code; key actions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic; and the reformatting of the code, to ease access.