Issue - meetings
Governance at Council owned bodies
Meeting: 22/04/2021 - Standards Advisory Committee (Item 3)
Governance at Council owned bodies
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, introduced an update on governance of Council owned bodies. He apologised that the report was not available at this time due to the need to collate information from a variety of sources including around work which had not yet concluded. He provided the Committee with a verbal update.
He explained that this item related to a recommendation from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) that Council’s should report in its Annual Governance Statement (AGS) on any bodies that it had established. It was also recommended that those bodies operated in a transparent manner including by publishing annual reports and board papers.
In relation to the AGS, the Council could show that it was indeed publishing details of these bodies. The AGS last summer had reported on five bodies, Tower Hamlets Homes, Seahorse Homes, Mulberry Housing Society, Place Limited and Capital Letters. The last two were pan-London bodies which were established by authorities across London.
Looking at whether the papers were published online there was a more varied picture. Subject to a possible technical fault, Tower Hamlets Homes were compliant on the transparency guidance. Research was ongoing on the other bodies.
During discussion it was noted that it may not be possible in all cases to publish all the papers suggested by the CSPL as it would depend on the nature of the body and how it was established, some information may be exempt for example if it was relating to the financial or business affairs of the organisation.
The Chair welcomed the update and requested that the final report be circulated to Members when it was completed.
RESOLVED
1. That the update be noted.