Introduction
Governance in the public sector can be described as the arrangements put in place to ensure that the intended outcomes for stakeholders are achieved while acting in the public interest at all times. In simple terms it is about:
How the Council operates to ensure it is doing the right things in the right way
Our governance arrangements are based on a series of principles*, as shown in the diagram below:
Source: CIPFA / SOLACE framework – Delivering Good Governance in Local Government (2016)
To explain this further:
Achieving the intended outcomes (doing the right thing) requires arrangements for:
- Being clear about what the Council wants to achieve for people, the environment and the economy
- Being clear about the actions needed to achieve the Council’s aims
- Making sure the Council has the skills, ability and money to achieve its aims
- Making sure the Council manages risks, budgets and performance
- Making sure that the Council operates in an open, accountable and transparent way
All of the above means the Council needs to have in place ways to ensure the Council is acting in the public interest (doing it the right way). This means the Council needs to:
- Behave with integrity and demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical values and respect the rule of law
- Ensure the Council is open and engaged with our communities and stakeholders
As an example:
The Council’s One Coventry Plan is how we define the outcomes we are planning to achieve (Principle C)…
- Increasing the economic prosperity of the city and region
- Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities
- Tackling the causes and consequences of climate change
- Continued financial sustainability of the Council
- Council’s role as a partner, enabler and leader
……And in developing our plan we have engaged with people across the city using a variety of different methods (Principle A)
Our work is underpinned by the One Coventry Values (Principles A, E)
One Coventry values - open and fair, nurture and develop, engage and empower, create and innovate, own and be accountable, value and respect.
Our Local Code of Corporate Governance sets out our arrangements for meeting the principles, helping us to ensure that we deliver our intended outcomes and are accountable to those who live, work and visit Coventry. The law requires us to undertake an annual review to reflect on how well our governance arrangements have been operating in practice during the year and provide an opinion on this.
This is published in our Annual Governance Statement. The Statement also includes a plan of any actions we are taking to improve governance. The Council is committed to continuous improvement and we recognise that good governance is dynamic - as things change, the way in which we work needs to change as well to ensure that we can continue to do the right things in the right way.
The full Local Code of Governance for Coventry City Council is outlined in this document. The Code is reviewed every year and approved by the Audit and Procurement Committee to ensure it's up-to-date and accurately reflects how the Council operates.