Agenda item

It was noted that Councillor Mark Howell and Heather Williams were both members of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, although they had not voted on the issue of Independent Members when that Committee had discussed it. Having received advice from the Monitoring Officer, the Chair confirmed that Councillors Mark Howell and Heather Williams could participate in the debate on this issue and vote.

The Head of Shared Internal Audit presented this report on whether the Committee should recommend to Council that the constitution be amended to allow the membership of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee to include an independent member who was neither a councillor nor an officer. It was noted that the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee had supported this initiative at its meeting on 26 July 2023.

Councillor Michael Atkins, the Chair of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, stated that more was expected of the Committee and that it would be beneficial to appoint a suitable external representative who could bring additional knowledge to debates. It was essential that any independent person appointed was of suitable calibre.

Councillor Heather Williams reported that this was likely to become a statutory requirement in the near future. She agreed with Councillor Atkins that it was imperative that an independent person added to the work of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee. Due to the challenges involved in selecting a suitable candidate she recommended that only one independent person be appointed.

Councillor Heather Williams asserted that only elected councillors should have voting rights and it would be undemocratic to allow the independent person to vote at the committee meetings. She also recommended that the person be a local resident on the electoral roll and so had a stake in local issues. Councillor Mark Howell agreed that the independent person be on the local electoral register to ensure that they had local knowledge and a vested interest in local matters.

The Head of Shared Internal Audit advised that the guidance from CIPFA was that the independent person should have the same role description as an elected member, although they would not be permitted to vote on delegated decisions or approve the Statement of Accounts. The Chair of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee reported that the Committee had not discussed voting rights during its debate on this issue.

Councillor Mark Howell asserted that the independent person was not accountable to the electorate and so should not be permitted to vote.

The Head of Shared Internal Audit suggested that if no suitable candidates applied for the position it would be readvertised. It was noted that the recommendation in the report stated that officers should be responsible for the recruitment process.

Councillor Dr Susan van de Ven agreed that the independent members should not have voting rights for the reasons already stated. Councillor Paul Bearpark agreed and suggested that Council could reinstate voting rights for the independent person if it wished.

Councillor Dr Susan van de Ven suggested that the expertise of the independent person was more important than where they lived.

The Committee had a short intermission to allow members of the committee to word a proposed amendment to the recommendation in the report.

Councillor Heather Williams proposed and Councillor Mark Howell seconded the following amendments to the recommendations:

·         The independent person will not have voting rights

·         The independent person will be on the electoral roll in Cambridgeshire

·         The responsibility for the recruitment process will be delegated to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee.

The Head of Shared Internal Audit explained that the CIPFA guidance recommended that the independent member had the same voting rights as Committee members, with the exception on the voting on the Statement of Accounts. It made no mention of the need for the independent members to be on the local electoral role.

Councillor Heather Williams explained that the appointment of an independent person was a new proposal and so it made sense to put in restrictions. It was within the Council’s gift to limit voting rights and it would be democratic, open and transparent to do so. Local knowledge was important and so it made sense to insist that the independent person could prove local residency being on the electoral role. Delegating the recruitment process to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee would ensure that it could overview the process.

Councillor Dr Susan van de Ven suggested that the most important issue was to ensure that the independent person had the right level of experience and this might mean appointing someone from outside the county. Councillor Paul Bearpark could see the benefits of local knowledge and was open-minded on whether the independent person was on the local electoral role.

A vote was taken on the amendment, which was agreed with three votes in favour and one abstention. The Committee then agreed the following amended recommendation, by affirmation:

The Committee

Recommended to Council 

A)        That an independent member is appointed to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee

B)        That the independent member will not have voting rights

C)        That the independent member will be on the electoral roll in Cambridgeshire

D)        That the recruitment process to be delegated to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee.