 Corporate Governance is the term used to describe the system by which local authorities direct and control their functions and relate to their communities. In January 2008 Breckland Council adopted a revised local Code of Governance. This is consistent with the principles and reflects the requirements of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA) and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) in their document 'Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework'.
The Code is the framework by which the Council is accountable to its users, stakeholders and the wider community. It sets out and describes the way in which the Council carries out its functions through its Members and employees and the procedures and processes by which it undertakes its work, so ensuring that it establishes and maintains public confidence. The Council is responsible for ensuring that it conducts its business in accordance with the law and proper standards, that it safeguards and properly accounts for public money and that it uses it economically, efficiently and effectively.
The Code enables the Council’s business processes to be assessed against best practice in the six core principle areas:
•focusing on the purpose of the authority and on outcomes for the community and creating and implementing a vision for the local area,
•Members and Officers working together to achieve a common purpose with clearly defined functions and roles,
•promoting values for the authority and demonstrating the values of good governance through upholding high standards of conduct and behaviour,
•taking informed and transparent decisions which are subject to effective scrutiny and managing risk,
•developing the capacity and capability of members and officers to be effective, and
•engaging with local people and other stakeholders to ensure robust public accountability.
Each year the Code will be reviewed in terms of its content and effectiveness and a Statement of Assurance will be published, setting out whether the standards expected are still being met.
To find out more, please read the full Code of Corporate Governance document.
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