Source: City of Plymouth
Plymouth residents can be assured that the City Council meets high standards for how it conducts its affairs and looks after public resources, a new report shows.
The Council’s draft Annual Governance Statement shows external evaluation and assessments demonstrate it has maintained effective governance arrangements throughout 2024/25 and provided ‘reasonable assurance’ over the conduct of its affairs and stewardship of public resources.
The report says an Assurance Review by the independent Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) gave an overall positive assessment of the Council’s financial position and governance arrangements, noting efficient financial management processes and strong budget ownership.
The Council also has strong governance over its procurement of goods and services, with a new organisational Procurement Strategy approved incorporating national and local priorities while accounting for upcoming legislative changes including the Procurement Act 2023.
The Council’s Constitutional Framework is also robust, with refreshed Contract Standing Orders and rules of debate approved following a comprehensive review. Improvements include a legal implications sections added to committee and decision report templates.
Internal Audit has provided ‘Reasonable Assurance’ on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s internal control framework, while there is also constructive engagement with the Council’s external auditors and government reviewers.
Council Leader Tudor Evans said: “We take our duty to ensure there is robust governance over decision making and how we spend public money extremely seriously, so it is heartening that we have these assurances from the bodies and systems that oversee this. It is a testament to the hard work and diligence of our finance team and council officers that our audit process provides a high level of confidence in our financial management and our systems and processes.
“This report shows that those who try and make political capital by claiming the council is not managing its budgets carefully and responsibly are wrong. The evidence from those responsible for assessing and auditing what we do is that we have strong systems and oversight in place and that we are committed to continuing to do all we can to ensure we provide best value for Plymouth residents.”