Independence of Audit and/or Scrutiny Committee Chairs
Dear Denbighshire County Council,
The independence of scrutiny committees and audit committees has been identified in a number of Public Interest Reports as being an important factor in facilitating meaningful scrutiny and challenge within local authorities.
If your local authority doesn’t not have an overview and scrutiny system please answer the following in relation to the committee within your councils which has audit responsibilities.
If your local authority has an overview and scrutiny system please note that as audit committees are not formally treated as part of scrutiny it may be that they are treated differently in the council’s constitution and policies.
Please confirm whether you are responding to this request in relation to scrutiny committees and/or audit committees.
If your local authority has an overview and scrutiny committee system, please confirm how many committees (excluding audit) are part of that system?
Policy on Selection & Appointment of Committee Chairs: Please provide the council’s current policy on selection and appointment of scrutiny committee chairs and audit committee chairs. Please either copy and paste the section of council policy relating to the selection of scrutiny and audit committee chairs or provide a link and details of the section/sub-section within the document where we can locate this information.
Current Political Configuration of Committee Chairs/Conveners: Please provide a figure showing what percentage of current scrutiny and audit committee chairs (or conveners) are members of an opposition party to the main controlling party or controlling coalition.
Yours faithfully,
Megan Waugh
Research for Action
Dear Megan Waugh
Thank you for your recent request for information held by Denbighshire
County Council received 12/12/2023 regarding Independence of Scrutiny
Committees.
As set out by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 it will be our aim to
respond to your request by 12/01/2024. In some cases, however, we may be
unable to achieve this deadline. If this occurs, we will advise you of the
likely timescale within which the response will be provided.
Under the Freedom of Information Act the Council may charge for
disbursement costs (e.g. photocopies, postage). However, should there be
any such costs, you will be notified of this prior to the commencement of
any work.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for further advice or guidance
relating to the above.
Yours Sincerely
Kerry Standen BA (Joint Hons) DipEcon
Swyddog Mynediad i Wybodaeth / Access to Information Officer Cyngor Sir
Ddinbych / Denbighshire County Council
Ffon / Tel: 01824 708242 E-bost:[email address]
E-mail:[email address]
Gwefan [1]http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk
Website [2]http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk
Hi’ neu ‘hi’ ydy’r rhagenwau i / My pronouns are ‘she’ and ‘her’
Dysgwr
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb i unrhyw
ohebiaeth yn Gymraeg ac ni fydd hyn yn arwain at unrhyw oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to any correspondence
in Welsh which will not lead to a delay.
Privacy Notice - what we will do with your details.
Your details, as given by you in your request, will be processed by
Denbighshire County Council for the specific purposes of processing your
Freedom of Information Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Council will not
share the data with any other organisation. Denbighshire County Council
will retain the details for three years from the date that the request is
closed.
If you feel that Denbighshire County Council have mishandled your personal
data at any time you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioners
Office by visiting their website, or by calling their helpline on 0303 123
1113.
For further information about how Denbighshire County Council processes
personal data and your rights please see our privacy notice on our website
–
[3]www.denbighshire.gov.uk/privacy
Dilyn ni ar Twitter: http://twitter.com/cyngorsDd - Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/DenbighshireCC
Ymwelwch a ni ar-lein ar http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk - Visit us online
at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk
Mae'r wybodaeth a gynhwysir yn yr e-bost hwn ac unrhyw ffeiliau a
drosglwyddir gydag o wedi eu bwriadu yn unig ar gyfer pwy bynnag y
cyfeirir ef ato neu atynt. Os ydych wedi derbyn yr e-bost hwn drwy
gamgymeriad, hysbyswch yr anfonwr ar unwaith os gwelwch yn dda. Mae
cynnwys yr e-bost yn cynrychioli barn yr unigolyn(ion) a enwir uchod ac
nid yw o angenrheidrwydd yn cynrychioli barn Cyngor Sir Ddinbych. Serch
hynny, fel Corff Cyhoeddus, efallai y bydd angen i Gyngor Sir Ddinbych
ddatgelu'r e-bost hwn [neu unrhyw ymateb iddo] dan ddarpariaethau
deddfwriaethol.
The information contained in this e-mail message and any files transmitted
with it is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom
they are addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error please
notify the sender immediately. The contents of this e-mail represents the
views of the individual(s) named above and do not necessarily represent
the views of Denbighshire County Council. However, as a Public Body,
Denbighshire County Council may be required to disclose this e-mail [or
any response to it] under legislative provisions.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk/
2. http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/
3. http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/privacy
Dear Megan Waugh
Thank you for your request for information received 12/12/2023 concerning
the Independence of Scrutiny Committees. Please see below:
Detail: The independence of scrutiny committees and audit committees has
been identified in a number of Public Interest Reports as being an
important factor in facilitating meaningful scrutiny and challenge within
local authorities.
If your local authority doesn’t not have an overview and scrutiny system
please answer the following in relation to the committee within your
councils which has audit responsibilities.
If your local authority has an overview and scrutiny system please note
that as audit committees are not formally treated as part of scrutiny it
may be that they are treated differently in the council’s constitution and
policies.
Please confirm whether you are responding to this request in relation
to scrutiny committees and/or audit committees. The response
relates to scrutiny committees and the Governance and Audit committee.
If your local authority has an overview and scrutiny committee system,
please confirm how many committees (excluding audit) are part of that
system? 3
Policy on Selection & Appointment of Committee Chairs: Please provide
the council’s current policy on selection and appointment of scrutiny
committee chairs and audit committee chairs. Please either copy and paste
the section of council policy relating to the selection of scrutiny and
audit committee chairs or provide a link and details of the
section/sub-section within the document where we can locate this
information. The scrutiny committee chairs are appointed according to the
provisions of Part 6 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011. The
appointment of the Governance and Audit committee chair is governed by
section 116 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.
Current Political Configuration of Committee Chairs/Conveners: Please
provide a figure showing what percentage of current scrutiny and audit
committee chairs (or conveners) are members of an opposition party to the
main controlling party or controlling coalition. 2 of the 3 scrutiny
committee chairs are not part of the controlling coalition. The audit
committee chair is a lay member as required by the 2021 Act.
If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
If you have any queries regarding this response, please do not hesitate to
contact me at the following address: Access to Information Officer, PO BOX
62, Wynnstay Road, Ruthin, LL15 9AZ or email
[1][Denbighshire County Council request email]. Alternatively, if you are unhappy with
the way the council has handled your request and wish to ask for internal
review, please contact the Access to Information Manager at the same
address. If you are subsequently not content with the outcome of the
review, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner whose
address is Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF. [2]www.ico.org.uk/foicomplaints
The contents of this communication and the enclosed documents are subject
to copyright protection. It has been sent to you for your information and
you may use it for any private study and non-commercial research. The
information may also be used for the purposes of news reporting. Re-use
for commercial publication requires the permission of this Council.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for further advice or guidance
relating to the above.
Yours Sincerely
Kerry Standen BA (Joint Hons) DipEcon
Swyddog Mynediad i Wybodaeth / Access to Information Officer
Cyngor Sir Ddinbych / Denbighshire County Council
Ffon / Tel: 01824 708242
E-bost:[email address]
E-mail:[email address]
Gwefan [3]http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk
Website [4]http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk
Hi’ neu ‘hi’ ydy’r rhagenwau i / My pronouns are ‘she’ and ‘her’
Dysgwr
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb i unrhyw
ohebiaeth yn Gymraeg ac ni fydd hyn yn arwain at unrhyw oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to any correspondence
in Welsh which will not lead to a delay.
Privacy Notice - what we will do with your details.
Your details, as given by you in your request, will be processed by
Denbighshire County Council for the specific purposes of processing your
Freedom of Information Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Council will not
share the data with any other organisation. Denbighshire County Council
will retain the details for three years from the date that the request is
closed.
If you feel that Denbighshire County Council have mishandled your personal
data at any time you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioners
Office by visiting their website, or by calling their helpline on 0303 123
1113.
For further information about how Denbighshire County Council processes
personal data and your rights please see our privacy notice on our website
–
[5]www.denbighshire.gov.uk/privacy
Dilyn ni ar Twitter: http://twitter.com/cyngorsDd - Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/DenbighshireCC
Ymwelwch a ni ar-lein ar http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk - Visit us online
at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk
Mae'r wybodaeth a gynhwysir yn yr e-bost hwn ac unrhyw ffeiliau a
drosglwyddir gydag o wedi eu bwriadu yn unig ar gyfer pwy bynnag y
cyfeirir ef ato neu atynt. Os ydych wedi derbyn yr e-bost hwn drwy
gamgymeriad, hysbyswch yr anfonwr ar unwaith os gwelwch yn dda. Mae
cynnwys yr e-bost yn cynrychioli barn yr unigolyn(ion) a enwir uchod ac
nid yw o angenrheidrwydd yn cynrychioli barn Cyngor Sir Ddinbych. Serch
hynny, fel Corff Cyhoeddus, efallai y bydd angen i Gyngor Sir Ddinbych
ddatgelu'r e-bost hwn [neu unrhyw ymateb iddo] dan ddarpariaethau
deddfwriaethol.
The information contained in this e-mail message and any files transmitted
with it is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom
they are addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error please
notify the sender immediately. The contents of this e-mail represents the
views of the individual(s) named above and do not necessarily represent
the views of Denbighshire County Council. However, as a Public Body,
Denbighshire County Council may be required to disclose this e-mail [or
any response to it] under legislative provisions.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Denbighshire County Council request email]
2. https://newsletter.ico.org.uk/c/1bedZlVe...
3. http://www.sirddinbych.gov.uk/
4. http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/
5. http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/privacy
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