Dear Megan Waugh,

Thank you for submitting a request for information. Your reference number
is 21853289.

Your request will be reviewed and we may send you questions to clarify
your request. We will respond within 20 working days for Freedom of
Information and Environmental Information Regulations requests, and within
1 calendar month for Data Protection and Subject Access requests

[1]Please click this link to view current status of your request

Yours sincerely,
Information Governance Team
Adur & Worthing Councils

For Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations
(EIR):
Email: [Worthing Borough Council request email]

For Data Protection (DP) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR):
Email: [email address]

Website: [2]www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/about-the-councils/legal/foi/

This message was sent from an email address not monitored. Please do not
respond to this message. To reply, please
email [Worthing Borough Council request email] quoting your reference
number, , in your message.

References

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1. https://adur-worthing-hr.onmats.com/w/we...
2. https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/about-t...

Dear Megan Waugh,

Thank you for your request for information (ref 21853289) sent to Adur &
Worthing Councils on 12th December 2023.

Your request has been considered and our response is below. Alternatively,
view your request and response
at: [1]https://adur-worthing-hr.onmats.com/w/we...

Request:
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.

Response:
Worthing  Borough Council do not have a policy for the selection of
Scrutiny Chairs, but we can advise that the current Scrutiny Chair, is a
member of the Conservative Opposition Group.  The Chair of the Joint Audit
& Governance Committee is a member of the Labour administration.

This information be viewed on the website here:
[2]https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/m...
[3]https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/m...

Please refer to page 144 of the Worthing BC Constitution for appointment
of Chairs for Scrutiny - see link below: 
[4]https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/media/M...

We hope the information provided assists you.
 

Review procedure
If you are not satisfied with the response to your request for information
you have the right to an internal review. Details can be found on
[5]www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/foi

Your request for internal review should be submitted to us within three
(3) months of receipt by you of this response. Any such request received
after this time will only be considered at the discretion of the Council.

If having exhausted the review process you are not content that your
request or review has been dealt with correctly, you have a further right
to appeal to the Information commissioner’s Office (ICO), details of which
can be found here: [6]www.ico.org.uk/concerns

Yours sincerely
Information Governance Team
Adur & Worthing Councils

For Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations
(EIR):
Email: [Worthing Borough Council request email]

For Data Protection (DP) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR):
Email: [email address]

Website: [7]www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/about-the-councils/legal/foi/ 

This message was sent from an email address not monitored. Please do not
respond to this message. To reply, please
email [Worthing Borough Council request email] quoting your reference
number, 21853289, in your message.

References

Visible links
1. https://adur-worthing-hr.onmats.com/w/we...
2. https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/m...
3. https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/m...
4. https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/media/M...
5. https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/foi
6. https://www.ico.org.uk/concerns
7. https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/about-t...