Appendix A – AGS Action Plan Update

 

Governance Issue

Lead officer

Action Taken

Engaging with local people

 

 

Head of Policy, Communications and Governance

New Customer Care standards in place.

 

2 editions of Borough Insight delivered.

 

Resident Survey carried out in summer 2017, results to inform service delivery and the refreshed Communication and Engagement Strategy.

 

Refreshed Communication and Engagement Strategy to Policy and Resources Committee in March 2018.

 

Member and Officer Relationships

 

Chief Executive and Leadership Team

As a result of the Member Officer Leadership Team Away Day an action plan was created and actions are being completed.

 

Member briefings are being held prior to committee meetings to enable greater attendance.

 

Member sounding board for communication and engagement met in the summer.  The next meeting is in February 2018.

 

Regular bulletin and Who’s Who produced for Councillors.

 

Regular Strategic Issues Meeting with Group Leaders.

 

Work programme meetings held quarterly.

 

 

 

Risk Management

 

 

Director of Finance and Business Improvement

March 2018

New template introduced with guidance and report writing workshops held.

 

Report on risk appetite statement approved by Policy and  Resources Committee.

 

Risk register has been refreshed.

 

Monitoring and reporting arrangements have been strengthened.

Decision Making

 

Head of Policy, Communications and Governance

Improving report writing – training delivered to report writers on new template.

 

Democratic Services Officers trained to deliver accurate procedural advice in meetings.

 

Governance and code of conduct training delivered.

 

Pre-meeting briefings on topics held for Members.

 

Chairman and Procedural Training delivered.

 

Planning Committee training sessions delivered.

 

Information Management

-      Ensure the council is compliant with the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

 

Head of Policy, Communications and Governance

Scheduled for March 2018.

 

Action plan in place (audit to be considered in November).

 

A range of guidance (Need to Knows - NTK) has been completed, uploaded on to an Intranet site and advertised for staff to look at.  Covers a range of things including:

•   Dealing with subject access requests

•   Data Breaches

•   Requesting consent

•   GDPR

•   Privacy Notices.

 

Lifecycle Information audits in the following areas:

•   Community Protection Team – scoping 

•   Health and Housing – completed and now Action Planning (one outstanding area so we are going to do a Data Protection Impact Assessment as well)

•   Housing and Inclusion – scoping

•   Homechoice – completed and action planning

•   Planning support – completed – follow ups required

•   Policy and Information  - completed and action planning

•   Parking – completed and action planning

•   Tourism – completed and action planning

•   Museum – scoping.

 

Data Protection training completed for the Data Protection Officer and Policy and Information Team Manager and Officer.

 

Staff have completed online data protection training – still some teams to complete this.

 

Briefings held with Staff and managers.

 

Councillor Briefings on GDPR  in January:

 

9 January, 5:30 pm, Town Hall

16 January, 5:30pm, Town Hall

24 January, 5:30pm, Town Hall

30 January,  5:30pm, Town Hall

Contract Management

-      Improving consistency and effectiveness of contract management across the council

Director of Finance and Business Improvement

Contracts and Compliance Officer appointed September 2017.

Review of contract management processes in progress.

Management actions being undertaken to address recommendations identified in recent Internal Audit review of Procurement.

Audit Reviews with weak assurance

 

Hazlitt Theatre

 

 

Health & Safety


Park and Ride

 

Performance Management

Director of Regeneration & Place

Mid Kent Services Director

Director of Regeneration & Place

Director of Finance & Business Improvement

Action has been taken for all four areas.

 

The Hazlitt and Health and Safety audits have been reassessed as Sound following the action taken. Park and Ride remains at weak with one action outstanding in relation to contract monitoring and Performance Management is awaiting a reassessment following completion of the recommended actions.