The Audit and Governance Committee of Tunbridge Wells Council met on Tuesday 15 September 2026. The meeting addressed changes to planning committee procedures, reviewed the strategic risk register, and considered the annual financial reports and audit findings.

Changes to Planning Committee Procedures

The committee discussed significant changes to planning procedures mandated by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and associated regulations, which came into effect on 31 October 2026. These reforms introduce a national scheme of delegation for planning applications, categorising them into Schedule 1 (automatically delegated to officers) and Schedule 2 (delegated to officers by default but potentially referred to committee). A key change is the removal of the call-in process, with referrals to committee now requiring agreement from both a nominated officer and a nominated member based on specific gateway criteria related to economic, social, environmental, or significant planning issues.

Concerns were raised by some councillors regarding the loss of the call-in power, the potential for decisions to be made by a single member, and the implications for political independence and fairness. Despite these concerns, the committee noted that these changes were mandatory to comply with new legislation. The committee's recommendations regarding these changes were noted for Full Council to approve amendments to the council's constitution, the proposed agenda-setting protocol for the Planning Committee, and the designations of nominated members and officers.

Update on Member Complaints

Claudette Valmond, Monitoring Officer and Head of Mid-Kent Legal Partnership, presented an update on member complaints. Two complaints had been considered since the last meeting: one against a borough councillor for alleged offensive social media posts, which was not upheld due to insufficient evidence; and another against a parish councillor concerning the allocation of councillors to parish committees, which was deemed to be dissatisfaction with council policy rather than a breach of conduct. In both cases, no further action was taken. There were no outstanding complaints.

Strategic Risk Register Update

William Benson, Chief Executive, and Katherine Woodward, Head of Mid-Kent Audit, presented an update on the strategic risk register. Key points included:

• Local Government Reorganisation (LGR): The government's decision to pause LGR was discussed, with potential positives including more time for planning, but also negatives such as damaged staff trust and uncertainty. The financial impact was minimal, with no direct costs incurred by the council at that time. The risk register would be kept under review due to the dynamic nature of the government's review.
• Major Incident Response: The council's response to the water outages was reviewed, with arrangements standing up well. The potential for integrating emergency planning into future LGR was noted. The risk of cyber-related incidents was also highlighted due to geopolitical factors.
• Recruitment and Retention: Efforts to address recruitment and retention challenges were detailed, including reviews of pay and reward, enhanced non-pay rewards, employee engagement initiatives, and a focus on employee well-being and learning and development. HR reported a turnover rate of 6.9%, with 51 recruitment campaigns undertaken since April, of which only eight required reruns.

Audit and Governance Annual Report

Katherine Woodward presented the Audit and Governance Committee's annual report for 2025/26. The report detailed how the committee had discharged its duties, including monitoring audit activity, reviewing the regulatory framework, and scrutinising financial reports. The committee generally complied with national guidance, with only one area of non-compliance noted regarding the combination of the committee with the standards function, which was deemed acceptable for an authority of Tunbridge Wells' size. Areas for development were identified, and the committee agreed to note the report and for the Chair to present it to Full Council.

Draft Annual Financial Report and Audit Findings Report for 2025/26

Jane Fineman, Head of Finance, Procurement and Parking, presented the draft annual financial report and audit findings report for 2025/26. Grant Thornton UK LLP, the appointed auditor, reported that the audit was substantially complete with no material adjustments or significant control deficiencies identified. The council was expected to receive an unqualified audit opinion for the seventeenth consecutive year. The report highlighted a cost of services underspend of £1.624 million, primarily due to additional parking income and staff cost savings. Usable reserves decreased by £4 million to £23.4 million, but the capital programme was fully financed without further borrowing. The pension scheme continued to show a net asset surplus position. The auditor's annual report on value for money arrangements also awarded the council a green rating across all criteria, noting strong financial management, a prudent financial position, and a clear understanding of financial risks. The committee considered and agreed the audit findings report and the auditor's annual report, and approved the draft statement of accounts and annual governance statement. The Chair and Director of Finance, Growth and Delivery were authorised to sign the letter of representation.

The meeting also noted that there was no urgent business and confirmed the date of the next meeting as Tuesday 24 November 2026.