The meeting covered several key topics, including the internal audit plan, planning appeals, risk management, freedom of information compliance, misconduct allegations, whistle-blowing reports, and the review of task groups. The committee also discussed the need for improvements in various areas and made several decisions.

Internal Audit Plan

Iona Bond, Assistant Head of Southern Internal Audit Partnership, proposed moving from an annual to a quarterly audit planning process. This change aims to better manage resources and provide more timely audit results. Councillor Richard Lucas supported the move, citing benefits from his experience in high-tech industries. The committee approved the quarterly planning approach.

Planning Appeals Monitoring

Claire Upton-Brown, Assistant Director for Planning and Development, provided an update on planning appeals. The committee discussed the performance of overturned recommendations and the cost implications of appeals. Councillor Fiona White emphasized the importance of making decisions based on sound planning policies. Councillor Julia Roswell raised concerns about the speed of decision-making and requested that this be included in future reports.

Risk Management and Corporate Risk Register

Luke Harvey, Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager, introduced the item and mentioned that improvements are being made to the Council's approach to risk management. The updated corporate risk register will be presented at the next meeting. Councillor Hughes expressed concerns about the current risk register's comprehensiveness, and Harvey assured that the new format would be more focused.

Freedom of Information Compliance

Kieran Ward, Information Governance Officer, reported a 22% increase in FOI requests, with 90.5% responded to within the statutory 20-day limit. The committee noted the commendable performance despite the increased volume of requests. Councillor Walsh inquired about the rise in data subject access requests, which Ward attributed to an increase in compensation claims related to housing repairs.

Misconduct Allegations

Jeanette McGarry, Joint Senior Governance Officer, reported zero complaints about borough councillors and four complaints against parish councillors, none of which progressed beyond stage one. The committee agreed to continue receiving annual reports on misconduct allegations.

Whistle-Blowing Report

Jeanette McGarry also presented the annual whistle-blowing report, noting an increase in complaints, which she viewed as a positive sign of a healthy organizational culture. Councillor Hughes raised concerns about past delays in addressing whistle-blowing complaints, and McGarry assured that the process has improved.

Review of Task Groups

The committee reviewed the work of the Councillor Development Steering Group and the Joint Constitutions Review Group. Councillor Jones was reappointed as co-chair of the Joint Constitutions Review Group.

Committee Work Programme

The committee approved its updated 12-month rolling work programme, including a special meeting on July 1st to discuss the ongoing review of the constitutions with Waverley's standards and general purposes committee.

The meeting concluded with the committee agreeing to continue monitoring and improving various governance aspects.