Corporate Governance - Print version

Governance can be described as the arrangements put in place to ensure that the intended outcomes for stakeholders are achieved whilst acting in the public interest at all times.  In simple terms it is about:

How the Council operates to ensure it is doing the right things in the right way

The Council’s governance arrangements are based on a series of principles set out in the CIPFA/SOLACE guidance "Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework 2016":

• Behaving with integrity, demonstrating strong commitment to ethical values and respecting the rule of law.
• Ensuring openness and comprehensive stakeholder engagement.
• Defining outcomes in terms of sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits.
• Determining the interventions necessary to optimise the achievement of the intended outcomes.
• Developing the entity's capacity, including the capability of its leadership and the individuals within it.
• Managing risks and performance through robust internal control and strong public financial management.
• Implementing good practices in transparency, reporting and audit to deliver effective accountability.

The Council has a Local Code of Corporate Governance [/codeofcorporategovernance] which sets out our arrangements for meeting the principles, helping us to ensure that we deliver our intended outcomes and are accountable to those who live, work and visit Coventry.  The Local Code of Corporate Governance is reviewed every year and approved by the Audit and Procurement Committee to ensure it's up to date and accurately reflects how the Council operates. 

The Council has a Corporate Governance Group to review, monitor and advise on the Council’s corporate governance practices, processes, and procedures. The group's Terms of Reference [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/strategies-plans-policies/corporate-governance-group-terms-reference] has further detail on their objectives, responsibilities, and duties.

The law requires us to undertake an annual review to reflect on how well our governance arrangements have been operating in practice during the year and provide an opinion on this. This is published in our Annual Governance Statement [https://edemocracy.coventry.gov.uk/documents/s59217/07%20-%20Annual%20Governance%20Statement%2020222023.pdf], which also includes a plan of any actions we are taking to improve governance.