It was agreed at the Audit and Scrutiny committee meeting 28 October 2014, that a Task and Finish Group be established to review the documentation and communication between consultants; Leadership and Management (L&M) and the Council or any member of the Administration.

The Task and Finish Group was convened and established the following scope:

-       To identify whether, through the actions of Members or Officers, the

Council had been put at risk of legal action through its relationship with Leadership & Management.

-       To investigate whether proper procurement procedures had been followed.

-       To identify whether any actions had compromised the integrity of the council or members thereof, particularly if an appointment had been made, official or unofficial.

-       To identify whether any actions had breached the constitution.

-       To make appropriate recommendations to the appropriate Officers and/or Committees.

Non-voting visiting Member, Cllr Hirst felt that recommendation 2.4 should be removed as it had been resolved unanimously at the previous meeting of the Committee that:

A report be made from Audit and Scrutiny to the Council Meeting on 10 December 2014, including any recommendations arising from the review.  (Min 220. Scrutiny Work Programme 2014/15 )

After a discussion, a motion was MOVED by Cllr Kerslake and SECONDED by Cllr Clark to receive the recommendations in the report, subject to the removal of recommendation 2.4.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and was RESOLVED:

2.1       The report be received by the Audit and Scrutiny Committee.

2.2       A unit on public procurement procedures is added to the             Councillor training programme to improve understanding and    give confidence in processes.

2.3       The Monitoring Officer refers this report to the “Constitution       Working Group” who should consider how 3rd parties can     interact with both   members and officers in the performance of             their duties, so that any such contact or communication is not   seen to favour the 3rd party or prejudice others who might   wish to transact with the Council.