Ethics & Standards Board
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Corporate Governance
· To exercise oversight of the Authority's Corporate Governance Framework including
o To keep Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Contract Regulations, Property Procedure Rules and Scheme of Delegation under review and to monitor compliance throughout the organisation with their requirements.
o To review any issue referred to it by the Chief Executive/Monitoring Officer or Chief Finance Officer, or any police authority Board.
o To monitor the effective development and operation of risk management
o To review the effectiveness of the governance environment and to oversee the production of the authority's Annual Governance Statement and to recommend its adoption by the Authority as part of the Financial Statements, including to consider the authority's compliance with its own and other published standards and controls.
Ethical and Professional Standards
- Without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Police Authority Management Board, to exercise the powers of the Authority in connection with the complaints, conduct, related discipline processes and professional standards within the Force and where necessary to seek changes in procedures and performance to enhance public confidence and, in this regard:
- To monitor current proceedings initiated by police officers or support staff involving industrial tribunal procedures
- To consider and determine applications for financial assistance by Police Officers in legal proceedings taken against them or progressed by them
- To oversee the operations of the Force in connection with both recorded conduct and 'direction and control' complaints
- To ensure that this framework is compliant with NYP and NYPA obligations regarding equalities and diversity
- As appropriate, to consider and determine complaints and conduct issues against Chief Police Officers (and related procedural issues) and to consider grievances made by staff against those officers (where it would be inappropriate for the Chief Constable to determine such matters relating to Deputy and Assistant Chief Constables).
- In the light of an Investigating Officer's report, to determine whether there is a case to answer in respect of any alleged misconduct on the part of a Chief Police Officer (and related procedural issues) and the manner in which it should be dealt with.
- To receive regular reports on the current position in respect of civil claims by or against the police including claims being handled by the Authority's insurers
- To exercise the duties of the Police Authority in respect of Regulation 10 of the Police Regulations 1995 (business interests)
- To consider commendations and letters of appreciation
- To consider and determine complaints against senior officers of the Authority and to consider grievances made by staff against those officers.
- To review and determine individual complaints received about the handling of, and/or the response to, requests for information made under the FOI Act 2000, and about the Authority's Publication Scheme.
- To monitor all such complaints and make recommendations, as necessary, for amending procedures for dealing with requests for information.
- To review such complaints and to approve the provision of any remedy, financial or otherwise, should the complaint be found to have substance and should the complainant be found to have suffered injustice as a result.
- To oversee the operation of the Custody Visiting Scheme and to monitor service quality issues raised through the operation of the scheme.
- To exercise the powers and duties of the Authority to monitor compliance of the North Yorkshire Police service with the Human Rights Act.
- To monitor 'whistle blowing', antifraud and anti-corruption strategies
Internal and External Audit
· To monitor implementation of individual specific internal and external auditor reports and recommendations and recommendations emanating from the Annual Audit letter and Governance letter received by the Authority.
· To consider summaries of internal audit reports
· To consider the head of internal audit's annual report and opinion, and a summary of internal audit activity (actual and proposed) and the level of assurance it can give over the council's corporate governance arrangements.
· To consider reports dealing with the management and performance of the providers of internal audit services.
· To consider a report from internal audit on agreed recommendations not implemented within a reasonable timescale.
· To consider specific reports as agreed with the external auditor.
· To comment on the scope and depth of external audit work and to ensure it gives value for money.
· To liaise with the Audit Commission over the appointment of the Authority's external auditor.
· To commission work relating to regulatory and/or probity issues from internal and external audit (See also similar power for the PSB to commission VFM work).
Accounts/Finance
· Where appropriate, to review the annual statement of accounts. Specifically, an on the advice of External or Internal Audit reports, to consider whether appropriate accounting policies have been followed and whether there are concerns arising from the financial statements or from the audit that need to be brought to the attention of the Authority.
Membership of the Board is as follows:
- Dr Craig Shaw
- Mr Jason Fitzgerald-Smith
- Mrs Erica Taylor JP
- County Councillor Brian Marshall
- County Councillor Janet Jefferson
- Mrs Rajinder Richards
- County Councillor Helen Swiers
- Mr Ian Whitaker JP
- Invited co-opted Member - Nigel Tapley JP (Chairman of the Standards Committee)
