The Audit and Standards Committee of Brent Council is scheduled to consider the Annual Governance Statement for 2025-26 and an amendment to the Members' Code of Conduct Complaints Procedure. The meeting will also review the Annual Standards Report for 2025.

Annual Governance Statement 2025-26

The committee is scheduled to review and formally approve Brent Council's Annual Governance Statement for the financial year 2025-26. This statement, which forms part of the Council's Statement of Accounts, is a statutory requirement under the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015¹. It provides an assessment of the effectiveness of the Council's governance framework, including its systems of internal control, risk management, and organisational culture. The report details how the Council has applied the seven core principles of good governance as outlined in the CIPFA/SOLACE Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework². It highlights key governance developments and improvements during the year, such as progress in the Embrace Change Portfolio, Digital Transformation Roadmap, AI governance, and the Housing & Tenant Satisfaction Improvement Programme. The statement also addresses actions identified in the previous year's Annual Governance Statement, including strengthening housing compliance, developing the corporate performance framework, delivering the Procurement Improvement Programme, and advancing leadership development. The report indicates that the Council has made substantive progress in addressing these areas.

Annual Standards Report 2025 - Amendment to Members' Code of Conduct Complaints Procedure

The committee is set to consider a proposed amendment to the Members' Code of Conduct Complaints Procedure. This amendment, which has been considered as part of the Annual Standards Report 2025, relates to extending the normal deadline for carrying out an initial assessment of complaints under the procedure. Currently, this assessment is expected to be completed within 10 working days. The report suggests extending this to 15 working days, citing the time-consuming nature of dealing with complaints, even at early stages, which often requires enquiries and consultations with an Independent Person. The report notes that ten complaints were received in 2025, with varying outcomes at different assessment stages. The proposed change aims to set more realistic expectations for the timeframe of initial assessments.