Code of Corporate Governance

1. Document history and introduction
2. You are here: Principle 1, 2 and 3
3. Principle 4 and 5
4. Principle 6 and 7

2. Principle 1, 2 and 3

Principle 1

Principle 1 - Behaving with integrity, demonstrating strong commitment to ethical values and respecting the rules of law.

Local government organisations are accountable not only for how much they spend, but also for how they use the resources under their stewardship. This includes accountability for outputs, both positive and negative, and for the outcomes they have achieved. In addition, they have an overarching responsibility to serve the public interest in adhering to the requirements of legislation and government policies. It is essential that, as a whole, they can demonstrate the appropriateness of all their actions across all activities and have mechanisms in place to encourage and enforce adherence to ethical values and to respect the rule of law.

Supporting principles	To achieve this, the Council will:
Behaving with integrity	Ensure Members and officers behave with integrity and lead a culture where acting in the public interest is visibly and consistently demonstrated thereby protecting the reputation of the organisation. Ensure members take the lead in establishing specific standard operating principles or values for the organisation and its staff and that they are communicated and understood. Meetings of Standard Committee to promote and maintain high standards of conduct within the Council and monitor effectiveness of the Code of Conduct. The operating principles and values should build on the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles): Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership. Lead by example and use the above standard operating principles or values as a framework for decision making and other actions. Demonstrate, communicate and embed the standard operating principles or values through appropriate policies and processes which are to be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are operating effectively.
Demonstrating strong commitment to ethical values	Seek to establish, monitor and maintain the organisation’ s ethical standards and performance. Underpin personal behaviour with ethical values and ensure they permeate all aspects of the organisation’s culture and operation. Develop and maintain robust policies and procedures which place emphasis on agreed ethical values. Ensure that external providers of services on behalf of the organisation are required to act with integrity and in compliance with ethical standards expected by the organisation.
Respecting the rule of law	Ensure members and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to the rule of the law as well as adhering to relevant laws and regulations. Create the conditions to ensure that the statutory officers, other key postholders, and Members, are able to fulfil their responsibilities in accordance with legislative and regulatory requirements. Strive to optimise the use of the full powers available for the benefit of citizens, communities and other stakeholders. Deal with breaches of legal and regulatory provisions effectively. Ensure corruption and misuse of power are dealt with effectively.

Principle 1 is evidenced by:

The Annual Governance Statement 2023/24 reports publicly on the extent to which the Councils complies with this Code of Corporate Governance. It therefore provides a mechanism for reporting on the health of the Council’s governance arrangements, providing assurance and highlighting where improvement is needed.
The Anti-Money Laundering Policy (Internal) enables the Council to meet its statutory obligations to prevent and identify money laundering; and, to assist officers in dealing with instances of money laundering.
The Commercial Strategy ensures that the Council’s commercial activity is ethical, and consistent with the Council’s statutory responsibility to promote economic, environmental and social wellbeing in the borough, and our corporate objectives. It also requires that there is appropriate due diligence and risk assessment of investment options; and, that surplus income generated through our commercial activities will be used to ensure the financial sustainability of the Council and continued delivery of services for local people.
The Constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures that are in place to ensure decisions are efficient, transparent, and accountable to local people.
The Corporate Complaints Procedure enables customers to express dissatisfaction about the standard of a service, actions or lack of actions by the Council; and, ensures complaints are investigated, resolved, and learnt from. Corporate complaints performance is reported to the Corporate Governance Group, Group Leaders, and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The Corporate Equality Policy sets the framework within which the Council will discharge its equality duties to promote fair treatment and equal access to our services and employment.
The Corporate Plan (‘Reigate & Banstead 2025’) explains the Council’s priorities for the next five years and how we will deliver services to those living, working and spending time in our borough. This includes things like how we will deliver leisure and housing services, neighbourhood services (including parks and refuse collection), our plans to tackle climate change and how we will support our towns, villages, and local businesses.
The Counter Fraud, Corruption and Bribery Statement sets out the high-level priorities that must be met to achieve the Councils’ zero tolerance’ towards corruption, fraud and bribery and set out its approach for dealing with the threat or subsequent incidence of fraud and bribery from both internal and external sources.
The Grievance Policy (Internal) ensures that any employee grievances, whether about interpersonal issues between individuals or procedural complaints against the organisation, are properly considered and resolved in a timely and fair manner.
The ICT Code of Practice (Internal) ensures the appropriate and secure use of ICT resources, systems, and data by staff and Members of the Council.
The Internal Audit Plan 2024/25 provides independent and objective assurance that the Council’s systems and processes are appropriate, operating effectively and provide sufficient control for the purposes of risk management, internal control and governance.
The Member Code of Conduct defines and regulates ethical standards of behaviour for Members, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and based on the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life. Members’ conduct performance is reported annually to the Standards Committee.
The Member Learning and Development Programme (Internal) ensures that Members have the appropriate skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities and that they are able to update their knowledge on a continuing basis.
The Register of Gifts and Hospitality lists all declarations by Members and officers who received gifts or hospitality over the value of £25, as required under the Council’s Code of Conduct, Financial Procedure Rules, and Localism Act 2011.
The Register of Interests - The register publicly documents any private interests of Members and senior officers which may potentially conflict, or be perceived to conflict, with their public or official duties.
The Staff Handbook (Internal) contains policies and conditions of employment regarding standards of conduct for Council staff.
The Statutory officers of the Council are the Head of Paid Service, Chief Finance Officer, and Monitoring Officer:
- The Head of Paid Service is responsible for coordinating and resourcing the delivery of the Council’s functions.
- The Chief Finance Officer is responsible for the prudent administration of the financial affairs of the Council.
- The Monitoring Officer is responsible for ensuring good governance, ethical standards, and lawful and fair decision-making.
The Whistle Blowing Policy (Internal) ensures that staff are able to confidentially disclose any wrongdoing that they may encounter in the workplace e.g. fraud, money laundering or other corrupt practices, without fear of reprisal and protecting the integrity of the Council.
Working in Partnership is a theme within the Council’s Corporate Plan 2020-25 to deliver best value for residents by working closely with partner organisations to align our activities and to ensure their future funding decisions benefit our borough, help deliver our ambitions, and do not have a disproportionately negative impact on residents and businesses.

Principle 2

Principle 2 - Ensuring openness and comprehensive stakeholder engagement.

Local government is run for the public good, organisations therefore should ensure openness in their activities. Clear, trusted channels of communication and consultation should be used to engage effectively with all groups of stakeholders, such as individual citizens and service users, as well as institutional stakeholders.

Supporting principles	To achieve this, the Council will:
Openness	Ensure an open culture through demonstrating, documenting and communicating the organisation’s commitment to openness. Make decisions that are open about actions, plans, resource use, forecasts, outputs and outcomes. The presumption is for openness. If that is not the case, a justification for the reasoning for keeping a decision confidential should be provided. Provide clear reasoning and evidence for decisions in both public records and explanations to stakeholders and being explicit about the criteria, rationale and considerations used. In due course, ensuring that the impact and consequences of those decisions are clear. Use formal and informal consultation and engagement to determine the most appropriate and effective interventions/courses of action.
Engaging comprehensively with institutional stakeholders (for example, commercial partners and suppliers, other public or third sector organisations)	Effective engagement with institutional stakeholders to ensure that the purpose, objectives and intended outcomes for each stakeholder relationship are clear so that outcomes are achieved successfully and sustainably. Develop formal and informal partnerships to allow for resources to be used more efficiently and outcomes achieved more effectively. Ensure that partnerships are based on, trust, a shared commitment to change, a culture that promotes and accepts challenge among partners and that the added value of partnership working is explicit.
Engaging stakeholders effectively, including citizens and service users	Establish a clear policy on the type of issues that the Council will meaningfully consult with or involve communities, individual citizens, service users and other stakeholders to ensure that service (or other) provision is contributing towards the achievement of intended outcomes. Ensure that communication methods are effective and that members and officers are clear about their roles with regard to community engagement. Encourage, collect and evaluate the views and experiences of communities, citizens, service users and organisations of different backgrounds including reference to future needs. Implement effective feedback mechanisms in order to demonstrate how views have been taken into account. Balance feedback from more active stakeholder groups with other stakeholder groups to ensure inclusivity. Take account of the impact of decisions on future generations of taxpayers and service users.

Principle 2 is evidenced by:

The Annual budget (2024/25) ensures that the council meets its legal responsibilities for sound financial management, whilst enabling the Council to align funding of local services and projects over the forthcoming year to meet its Corporate Plan objectives and statutory duties. Public consultation is undertaken as part of the budget process to reflect the views and priorities of residents and local stakeholders in the Council’s spending plans.
The Annual Statement of Accounts ensures that the Council presents a true and fair view of its financial position, including a statement of income and expenditure, cash flow, use of reserves, and balance sheet at the end of the financial year.
The Borough News residents’ magazine enables the Council to communicate detailed information about local services, projects, events and news affecting the borough directly to residents and subscribers.
The Business e-Bulletin is a monthly circulation for subscribing local businesses that provides business news and networking opportunities.
The Capital Investment Strategy and Capital Programme provides a mechanism by which investment and financing plans can be prioritised, ensuring that capital decisions contribute to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities, and take account of stewardship, value for money, prudence, sustainability, affordability, and risks.
The Commercial Strategy ensures that the Council’s commercial activity is ethical, and consistent with the Council’s statutory responsibility to promote economic, environmental and social wellbeing in the borough, and our corporate objectives. It also requires that there is appropriate due diligence and risk assessment of investment options; and, that surplus income generated through our commercial activities will be used to ensure the financial sustainability of the Council and continued delivery of services for local people.
The Constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures that are in place to ensure decisions are efficient, transparent, and accountable to local people.
Consultation and surveys ask our residents, businesses, and others with a stake in our services for their views and feedback on our proposals, policies and services, as well as what it is like to live, work or do business in Reigate & Banstead.
The Corporate Complaints Procedure enables customers to express dissatisfaction about the standard of a service, actions or lack of actions by the Council; and, ensures complaints are investigated, resolved, and learnt from. Corporate complaints performance is reported to the Corporate Governance Group, Group Leaders, and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The Corporate Plan (‘Reigate & Banstead 2025’) explains the Council’s priorities for the next five years and how we will deliver services to those living, working and spending time in our borough. This includes things like how we will deliver leisure and housing services, neighbourhood services (including parks and refuse collection), our plans to tackle climate change and how we will support our towns, villages, and local businesses.
The Economic Development Framework 2021-26 explains how the council supports the local economy and works with businesses to build competitiveness and resilience for the future.
The Financial Sustainability Programme aims to reduce the Council’s reliance on one-off measures, such as the use of Reserves, to fund services in the long-term. It focusses on four key areas to achieve this, including income generation, use of assets, prioritisation of resources, and achieving value for money.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 provides for a general right of access to all types of "recorded" information held by the council, subject to a number of exemptions that are specified in the Act. Any person has the right to make a request for information under the Act. FOI request performance is regulated by the Council’s Data Protection Officer.
The Leisure and Culture Strategy sets out our vision for leisure and culture in the borough. Leisure and culture play a vital role in making the borough of Reigate & Banstead a prosperous, healthy and attractive place to live. Helping our residents lead healthy, active, and fulfilling lives is a top priority for the Council, as set out in our five-year corporate plan (Reigate & Banstead 2025).
Mayoral Events and Engagements are delivered according to the priorities within Mayor’s Handbook, Service Level Agreement, and the Mayor’s own objectives for their municipal year, ensuring these activities focus on promoting social value and cultural benefit within local communities, and engagement of local people with Council services and initiatives.
Media and public engagement activities, including preparation and publication of communications plans, press releases, public statements, and representation at media interviews. These activities ensure that services engage with residents and communities through a variety of channels and key messages to reach stakeholders, including hard to reach groups.
The Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2021/22 – 2025/26 provides a framework for managing council finances, aligning spending with strategic priorities, and addressing funding challenges. It ensures a balance budget, maintains reserves, supports prudent investment, and promotes financial sustainability through income generation, collaboration, and value for money in service delivery.
The Member Learning and Development Programme (Internal) ensures that Members have the appropriate skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities and that they are able to update their knowledge on a continuing basis.
The ‘Notice of Key Decisions and Corporate Forward Plan’ (CFP) gives 28 days’ statutory notice of forthcoming Executive key decisions, in addition to other non-key business for Audit, Overview and Scrutiny, and Full Council meetings. The CFP ensures that public notice is given for forthcoming decisions in an open and transparent way, and supports the efficient coordination of committee business.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee aims to develop and review policy and make recommendations to the Executive and Council. It has the power to ‘call-in’ decisions made by Executive Members, Committees and officers for further review if they do not follow the decision-making principles of the Council’s Constitution, or if they are outside the budget and policy framework.
Public meetings/Webcasting of Council meetings, demonstrates that the formal, decision-making process of the local authority is conducted publicly and openly, and that meetings are accessible for members of the public and press.
Publication of Committee Reports and Papers, demonstrates that elected Members and members of the public and press have reasonable notice of forthcoming Council business, and transparent and open access to information about those decisions. The application of exemptions under Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 is regulated by the Democratic Services team according to the ‘Exempt Business Guidance 2023’ (internal document); and, is overseen by the Monitoring Officer.
The Council’s Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) enable the Council to publish regular and timely messages in an agile way about local authority business and news; and, communicate directly with residents and stakeholders about issues affecting the borough.
The Statement of Key Executive Decisions ensures that all key Executive decisions by the local authority are published in a transparent and open manner, with a clear statement of the decisions, reasons, and options considered, within three working days of the decision.
The Treasury Management Strategy (2024/25) explains the Council’s approach to management of cash flows, borrowing and investments, and the associated risks.
The Council’s website provides members of the public with accessible information about local authority services, the Council and its decisions, and local events and news.
Working in Partnership is a theme within the Council’s Corporate Plan 2020-25 to deliver best value for residents by working closely with partner organisations to align our activities and to ensure their future funding decisions benefit our borough, help deliver our ambitions, and do not have a disproportionately negative impact on residents and businesses.

Principle 3

Principle 3 - Defining outcomes in terms of sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits.

The long-term nature and impact of many of local government’s responsibilities mean that it should define and plan outcomes and that these should be sustainable. Decisions should further the organisation’s purpose, contribute to intended benefits and outcomes, and remain within the limits of authority and resources. Input from all groups of stakeholders, including citizens, service users, and institutional stakeholders, is vital to the success of this process and in balancing competing demands when determining priorities for the finite resources available.

Supporting principles	To achieve this, the Council will:
Defining outcomes	Have a clear vision, which is an agreed formal statement of the organisation’s purpose and intended outcomes containing appropriate performance indicators, which provide the basis for the organisation’s overall strategy, planning and other decisions. Specify the intended impact on, or changes for, stakeholders including citizens and service users. It could be immediately or over the course of a year or longer. Deliver defined outcomes on a sustainable basis within the resources that will be available. Identify and manage risks to the achievement of outcomes. Manage service users’ expectations effectively with regard to determining priorities and making the best use of the resources available.
Sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits	Consider and balance the combined economic, social and environmental impact of policies and plans when taking decisions about service provision. Take a longer-term view with regard to decision making, take account of risk and act transparently where there are potential conflicts between the organisation’s intended outcomes and short-term factors such as the political cycle or financial constraints Determine the wider public interest associated with balancing conflicting interests between achieving the various economic, social and environmental benefits, through consultation where possible, in order to ensure appropriate trade-offs Ensure fair access to services

Supporting principles

To achieve this, the Council will:

Defining outcomes

Have a clear vision, which is an agreed formal statement of the organisation’s purpose and intended outcomes containing appropriate performance indicators, which provide the basis for the organisation’s overall strategy, planning and other decisions.
Specify the intended impact on, or changes for, stakeholders including citizens and service users. It could be immediately or over the course of a year or longer.
Deliver defined outcomes on a sustainable basis within the resources that will be available.
Identify and manage risks to the achievement of outcomes.
Manage service users’ expectations effectively with regard to determining priorities and making the best use of the resources available.

Sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits

Consider and balance the combined economic, social and environmental impact of policies and plans when taking decisions about service provision.
Take a longer-term view with regard to decision making, take account of risk and act transparently where there are potential conflicts between the organisation’s intended outcomes and short-term factors such as the political cycle or financial constraints
Determine the wider public interest associated with balancing conflicting interests between achieving the various economic, social and environmental benefits, through consultation where possible, in order to ensure appropriate trade-offs
Ensure fair access to services

Principle 3 is evidenced by:

The Annual budget (2024/25) ensures that the council meets its legal responsibilities for sound financial management, whilst enabling the Council to align funding of local services and projects over the forthcoming year to meet its Corporate Plan objectives and statutory duties. Public consultation is undertaken as part of the budget process to reflect the views and priorities of residents and local stakeholders in the Council’s spending plans.
The Annual Statement of Accounts ensures that the Council presents a true and fair view of its financial position, including a statement of income and expenditure, cash flow, use of reserves, and balance sheet at the end of the financial year.
The Asset Management Plan 2023-28 provides a framework for decision-making based on a clear set of principles and mechanisms for the future use of assets within the Council’s property portfolio. It ensures that assets are effectively, efficiently and safely managed, are fit for purpose and able to meet the needs of service users while at the same time ensuring that the value and potential of the estate is fully realised.
The Capital Investment Strategy and Capital Programme provides a mechanism by which investment and financing plans can be prioritised, ensuring that capital decisions contribute to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities, and take account of stewardship, value for money, prudence, sustainability, affordability, and risks.
The Corporate Plan (‘Reigate & Banstead 2025’) explains the Council’s priorities for the next five years and how we will deliver services to those living, working and spending time in our borough. This includes things like how we will deliver leisure and housing services, neighbourhood services (including parks and refuse collection), our plans to tackle climate change and how we will support our towns, villages, and local businesses.
The Commercial Strategy ensures that the Council’s commercial activity is ethical, and consistent with the Council’s statutory responsibility to promote economic, environmental and social wellbeing in the borough, and our corporate objectives. It also requires that there is appropriate due diligence and risk assessment of investment options; and, that surplus income generated through our commercial activities will be used to ensure the financial sustainability of the Council and continued delivery of services for local people.
The Environmental Sustainability Strategy sets out how the Council aims to deliver its Corporate Plan objective to reduce the Council’s own environmental impact, support local residents and businesses to do the same, and to make sure our activities increase the borough's resilience to the effects of climate change.
The Financial Sustainability Programme aims to reduce the Council’s reliance on one-off measures, such as the use of Reserves, to fund services in the long-term. It focusses on four key areas to achieve this, including income generation, use of assets, prioritisation of resources, and achieving value for money.
The Housing Delivery Strategy 2020-25 outlines the borough housing challenges, considers affordability issues across tenures as well as the planning policy background and construction challenges. It sets out six objectives which aim to enable more households working or living in the borough to access a home that is affordable to them. Underpinning these objectives is a commitment to partnership working with housing associations, public landowners, investors, developers, and others.
The IT Strategy 2022-27 aims to sustainably improve and upgrade the Council’s technical ICT infrastructure, by improving business continuity, cyber security, resilience, IT estate maintenance, and customer relationship management infrastructure.
Key Performance Indicators are reported by the senior management to the Executive, Audit, and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis to measure the progress of key areas of work against targets/objectives, to highlight areas for improvement, and thus improve outcomes for stakeholders, such as residents, businesses and local communities.
The Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2021/22 – 2025/26 provides a framework for managing council finances, aligning spending with strategic priorities, and addressing funding challenges. It ensures a balanced budget, maintains reserves, supports prudent investment, and promotes financial sustainability through income generation, collaboration, and value for money in service delivery.
The Risk Management Strategy explains how the Council identifies, assesses, manages and reports on the risks that it faces in delivering its objectives. It integrates risk management into council operations, promoting informed decisions, early problem detection, and a culture of risk awareness. It ensures best practices, anticipates changes, and minimises loss and disruption.
The Treasury Management Strategy (2024/25) explains the Council’s approach to management of cash flows, borrowing and investments, and the associated risks.

Previous Document history and introduction Next Principle 4 and 5

Was this page useful? * Required

Yes

It's good, however

No, here's why:

Other feedback about this webpage. (Please note this is for website feedback only, do not enter any personal details as we are unable to get back to you.) (optional)