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Good Governance report adopted by CouncilLatrobe City Council adopted its Good Governance Project Report at Monday night’s Council Meeting. By Latrobe City Council - 4th February 2004 - Back to News The Good Governance Project Report was the result of an independent expert review of Council’s decision making processes by consultants Strategy Shop and Exintel Pty Ltd, and included a review of meeting arrangements and etiquette, and the roles and responsibilities of Councillors and the organisation’s executive management.
The consultants reviewed a range of documents outlining the Council’s current processes and protocols, and held interviews with Councillors, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Team and a range of external stakeholders.
Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Hancock, said that the report clearly identified that Latrobe City did not have a governance crisis, that there were however a number of issues to be addressed, and that Councillors and the executive appeared willing to tackle them.
"This report is the first major milestone in a project examining the way we make and implement local government decisions in the best interests of the community here in Latrobe, and identifying any improvements we can make to ensure sound and justifiable decisions are likely to be made.
"The report acknowledges that Latrobe City recognises good governance as an important issue and has made progress in this area," Mr Hancock said.
"We are one of the first Councils in Victoria to use the Good Governance Guide and are recognised as being proactive in striving for continuous improvement," Mr Hancock said.
Mr Hancock said the report recognised that Latrobe City had some really good initiatives in place such as impressive management systems and protocols. "These were praised in the report as representing a good understanding of accountability and corporate governance," Mr Hancock said.
"The administration’s performance reporting framework was also praised as showing a commitment to accountability and evaluation, as was the quality and extent of information made available by the administration to support Councillors and their roles.
Mr Hancock said that during the process of the review, a number of common themes had emerged including the desire for greater unity and vision and a move away from division. "These are all important governance issues and will be considered in the next stages of the project," he said.
"We will now be reporting back to those community groups that were interviewed and considering further input that will be beneficial to the final outcomes of the process.
"We will also initiate a series of workshops on key governance issues to develop preferred approaches for Latrobe City on issues such as Councillor/staff relationships, roles, decision making processes, community engagement and strategic planning. These would then form the basis for draft protocols for Council to formally consider," Mr Hancock said.
"This is one of the most significant projects undertaken by the organisation with the overall aim of establishing and implementing a Good Governance Protocol that amongst other things improves and clearly communicates Council’s decision making processes to the community," Mr Hancock concluded.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com

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