Committee looking to recruit member with ‘expertise’

A council panel is looking to recruit a new independent member to broaden the range of skill, expertise and knowledge it can draw on.

The audit and governance committee at Rochdale Council oversees matters involving finance, risk management and standards.

It is currently made up of nine councillors, reflecting the political make-up of the council, and two independents – Ann Taylor and Andrew Underdown.

But members agreed the committee would be enhanced by the addition of a new member, whose skills would ideally complement those of the existing panel.

This move is so the committee falls in line with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (CIPFA) recommendation that audit committees should have a ‘lay or independent member’ on board.

Although independents, Ms Taylor and Mr Underdown were initially recruited to support the standards committee – rather than specifically for an audit role – meaning the committee does not currently comply with CIPFA ‘best practice’.

Councillor Shah Wazir told a committee meeting at Number One Riverside that recruiting a new member would be ‘a good idea.’

He continued: “There are a number of organisations both private and public that do have that kind of expertise on their committees.

“The only thing I would like is a specification – what sort of qualities and characteristics are we looking for from this individual that will be coming to help this committee.”

Taking up Councillor Wazir’s point about the desirable qualities of any prospective new member, Councillor Pat Dale added: “Obviously we would be looking for a member that would enhance the work of the committee, that’s what lies beneath this recommendation.

“So I suppose it’s incumbent on us to decide what elements we would find most useful.”

She added that a further independent member would also add continuity to the committee, as elected members were always at risk of losing their seat come election time – and can also be moved around the different town hall panels.

Councillor Kathleen Nickson added: “Anything in my opinion that would bolster up the skill-set of any committee, especially ones as important as this, I would welcome very much.”

However, Councillor James Gartside sounded a note of caution regarding the possible drawbacks of adding an expert member to the committee.

He said: “The reason we are on the committee is not because we are experts, it’s because we are not experts. We are bringing a naive view to these things, which is often more useful than an accountant who will view it as ‘I understand that, I don’t need to ask anything’.

“Members will think that if he thinks it’s okay, I think it’s okay, if he’s the expert in finance. And I just think we may just lose some of that bite that we have, because we don’t realise we are being a bit naive.”

A recruitment process will now begin, with a view to submitting details of the preferred candidate to the council on 22 May next year.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter