Business Board Governance

Government requires all Mayoral Combined Authorities and all Local Enterprise Partnerships to produce and publish a Local Assurance Framework that sets out the arrangements they have put in place to ensure that public money is being managed effectively.

The Local Assurance Framework

Read the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Assurance Framework here

The Assurance Framework sets out:

  • How the seven principles of public life shape the culture within the Combined Authority in undertaking its roles and responsibilities
  • The respective roles and responsibilities of the Combined Authority, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Section 73 Officer
  • The key processes for ensuring accountability, including public engagement, probity, transparency, legal compliance and value for money
  • How potential investments to be funded through the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Medium Term Financial Plan are appraised, prioritised, approved, signed off and delivered.
  • The processes for oversight of projects, programmes and portfolios and how the progress and impacts of these investments will be monitored and evaluated.

Below you can see the checklist of documents that the Assurance Framework requires that we make available to the public.

1. Assurance Framework

2. Strategic Documents

3. Accountability & Transparent Decision Making

Combined Authority

Business Board

Other

4. Audit Reports

In-line with the Combined Authority’s risk-based approach to audit the newly formed governance around the Business Board, following it’s incorporation into the Combined Authority, was subject to an internal audit in 2018-19. This resulted in a reasonable assurance opinion (a positive opinion) with 9 agreed management actions.
The Combined Authority acted rapidly to address the findings and the follow-up audit carried out in 2019-20 identified that all the actions identified in the original audit had been addressed and resulted in a substantial assurance opinion (the highest level of assurance possible).

The original 2018-19 audit, and follow-up, are linked below:

5. Accountability and Transparency – Supporting Policies and Procedures

Financial information

Remuneration and Expenses

Freedom of Information

Conflicts of Interest

Gifts and Hospitality

Complaints and Whistleblowing

Diversity Statement

Government Branding

  • Guidance for signage, social media, press notices and other marketing materials for every Government funded project

6. Robust Decision making

Expressions of Interest/Open Calls

Business Cases

Ensuring Value for Money

7. Delivery Phase