Chief Executive Decision Notice Publication Statement

Chief Executive Decision Notice Publication Statement

“Today’s publication of this Decision Notice marks the end of the investigation process. It is clear there are of course lessons for us to learn, and this investigation has raised some important issues for the Combined Authority as an organisation. I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm my apology to all those impacted by this process.

“As Chief Executive I will continue to reflect on and learn from the investigation report and the decisions of the Hearing Panel. The Panel recommended that we review the induction process for any new Mayor. We will do this to ensure induction is robust and comprehensive, and makes clear to the Mayor their powers, duties and responsibilities, and how they should work with Authority staff to achieve their goals.

“The Panel also suggested the Audit and Governance Committee review the CPCA’s Constitution in the light of this investigation. The Constitution has recently been reviewed and amended, but we will of course support the Committee in looking at it again.

We recognise we still have further to go, but I think the Officers and Board are united in recognising this and acting on it. The Board, led by the Mayor, chose to establish an external, independent Improvement Board to monitor its improvements and provide challenge to its work. The Board has been very transparent about this work, making public both its updates to the Improvement Board and the feedback from that Board.

“Throughout this process our priority has always been to ensure it was independent, impartial and thorough. I am confident we have balanced this with our responsibility to respect the privacy and protect the welfare of the individuals involved.

“I and the Corporate Management Team at the Combined Authority are now looking forward and will continue to work with our staff and partners across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to make our region a great place to live, work, learn and visit.”