Council encourages openness for those with concerns

 

As part of the Council’s determination to be open and transparent, Cheshire East Council’s audit and governance committee is adding an additional safe channel for ‘whistleblowing’ by officers, elected members, or others working for the Council to report concerns about the conduct of Council business. 

The committee has voted to allow whistleblowers to contact the committee’s members directly, as an alternative to raising concerns with Council officers, the trade unions or the police.

Councillor Lesley Smetham, chair of the Council’s audit and governance committee, said: “Cheshire East is firmly committed to the highest possible standards of openness, honesty and accountability and does not tolerate malpractice or wrongdoing.

“We value our employees and those working for the Council delivering services to the people of Cheshire East and, as such, we need to know when things may be going wrong.

“Members of the audit and governance committee would like employees, Councillors, or others working for the council to know that they are welcome to bring concerns about possible wrongdoing directly to the chair, vice-chair or any member of the committee, in confidence, in order to help us further improve how we as a Council serve the people of Cheshire East.

“Alternatively, as the whistleblowing policy makes clear, people can refer concerns to senior officers (including the Chief Executive), or to the trade unions, the police or contact the charity set up for such cases – Public Concern at Work (on 02074 046 609).” 

The Council’s whistleblowing policy is intended to encourage and enable employees, elected members and others working for the Council to raise serious concerns within the Council or with appropriate external bodies, in confidence.

The whistleblowing policy provides a structured and safe route for individuals to raise concerns, rather than ignoring a problem, or publicising their concerns in a manner which could unfairly damage the Council’s reputation, impede proper investigations or unfairly detrimentally impact individuals.

For more information about the Council’s audit and governance committee and its members’ contact details, visit:

http://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ecminutes/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=486

For details of the Council’s ‘whistleblowing’ policy visit:

http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/system_pages/information_for_staff/whistleblowing/whistleblowing.aspx