Public Sector Governance

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Course Overview

More than 450,000 people contribute as governors to a wide range of UK public service organisations and partnerships, and total public expenditure is billions per year. Good governance of public entities is critically important.

While, of course, there are many close similarities between private and public sector governance, the public sector poses special challenges that have led to the development of tailored approaches. The purposes of public entities are significantly different as are, often, their organisational forms. Governance mechanisms and the determination of whom it is that is 'charged with governance', together with the nature of their specific responsibilities, are often significantly different in the public sector, and can be more complex. Furthermore, the wide variety of public sector entities has resulted in variations of corporate governance practice within this sector.

Audience

The course is designed for those who work within or serve central government departments, NDPBs, government agencies, local authorities and other entities that receive significant funding from government. The course is intended for those with governance responsibilities and for others who need to understand public sector governance. It is for members of public sector boards and those who serve boards and board committees as clerks, secretaries, internal and external auditors, lawyers, accountants -and so on.

Course Outline

• The design of public sector boards, board responsibilities and the responsibilities of board members
• The role of accounting officers and others in public entity governance
• Board committees - and practical advice on making them effective
• Public bodies' attitudes to risk and risk management
• Principles (including those of openness, integrity, accountability) and how they apply to public bodies
• Important standards and pronouncements, including
• The Nolan Principles of Public Life
• The Good Governance Standard for Public Services (The 2004 Langlands Report)
• Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good Practice (HM Treasury, 2005)
• The Audit Committee Handbook, and Policy Principles for Audit Committees (HM Treasury, 2007)

Public Sector Governance / CM030596