7. Supporting Evidence

The table below provides the supporting evidence for the source documents, good practices adopted and the processes that Thanet District Council has in place.

Source documents / good practice / processes in place:	In place	Comments / Plans for improvement
Source documents / good practice / processes in place:	Yes / No	Comments / Plans for improvement
Annual Budget and Council Tax Consultation	Yes	Each year the council undertakes a consultation on the Summary of Accounts and also on the spending priorities for Thanet District Council.
Annual performance report	Yes	At the end of each year the council produces an annual performance report that details key performance and achievements over the past year.
Annual review of the effectiveness of the council’s Internal Audit arrangements report	Yes	The auditors are independent to the management of the council and have direct access to the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee if required. The review of the effectiveness of the council’s internal audit arrangements is important in order to add credence to the assurances gained for the Annual Governance Statement.
Annual review of the effectiveness of the Governance and Audit Committee and Annual Report	Yes	This report summarises the achievements of the Governance and Audit Committee against its terms of reference and details the impact that it has made on the overall system of internal control in operation for that period. The outcome is reported on to Governance and Audit Committee and is taken to Full Council each year in an annual report.
Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy	Yes	An Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy is in place and has been communicated to the authority and is reviewed on a regular basis. This is also highlighted through the induction programme.
Appraisal process	Yes	The appraisal system is designed to ensure that everyone knows what they are required to do and how this helps us achieve our goals, as well as how performance will be assessed.
Approved procedures and policies	Yes	There are numerous approved procedures and policies in place throughout the council. The council has in place a Publication Scheme, which facilitates the proactive release of this type of information and plays a crucial role in supporting and providing greater openness and transparency across the public sector.
Area forums’ roles and responsibilities	Yes	The Thanet Compact was developed jointly by Thanet District Council and its statutory and third sector partners to improve the way the two sectors work together. It was refreshed in 2010 following the General Election to incorporate the Big Society ethos. The Compact contains commitments and undertakings by both sectors on how they will work together more effectively. The Thanet Compact is now facilitated by Thanet Voluntary Community Sector Forum (TVCSF).
Audit reports	Yes	These can be viewed through the agenda for Governance and Audit Committee. For each audit review, management agrees a report, and where appropriate, an action plan detailing proposed action(s) and implementation dates relating to each recommendation.
Budget monitoring	Yes	Adequate arrangements are in place to ensure budget managers are kept informed of their budget responsibilities.
Change management programme	Yes	In support of the significant organisational change, East Kent HR Partnership organised a Change Programme. The half day programmes: support people in understanding the impact of change and to provide some tools for managing personal change and supporting others, and support leaders and managers of people in understanding the impact of change, to define the role of the people manager and to provide tools for managing personal change and supporting the team.
Codes of Conduct	Yes	There are Member and Officer Codes of Conduct in place within the Constitution which are reviewed regularly.
Committee terms of reference	Yes	The terms of reference for all Committees are detailed within the Constitution.
Communication Strategy	Yes	The council has a Communications Strategy in place which was approved by Corporate Management Team.
Community Database	Yes	The council has a Community Database of approximately 1,000 local groups, organisations and clubs who are communicated with on a regular basis. This database is managed by the Community Development Team, and contains a wide variety of interest groups and organisations including a number of harder to reach and more vulnerable groups e.g. young/old people, disability groups, ethnic minorities.
Community Forums	Yes	The council has regular representation at a number of local fora, these include the Senior Citizens Forum, the Thanet Disability Forum, Engage Youth Forum etc. These groups are generally externally co-ordinated and represent a number of the more vulnerable community groups. Officers attend to provide a channel of communication between these groups and the council. Feedback is then used to help improve the service the council provides to specific groups in the community and to ensure that they have a voice in council consultations and campaigns.
Community Portal	Yes	The council has a Community Portal of approximately 400 local groups and organisations. This portal is self managed so members are able to update any details or information about the group they represent and to promote specific activities or events. As above these groups represent a number of harder to reach people within the community.
Constitution	Yes	The Constitution is regularly reviewed and updated.
Continual Professional Development	Yes	Maintenance of CPD records for officers in line with their professional body.
Contract with East Kent Audit Partnership	Yes	Outlines the level of service to be obtained by Internal Audit.
Core values and priorities	Yes	Prioritising our efforts to ensure our limited resources are directed to those areas that can make the biggest difference, our focus will be on: Prosperity: Attracting employment, especially by supporting tourism and the green economy Place: Keeping Thanet beautiful by making the place clean, green and a healthy place to be People: Working together to make Thanet safe and improve the quality of life for all Performance: Delivering services we are proud of; that make a difference and provide value for money for our residents The Council will conduct its business in accordance with the following core values: We will be: Fair Respectful and considerate Focussed on quality Interested in listening to your views Measured and thoughtful Committed to do the right thing, the right way at the right time
Corporate Plan	Yes	The council's Interim Corporate Plan will come to an end in March 2012. Work has already begun in preparing a new plan to take its place. It is anticipated that this will be a rolling plan (rather than a fixed term 4 year plan) enabling it to tie in more closely to the budget setting process. The new Corporate Plan will be influenced by a variety of pieces of work. These include the recently produced State of the District report which sets out in depth some of the key facts and figures about Thanet and its people and shows how the district compares to other areas.
Customer feedback system	Yes	Thanet District Council wants to provide the best service it can to the community and has a Customer Feedback process in place, which includes complaints, compliments, service requests, member contact and comments. Service improvements are taking place as a direct result of customer feedback received and are published on the Web and Members Portal.
Decision making protocols	Yes	Decision making process is detailed within the council's Constitution.
Declaration of interest protocols	Yes	There are formal protocols in place for both members and officers available on request.
East Kent HR Partnership HR System / i-Trent	No	There are currently system development progress delays due to issues encountered.
East Kent HR Partnership Service Level Agreements	Yes	The HR function is provided by the East Kent HR Partnership and Payroll is provided by Kent County Council. Collaboration agreements / SLA’s have been agreed. A project group and strategic board are in place. Within the corporate restructure Thanet has the role of Contracts and Partnerships Relationship Manager to act in a client management and commissioning role to set, monitor and review the service standards provided by the shared service.
East Kent Joint Arrangements Committee (EKJAC)	Yes	EKJAC has agreed procedure rules and terms of reference, operating arrangements and administrative processes and also proposed arrangements for the EK Joint Scrutiny Committee looking at shared services. The operating arrangements allow the strategic aims of each participating authority to be achieved without compromising any other party.
East Kent Joint Management Team	Yes	In order to progress actions from the East Kent Joint Arrangements Committee, a Joint Management Team has been established.
East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee	Yes	The East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee meets; To monitor, review and scrutinise the actions and decisions of the East Kent Joint Arrangements Committee; To make recommendations for re-consideration of any decisions made or actions taken and to make recommendations for improvement and/or changes in responsibilities and functions of the East Kent Joint Arrangements Committee; To prepare reports and recommendations to the parties on the performance and delivery of shared services provided by the East Kent Joint Arrangements Committee; To propose an annual budget for the East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the requirements of the parties; To prepare an annual report to the parties on the performance of these arrangements; and To facilitate the exchange of information about the work of the East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee and to share information and outcomes from reviews.
Employee Council terms of reference	Yes	The council has a Trade Union Recognition Agreement, agreed by Management, Unison and GMB. The Employee Council, the recognised collective bargaining unit, meets on a regular basis and remains a key forum for discussing issues and maintaining effective employer/union relationships.
Equality Impact Assessments	Yes	The council is currently reviewing it’s approach to Equalities to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Financial Procedure Rules	Yes	Financial Procedure Rules are detailed within the council's Constitution.
Financial regulations	Yes	Related Party Transaction returns can be viewed within the Financial Statement.
Freedom of Information process	Yes	Thanet Council routinely publishes a great deal of information and the management process for FOI requests includes a check to ensure information is published if possible. Information may be able to be found through the council’s Publication Scheme or elsewhere on the website. However, if the information that is wanted cannot be found a request can be made through the ‘Freedom of Information’ process.
Gifts and Hospitality Register	Yes	A Gifts and Hospitality Register is in place with Democratic Services for members and officers.
Governance and Audit Committee terms of reference	Yes	The terms of reference for the Governance and Audit Committee are prepared in line with CIPFA guidance and are reviewed on a regular basis.
Governance Board	Yes	The Governance Board meet on a six weekly basis. The purpose of the Board is to support the council by monitoring and reviewing the risk, control and governance processes which have been established and address any upcoming processes as required.
Improvement Board	Yes	SMT Board that provides a regular opportunity to consider areas of improvement in council services and corporate processes and to consider recommendations for implementation.
Improvement Forum	Yes	The Improvement Forum will shortly be superseded by a new corporate wide initiative to encourage staff to think differently about how they work and submit improvement ideas through team meetings, on-line and physical suggestion boxes and informal networking meetings on specific topics. This new approach will be supported by a dedicated area on the Intranet which will also have updates on innovative projects around the council as well as an expertise exchange function in a later phase.
Improvement Plan	Yes	The Improvements Plan looks at the behaviours and values for the council and how we embed these in the culture, and also reflect them in policies and procedures.
Independent chair of Standards	Yes	The Standards Committee promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors and co-opted members. The Committee is chaired by an independent member.
Individual partnerships / contractors show expected outcomes	Yes	The council is reviewing the Partnership Register which collects all relevant partnership details. It also has in place a contracts register which includes contracts above a certain minimum value, currently £75k over the contract duration.
Individual service collaboration agreements and supporting SLA’s for all East Kent Shared Services	Yes	These set out the service level expectations for all shared services.
Induction programmes	Yes	This process has been reviewed and a booklet produced to support the individuals induction.
Information Exchange	Yes	SMT meeting to discuss emerging issues, matters of importance and urgent decisions.
Internal Audit check of compliance and approved procedures and policies	Yes	The East Kent Audit Partnership report on a regular basis to the Governance and Audit Committee. This includes quarterly reports and an annual report.
Internal Audit Plan	Yes	To undertake a regular appraisal of the effectiveness of internal controls in place.
Internal Communicators Network	No	The Group is under review as part of the new Internal Communications Strategy.
Internet protocol	Yes	The council encourages the use of electronic communication via the Internet and email wherever possible. In accordance with its Code of Practice, it will look to enable its transactions to be undertaken electronically.
Investors in People Status	Yes	In September 2011 the council underwent an internal review which will enable us to create an action plan in order to achieve the standard. In the meantime the council retains that status for two years and will then be re-assessed.
Job descriptions / specifications	Yes	Job descriptions are in place for all staff including the Chief Executive (Section 151 Officer) and Monitoring Officer, all of which have been reviewed as part of the senior management structural changes which are published on the Internet. An agreed job description template and guidance is in place for the council.
Kent Compact	Yes	The Thanet Compact is implemented within the District and is working well and moving forward at a good pace. But as well as this, we also remain involved in the Kent Partners Compact and attend their committee meetings to be able to share best practice. The Kent Compact are currently undergoing a refresh in line with the national Compact refresh following the May 2010 elections.
Local Code of Corporate Governance	Yes	The Local Code of Corporate Governance has been prepared in line with CIPFA guidelines. It is reviewed on an annual basis and approved by Governance and Audit Committee.
Local indicators	Yes	Local indicators are captured and monitored through the performance management system.
Medium Term Financial Plan	Yes	The council has in place a Medium Term Financial Plan for the period 2011 to 2016, which sets out the council’s strategic approach to the management of its finances and presents indicative budgets and Council Tax levels for the medium term.
Member / officer protocol	Yes	Protocol on member / officer relations in place within the Constitution.
Member role description	Yes	Member role descriptions have been approved by Council and now form part of the council’s constitutional arrangements.
Monitoring Officer provision	Yes	Officer’s responsibilities in place within the Constitution.
Monthly performance monitoring	Yes	Monthly performance monitoring is undertaken looking at local PI's, key action plans and projects. A monthly update is provided by each service to the Performance Board.
Overview and Scrutiny annual report	Yes	The Overview and Scrutiny Panel (OSP) make an annual report to the Annual Meeting of Council. This report summarises the key achievements of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel during the previous year and indicates the Panels’ suggested priorities for the forthcoming year.
Partnership Framework	Yes	The Partnership Framework is currently under review but will demonstrate the governance arrangements that we are committed to as a council and allows our partners and the public to see the key principles and standards that we aim to achieve.
Partnership Register	Yes	The Partnership Register is being reviewed but will capture pertinent information for each partnership including which Corporate Plan objective it is linked to, what type of partnership (strategic or operational), the purpose of the partnership, the organisations involved, insurance considerations and if group accounts are required.
Pay and conditions policies and practices	Yes	The senior management structure is currently made up of a Chief Executive and five Service Managers. The council used an independent review body to recommend appropriate salary levels which considered job size and general market position in this region for similar posts. Recommendations were approved through the General Purposes Committee.
Performance Board	Yes	SMT Board that develops the council’s business plans and undertakes performance management to assess progress against plans and identifies and commits to appropriate remedial action.
Performance Management Framework	Yes	The Performance Management Framework is available to view through the council’s intranet site alongside the Data Quality Framework. Both documents are reviewed on a regular basis.
Performance management system	Yes	The council’s performance management system is used to collate the vast majority of data required for the Performance Board presentations.
Performance presentations to Performance Board	Yes	Every month each SMT member presents a set of slides to the Performance Board on the performance of their service. Presentations alternate on a monthly basis. In the first month they cover general performance. In the second month they cover financial performance.
Performance reporting	Yes	Monthly performance monitoring of management indicators, progress against projects and action plans is in place through the Performance Board. A corporate performance pack is produced each quarter for Cabinet.
Personal Development Plans	Yes	As part of the appraisal process all officers have a Personal Development Plan which is then discussed at performance reviews.
Policy Board	Yes	SMT Board that shapes and sets the policy framework and operating arrangements for the council.
Processes for dealing with competing demands within the community	Yes	The council undertook a consultation on the spending priorities for Thanet District Council.
Professional body guidance documents (eg CIPFA)	Yes	There are various professional bodies across the authority and these can be viewed upon request.
Public consultation and engagement	Yes	The council regularly communicates, engages and consults on the services it provides to ensure that our customers, local residents, partners and staff have an opportunity to have their say on the planning, delivery and improvement of our services. All consultation is identified from objectives set out in the Service Plans and links directly to Thanet District Council’s Corporate Plan and Vision. Each consultation is carried out in accordance with the council’s corporate consultation guide and is fully evaluated on completion. The council carries out a regular programme of consultation each year with its residents which is used to identify priorities for the council to measure satisfaction. As well as this regular programme of consultation, the council also carries out ad-hoc consultation in response to one off campaigns or initiatives. Some consultations are full community wide campaigns ensuring the council engages with a wide audience across the whole of Thanet. Other consultations are targeted specifically to certain groups/council customers. Consultations completed so far: Article 4 Directives HMO Air Quality Monitoring area extension How the council communicates with residents Gateway customer satisfaction (carried out every 6 months) Consultations on-going: Margate Football Club proposals Asset Management consultations Community Safety Open Forums Gateway customer satisfaction (carried out every 6 months) Consultations still to be carried out this year: Budget Night time flying Extension to Cliftonville Conservation Area Corporate Plan Housing Strategy
Public meetings	Yes	Detailed within the Constitution - members of the public and press may only be excluded either in accordance with the Access to Information Rules in Part 4 of this Constitution or Rule 28 (Disturbance by Public). In the case of Planning Committee, for important cases, extra rooms are made available with a live televised link.
Publication of Senior Management Team pay and member allowances	Yes	The council publishes information about the salaries and expenses of the Chief Executive and other members of the Senior Management Team. The job purpose and principle duties and accountabilities of all Senior Management Team and statutory appointments are also published. Member allowances are also published in accordance with Regulation 15(3) of the Local Authorities (Member Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 in respect of basic, special responsibility, co-optees’, travelling and subsistence and dependant carers’ allowances.
Publication Scheme	Yes	The Publication Scheme sets out the classes of information which Thanet District Council publishes, or intends to publish, which has been approved by the Information Commissioner. The Publication Scheme lists: How to get hold of information, Indicates if there is a charge for information. The Publication Scheme is regularly reviewed and updated as new items are published. More information is added as we understand better what information is wanted.
Record of decision making and supporting materials	Yes	Thanet Council's Democratic Services Unit is responsible for maintaining the minutes of Council and other committee meetings as a true record of past decisions.
Register of Interests	Yes	There is a process in place for members and officers to declare an interest which could bring about a conflict with the council’s interests.
Regular reporting to the council	Yes	Thanet District Council holds meetings on a regular basis which are minuted as a true record of proceedings.
Report of Ombudsmen findings	Yes	An annual report is presented to Senior Management Team on the findings of Ombudsmen complaints and is published on the council’s website.
Report template	Yes	A report template is in place for Thanet District Council which requests the author to consider legal, governance and financial implications.
Reports to members / officers on financial matters	Yes	Financial Services report on a regular basis to SMT and Cabinet on financial matters, including significant variances which are clearly identified in these reports.
Residents panels	Yes	Community Matters is a consultative panel of Thanet residents, which aims to give local people a chance to have their say about life in the District and about local public services. Thanet District Council sets up and runs the panel. The former Residents’ Panel has run for five years and is currently being refreshed in line with best practice. This is to ensure that its members are still as statistically representative of Thanet and to give more residents the opportunity to get involved. A core group of 150 members from the former panel have agreed to be kept on as an ‘experts panel’.
Risk Management Process	Yes	The council has a Risk Management Process in place which is reviewed on an annual basis and ratified by the Governance and Audit Committee.
Risk Management Strategy	Yes	The council first approved its Risk Management Strategy in 2004 and since 2006 it has been reviewed annually.
Scheme of Delegation	Yes	A Scheme of Officer Delegation is in place within the Constitution which is reviewed annually.
Scrutiny Panel reports, minutes and working group papers	Yes	Thanet Council's Democratic Services Unit is responsible for maintaining the minutes of Council and other Committee meetings as a true record of past decisions.
Section 151 provision	Yes	Detailed within the officers responsibilities in the Constitution.
Senior Management Team	Yes	From May 2011 the Senior Management Team meetings were changed. SMT meet every Tuesday, the first part of the meeting is dedicated to ‘Information Exchange / Urgent Business’ and is then followed by an SMT Board which meet on a rotational basis. The Boards are: Governance Board Improvement Board Performance Board Policy Board
Senior Management Team / Cabinet	Yes	Provides a regular opportunity to discuss emerging issues, matters of importance and urgent decisions with Cabinet Members.
Service Plans	Yes	Service Plans are in place, they are reviewed annually in line with the Corporate Plan refresh and budget setting process. The Service Planning process is being reviewed for 2011/12 and service aims, actions and performance indicators will be captured and monitored through the performance system.
Single Data List (previously National indicators)	Yes	There is no longer a national indicator set (it was removed in March 2011). A minority of indicators from this set were carried forward to the Single Data List for local government. Unless identified specifically by services as being useful management indicators, the items on the single data list are not used by TDC for performance management purposes. The list is purely used to help us identify the returns we need to make to central government.
Staff and member development briefings	Yes	Staff development sessions take place on a monthly basis, with member sessions every quarter. In addition to this, training is delivered to members of the Governance and Audit Committee on finance, risk and governance issues.
Staff conference	No	Following consultation with staff, the current format for the annual staff conference has been discontinued. A new approach is now under review as part of the Internal Communications Strategy.
Staff consultations	Yes	Staff are consulted on specific issues, projects and initiatives on an on-going basis. Consultations are generally carried out by an online survey or staff poll (on TOM) although paper copies of each survey are always available on request and are promoted to those staff without access to computers. Consultations include regular surveys as well as one off surveys. Major public consultations are also promoted to TDC staff as part of a regular update in the staff information sessions. A staff survey is currently undertaken annually which will be delivered by the East Kent HR Partnership.
Stakeholders’ forums’ terms of reference	Yes	The council has revised it’s framework and membership for progressing equalities, which has been agreed by the Senior Management Team.
Standing Orders	Yes	Prescribed and other Standing Orders are detailed in the Constitution.
Star Chamber	Yes	Star Chamber sessions were held in July-September 2011 where service managers were asked to justify their service. They were asked about every part of their spending, where service cuts could be made and whether their service could be delivered in a different way. An action plan has been developed from the Star Chamber meetings and managers will be required to implement the actions that they have been allocated.
State of the District report	Yes	A ‘State of the District’ report has been compiled which summarises recent data for key indicators of social wellbeing in Thanet, comparing the most recently available data with other districts and county averages. The information in the report requires updating and we aim to add other new data sources into the report. We are hoping to develop a single approach to publishing the results of the report on the Thanet website within the next year.
Statement of Accounts	Yes	The Statement of Accounts are approved by the Governance and Audit Committee. This meets the statutory requirement under the Accounts and Audit Regulations. Anticipated future requirements for the financial position of the council are published in the annual budget and Medium Term Financial Plan.
Statutory reports	Yes	Statutory reports can be viewed through the council's agenda and minutes page.
Sustainable Community Strategy	Yes	A Sustainable Community Strategy for East Kent, was adopted by the council.
Talent management programme	No	The council has commissioned the EK HR Partnership to provide a talent management programme for Senior Management. This will be delivered during 2012/13.
Thanet Compact	Yes	The Compact provides a framework for improving working relations between local public and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations to strengthen relationships between partners for mutual advantage by establishing codes of practice that set out what partners can expect from each other. By following the codes and working within the “spirit” of the Compact, partner relations will change for the better and it will improve how partners engage, behave and work together at individual, organisational and partnership level. The Thanet Compact was developed jointly by Thanet District Council and its statutory and third sector partners to improve the way the two sectors work together. It was refreshed in 2010 following the General Election to incorporate the Big Society ethos. The Compact contains commitments and undertakings by both sectors on how they will work together more effectively. The Thanet Compact is now facilitated by Thanet Voluntary Community Sector Forum (TVCSF).
Thanet Community Safety Partnership Open Forums	Yes	Thanet Community Safety Partnership have a statutory duty to consult with local people on crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder issues. In April 2011 the partnerships engagement plan was changed with Partners and Communities Together Panels (PACT) being replaced by one quarterly open forum headed by senior managers, along with four regional neighbourhood panels. Every panel has a police lead and a council officer lead and at all of the four panels elected members also attend. Representation from other partners such as Kent Fire and Rescue Service, local youth groups or officers from other police or council departments are invited by the lead officer to attend the panels when there is a need resulting from a particular issue.
Thanet Community Safety Plan	Yes	Annual plan setting out achievements and priorities for tackling anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, managing offenders and public safety.
Thanet Strategy	Yes	This strategy details the council’s priorities and core values for taking the council to a new level.
Thanet Vision 2030	Yes	This document sets out future plans for what Thanet will look and be like in 2030. It was consulted on widely with TDC staff and members, the residents’ panel, TDC partners and stakeholders including Kent County Council, Police, NHS, Manston Airport, Highways Agency and Transeuropa.
Trade Union recognition agreement	Yes	This agreement recognises GMB and Unison for the purpose of collective bargaining, and has been approved by CMT. The council complies with legislation on collective and individual consultation.
Training Development Plan for members and officers	Yes Yes	Member Briefing sessions are programmed on a quarterly basis to ensure issues such as equalities, child protection and other governance processes are communicated as necessary to members. Proposals for a learning and development programme for Members are being developed by Democratic Services. The Senior Management Team have agreed post entry requirements for 2011. Personal development needs are discussed at Appraisal. Other training drivers, such as strategic priorities and legislative requirements are utilised to inform the council’s corporate training requirements which are then communicated to EK HR Partnership to deliver the council’s training programme. Additionally the council has undertaken an IiP audit which will inform the training delivery plan.
Up to date risk register	Yes	The council uses the JCAD Risk system which enables officers to take responsibility for risks and control measures assigned to them and review these on a regular basis. Periodic workshops are held to refresh managers understanding of risk management and to challenge / update the corporate risk register.
Use of ‘legal’ and ‘financial’ implications in report	Yes	The council has a report template in place, and also guidance notes to help with the report writing process. There is a process in place for the Finance and Legal Departments demonstrate that they have been consulted upon and have signed off the report. Such consultation is mandatory for all executive decisions.
Value for Money (Efficiency) Strategy	Yes	A Value for Money (Efficiency) Strategy has been approved that outlines the steps that will be taken over the medium term to maximise the gains realisable from efficiency measures, and to provide evidence of the council’s performance in achieving Value for Money. Such an approach will strengthen the council’s corporate processes for managing its resources and achieving value for money that will bring benefits to the cost and quality of the services it delivers.
Value for Money audits	Yes	In addition to key control audits the East Kent Audit Partnership have been carrying out Value for Money audits.
Whistleblowing Code	Yes	The council has a Whistleblowing Code in place that is proactively communicated to staff, members and those contracting with the council.
You Said, We Did	Yes	Service improvements are taking place as a direct result of customer feedback received and are published on the Web and Members Portal.
Your Services – Your Council Tax publication	Yes	A collaborative document produced by district councils, including Thanet, which also featured information from the Fire Service and Police on Council Tax spend.