Roles and responsibilities
The core responsibilities of the functions are:
- Ensuring Council business is conducted in accordance with law,
proper standards, public money safeguarded, accounted for and used
economically, efficiently and effectively;
- Ensuring councillors and officers act lawfully;
- Forward work programming for all scrutiny committee activities,
sourcing and preparation of information for scrutiny;
- Horizon scanning the upcoming legislative programme, including
EU developments for impact on the Council;
- Monitoring Officer;
- Making information about councillors and democracy widely
available to promote public participation;
- Providing an efficient and accountable committee environment to
ensure robust and transparent decision-making;
- Providing flexible and responsive support services to equip
councillors for their various roles; and
- Representing the Council in legal proceedings.
Services
The Division comprises of:
Audit Services
Supporting the county council in delivering its objectives, by
providing independent and objective opinions on council systems,
including financial systems, corporate governance arrangements,
risk management, and performance measurement.
Democratic Services
Providing support to councillors and the democratic process through
the committee structure and locality arrangements.
Legal Services
Providing legal advice and services to other Council departments,
and statutory legal services direct to the public.
Monitoring Officer
A statutory role within the Council, with responsibility for
promoting probity and high ethical standards by Councillors and
Officers, and investigating possible breaches of these
standards.
Scrutiny Team
Providing advice, research and support to the Council's Scrutiny
Commitees.
Suffolk
Coroner and Registration Services
Responsible for recording all of the births, marriages, civil
partnerships and deaths which occur in Suffolk; arranging civil
marriages and partnership ceremonies in the county and conducting
naming ceremonies, renewal of marriage vows,commitment ceremonies
and civil funerals; and responsible for the Citizenship Ceremony
programme on behalf of The Home
Office.