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Board Overview

  1. Active Kent & Medway currently has a board of 11 members, who govern the organisation, which includes ensuring that it meets all requirements of Tier 3 of the UK Code of Sports Governance (the “Governance Code”). None of the board members, other than the Partnership Director who is an ex-officio member are remunerated for their role. The Active Kent & Medway Board met twice virtually and three times in person during the 2023/24 Financial Year.
  2. The Active Kent & Medway Board met twice virtually and three times in person during the 2023/24 Financial Year.In addition, the Board has two Committees. The Audit & Governance Committee and the Nominations Committee, each with its own set of terms of reference.
  3. The Finance Audit & Governance Committee met twice, and the Nominations Committee twice during the 2023/24 financial year.
  4. The Board saw some changes in 2023/24 with one member reaching the end of their second term and one standing down. We recruited four new independent board members. More details, including the names and short biographies of all board members can be found on our website. www.activekent.org
  5. Board members are formally asked to declare any conflict/potential conflict of interests upon assuming their board role and are required to declare any potential conflict at every board meeting. There are currently no significant conflicts identified.
  6. The Board provides robust governance, finance and risk management and strategic oversight. The Board delegates the management and day to day running of Active Kent & Medway to the Partnership Director and the staff team.
  7. During 2023/24, the Board was involved with the launch of new Kent and Medway Sport and Physical Activity strategy – Move Together. It has also overseen the successful application for additional Sport England Funding for the Sport Welfare Officers Project and Multi Sport Facilities Fund investment. (The latter being a pilot programme.)
  8. Active Kent & Medway’s vision for 2023/24 (and beyond) is “More People, More Active, More Often” with the focus being on tackling the inequalities intrinsically linked to inactivity.

Governance

  1. Sport England confirmed our ongoing compliance with the requirements of the Governance Code at Tier 3 (highest) level in December 2023.
  2. A Governance Action Plan is in place to support ongoing compliance.
  3. The Active Kent & Medway website contains links to our governance documents including our Governance Framework, annual accounts and key policies.
  4. Active Kent & Medway is hosted by Kent County Council (KCC) with delegated authority to the Active Kent & Medway Board. This has been agreed by both parties through a hosting agreement which was re-negotiated in March 2023. This arrangement runs until 2027. The host, Kent County Council, retains overall legal responsibility for Active Kent & Medway, but delegates power to the Board, with Active Kent & Medway using KCC’s internal controls, HR, IT, audit and finance systems.
  5. The Audit and Governance Committee reviews the organisation’s risk policy annually and its risk register at each meeting. Any concerns are reported to and discussed subsequently by the Board.
  6. The Audit and Governance Committee is also responsible for our Reserves, Risk Management, Declarations of Interest and Safeguarding policies.
  7. Accounts are reviewed at both the Audit and Governance Committee and full Board. The annual accounts are published on our website.
  8. The Board Skills Matrix has been updated as per our People Plan. It is understood that the Board should have the appropriate balance of skills, experience, independence, and knowledge as well as the support required to enable it to discharge its duties and responsibilities effectively. Provision has been made for revisiting the information held within the People Plan.
  9. There are only two positions on the Board that are not independent. These are reserved for the Partnership Director, who sits on the Board in an “ex officio” capacity and a representative of our Host Agency – KCC.
  10. The remaining Board appointments are recruited through openly advertised opportunities. When roles are available, a recruitment pack is available on our website and application is by CV.
  11. The Nominations Committee leads on Board recruitment. Its membership consists of the Chair, the Senior Independent Member and at least one other independent Board Member.  The Partnership Director also attends meetings. Recommendations from this Committee for appointments are then made to the Board for discussion and approval.
  12. We track both attendance at meetings and also length of service, with Board members being asked to retire or stand for re-appointment as they complete each term of 4-years of service (maximum 2-terms or 8 years). In exceptional circumstances this may be extended by a maximum of 12 months.
  13. The Board commitment to diversity is laid out in our Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan which is monitored by the Board and published on our website.
  14. At the start of 2023/24 financial year we had 9 Board Members, with a 56%: 44% male / female split within the board. We also had 11% representation from ethnically diverse communities and 11% with a Disability/ Long Term Health Condition.
  15. Owing to changes to the Board the annual self-evaluation of effectiveness was postponed until Q1 of 2024/25. The results of this will, once undertaken, be reported back to the full Board so any required action can be instigated. In addition, the Chair conducts individual appraisals of each Board Member, with the Senior Independent Board Member appraising the Chair.
  16. Where the Board evaluation highlights any requirement for skills development, this is addressed. We continue to promote attendance at Active Partnership Network and Sport and Recreation Alliance training events.
  17. If ever there was a concern about an individual board member (in terms of behaviour, attendance etc.) this would be dealt with by the Chair and Partnership Director and, if it involved the Chair, by the Senior Independent Board Member.

All governance documentation referred to within this document can be found on our website www.activekent.org