Dorset become first county to meet Swim England's Governance Code for counties

Dorset has become the first county to meet the standards of Swim England’s Governance Code for counties.

The code sets out the requirements counties must achieve in order to show they are demonstrating good governance and have necessary and up-to-date documentation in place.

It has five requirements which counties need to evidence they are complying with. These include governance, welfare, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety and workforce.

Dorset is now the first county to be issued with the Swim England Governance Code logo and a certificate, which demonstrates their compliance.

Diane Gibbs, secretary of Dorset County ASA, said: “Dorset had most of the evidence required already in place therefore the process of County Governance was relatively straightforward.

“The Risk Register formalises what most county associations instinctively understand anyway but provides a document that might be useful for succession planning.”

Commitment to ensuring good governance

Chrissie Robinson, chair of the South West Region, said: “Congratulations to Dorset County on this achievement.

“Swim England South West are delighted that they were able to support them with evidencing their good governance standards.”

Lizzie Butcher, Swim England’s club governance and standards officer, said: “We’re delighted to see Dorset become the first county to meet the criteria of the Governance Code.

“We are committed to ensuring that good governance is cascaded to all our affiliated clubs, counties, regions and partner organisations.

“Clubs demonstrate this through SwimMark and Club Affiliation and it’s important they understand that the county working with them is also achieving the same standards.

“This helps to create a positive experience for all members throughout their aquatic journey.

“We’re working closely with the regions to help all the other counties realise the same achievement as Dorset.”

To find out more about Swim England’s Governance Code for counties, please email [email protected]