Agenda item

To consider the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee’s Action List and Work Programme.

(Action List and Work Programme attached)

Action List

i)             Ref 1 – Future monitoring of use of balances to support expenditure

            It was noted that this item had remained on the Committee’s Action List for some time and that any relevant updates in this regard would in future be incorporated into budget/savings reports and the Portfolio Holder updates.  Members therefore agreed that this item could be removed from the Action List.

            Action: item to be removed from Action List.  

ii)            Ref 2 – Meeting start times

            Members agreed with the Officer suggestion in the Action List that the question as to whether the start time of meetings should be brought forward be re-visited at a later date, once future meeting end times had been monitored to establish whether there was any need for any such change.   

            Action: item to remain on Action List for future monitoring.

iii)           Ref 3 – Independent Member attendance and performance

            Officers requested, and Members agreed, that a report on this be taken to the first meeting of the 2015/16 Municipal Year.

            Action: item to be removed from Action List and added to the Committee’s Work Programme for reporting at the July 2015 meeting. 

iv)           Ref 4 – Audit Findings Report 2013/14 – Officer update on progress against external auditor recommendations

            It was noted that the management responses and associated action plan due dates in relation to the external auditor recommendations for the year ended 31st March 2014 were included in the Annual Audit Letter at agenda item 7.  The Portfolio Holder’s Quarterly Budget Monitoring update at agenda item 10 would also provide some relevant information in this regard. 

            Action: item to be removed from Action List as Officer responses provided in report at agenda item 7.

v)            Ref 5 – Audit Findings Report 2013/14 – Unfilled vacancies

            Officers advised that this was still a work in progress and that information on the number of unfilled vacancies and how long these had been vacant for would be presented to the next meeting of the Committee. 

            A Member requested that the information be issued as soon as possible, even if this initially included data in relation to one or two departments only.  Officers responded that they wished to ensure all the information was available prior to issuing this in order to ensure Members had a full and clear picture of the position.          

            Action: item to remain on Action List for reporting at the July 2015 meeting of the Committee, unless all required information available for circulation to members of the Committee any sooner.

Work Programme

Officers advised that they would be looking at the reports listed on the Work Programme to ascertain which of these were still relevant moving forward.  They would then liaise with the Committee Chair on any proposed report changes.

Officers added that the Treasury Management Strategy, Prudential Indicators and Minimum Revenue Policy Provision 2015/16 report which had been scheduled for consideration by the Committee that evening would, owing to report timing issues, instead need to be considered by the Executive Committee.  The Capital Programme would be agreed at an earlier stage from next year, meaning this report would in future be considered by the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee.

In response to a Member question Officers advised that for the past couple of years the draft annual accounts and governance statement had been issued to the members of the Committee at the same time these were forwarded to the external auditors.  This had allowed Members additional time to scrutinise these prior to the Committee’s final approval of the documents at the September meeting.  A Statement of Accounts briefing was also arranged for members of the Committee a couple of weeks prior to the September meeting, which provided Members with the opportunity to discuss any queries.  This process would continue and Officers added that the date for submitting the draft accounts to the external auditors might need to move to back slightly to July, the timings of which would be negotiated with the external auditors.  The external auditors stated that very few changes were usually required to the draft accounts.

RESOLVED that

subject to the comments detailed in the preamble above, the Committee’s Action List and Work Programme be noted and the amendments and updates highlighted be agreed.