Issue - meetings

(Chairman of the Audit & Governance Committee) To note the attached annual report of the Audit and Governance Committee for 2016/17.

The Director of Governance reported on the Audit & Governance Annual Report for 2016/17. The Finance of Portfolio Holder, Councillor G Mohindra thanked the members of the Audit and Governance Committee for their work throughout the year.

Report as first moved ADOPTED

RESOLVED:

That the Audit & Governance Annual Report for 2016/17 be noted.

(Chief Internal Auditor) To consider the attached report (AGC-002-2017/18).

The Chief Internal Auditor presented the Audit & Governance Committee Annual Report for 2016/17.

The Chief Internal Auditor stated that the Annual Report of the Audit and Governance Committee outlined the Committee’s work and achievements over the year ending 31 March 2017. The Annual Report helped to demonstrate to residents and the Council’s other stakeholders the vital role that was carried out by the Audit and Governance Committee and the contribution that it made to the Council’s overall governance arrangements.

The Annual Report had concluded that the Committee continued to make a real and positive contribution to the governance arrangements of the Council. The Committee’s key achievement was in the additional assurance provided for the robustness of the Council’s arrangements regarding corporate governance, risk management and the control environment. During the coming year, the Committee would concentrate on:

•           continuing to review governance arrangements to ensure that the Council adopted best practice;

•           continuing to support the work of audit and ensure that appropriate responses were provided to their recommendations;

•           continuing to help the Council manage the risk of fraud and corruption;

•           providing effective challenge, particularly to Officers, raising awareness of the importance of sound internal control arrangements and giving the appropriate assurances to the Council;

•           considering the effectiveness of the Council’s risk management arrangements; and

•           providing existing and new members of the Committee with relevant training, briefings etc. to help in discharging their responsibilities.

The Vice-Chairman commented that an Executive Summary would have been helpful, and requested that a concise Appendix summarising the actual audits/activities undertaken be added to next year’s Annual Report; otherwise he was content with the report. The Chief Internal Auditor reminded the Committee when questioned that it reviewed its own effectiveness, and therefore the value for money aspect of its work could be highlighted in next year’s Annual Report. It was the view of the Chief Internal Auditor that the Committee had performed a lot of good work throughout the year and the Annual Report captured that.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Annual Report of the Audit & Governance Committee for 2016/17 be recommended to the Council for approval; and

(2)        That the Chairman and Vice-Chairman be authorised to agree any further substantive changes to the final draft of the report prior to its submission to the Council.