Report by Chief Auditor.

Further to Minute 5 of the Audit & Governance Committee held on 17 July 2024, the Chief Auditor submitted a report on the first Annual Report of the Audit & Governance Committee assessing how it had: complied with the 2022 CIPFA Position Statement; and discharged its responsibilities.  The Annual Report also included a self-assessment of the Committee’s performance.  The Annual Report was appended to the report and set out:

·       The Committee’s remit and membership;

·       Areas covered and work of the committee during 2022/23;

·       Training undertaken by members during the year;

·       A summary of an assessment of committee effectiveness carried out by Committee members and key officers with more detailed analysis provided in Appendix 2 to the report;

·       An update on progress since the initial assessment against the CIPFA guidance was carried out; and

·       Possible areas identified for improvement.

The report stated that the Audit and Governance Committee’s terms of reference had been amended to ensure they reflected best practice, as detailed in CIPFA’s Position Statement and associated guidance. This included the removal of the Committee’s delegated authority to approve the Council’s annual Statement of Accounts and that the Committee would report to Council on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations on the adequacy and effectiveness of governance, risk and internal control frameworks, financial reporting arrangements, and internal and external audit functions, and on the committee’s performance. Some areas for improvement had been identified and these were outlined in section 7 of Appendix 1 to the report. 

The following motion was moved by Councillor Emberson and seconded by Councillor Williams and CARRIED:

Resolved –

That the Audit and Governance Committee’s Annual Report, as attached as an Appendix to the report, be endorsed as a fair reflection of its performance over the 2023/24 Municipal Year.