Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Corporate Resources – to update the Committee on the follow up review of the Use of Consultants Audit, previously reported to Audit Committee on 19 April 2011.

Following the presentation of an audit into the Council’s use of consultants to Audit Committee in April, the committee had requested a follow up report on the implementation of the audit recommendations.  To enable this follow up audit had now been completed by the Head of Audit and Risk Management. Although the council were not fully compliant at the time the reports for committee were despatched as of   the 20 July, the council were now 100% compliant with the recommendations from the original report.  This meant that all required documentation to recruit and employ a consultant was in place for all consultants in employment with the council. The committee noted the SAP system had been updated to ensure that   consultants without a contract in place would not be issued with payment.   The Chair and Chief Executive had spoken with the services that had some documentation outstanding at the distribution of the report

Clarification was sought on whether the audit had included employees contracted to work for the council that were self employed.  It was confirmed that these employees had been considered within the consultancy scope as it would be necessary to have safeguards in place because of the risk to the council, for example, if they gave bad advice.  The chair recommended the need to monitor the classifications around employee terms to ensure  that different definitions  of the term consultant could not be used to get round the compliance to the councils agreed policy and procedure for the appointment of consultants. It was suggested that the committee could receive a 6 monthly report on the council’s use of consultants and other employees which were contracted to work for the council.

It was noted that there were a total of 13 consultants providing services to the council.   There had been 52 in place in November at the time of the original audit and 18 in place in April 2011 at the time of the last Audit Committee. There was comment about how the use of consultants can also assist with risk reduction as well as a saving for the council with the expertise and experience they may provide when this is not readily available in the council.  It was also acknowledged the need to ensure that  when this expertise was employed it was in the short term or for the time required as it had sometimes been  perceived  by members  that contracts were frequently renewed.

RESOLVED

1. That  the report be noted
2. That there be six monthly report to the Corporate Committee on the use of consultants and contractors.