Issue - meetings

To inform the Audit Committee of the statutory requirements to produce an Annual Governance Statement for 2022/23 (AGS) and to provide a draft statement relating to the 2022/23 financial year for review and approval.

Mr Minesh Jani, Head of Audit & Risk Management, introduced the report.

The meeting heard that:

·      The table outlined on page 27 of the agenda papers, attempted to show new values and behaviours in how the Council wanted to carry out its operations.

·      The two columns sought to define what the Council would do differently in all operations of the Council.

·      An update would be provided on proposed action plans outlined on page 45 of the agenda papers within six months’ time and may take longer to address fully. For example, the need for financial savings was something that had been ongoing for the past few years and was likely to go on for some years due to the nature of what the issues were and the financial positions of all local authorities. 

·      The second issue listed on page 47 of the agenda papers referred to a governance issue being raised last year. At the time, the Council were expecting the transition of Homes for Haringey into the Council.  The Council was not confident that it had all the appropriate governments arrangements to fully return Homes for Haringey to the Council to a satisfactory level. At the presentation of the last annual report, a number of failings within key operations had been identified. There was concern that when Homes for Haringey was transferred into the Council, there would be a number of services which were not performing as well as they could. 

·      Under the Audit Committee’s terms of reference, the Audit Committee could invite directors to attend the Audit Committee and answer questions or to present to the Committee regarding concerns in the three areas of the Committee’s terms. These were internal controls (how to ensure that business operates in a way that provided the right outcome. For example, the reports indicating limited assurance for controls were not effective), risk management (this allowed the Committee to request that the services explain how the risks were managed) and governance (the level in which the Council was carrying out its operations).

·      Members asked if it may be useful to have any significant issues identified in the report from last year be carried forward and were asked to note the update at para 4.2 of the report relating to significant governance issues raised in last year’s AGS.

·      The Chair could refer matters onto Chairs of other committees and to the Leader of the Council.

·      It would be useful to receive a report on risk management strategy which included an update (or a risk management strategy) on leisure services by the next meeting.

Councillors felt it would be useful to receive an update on Housing from the Lead Member or Director of Housing in addition to a report.

RESOLVED

1.    The Audit Committee approve the draft 2022/23 AGS, attached at Appendix A.

2.    To note the approval timescale and processes for the draft 2022/23 Audit Governance Statement.