Agenda

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the ‘meeting room’, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.    

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council. 

To receive any apologies for absence.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with under item 16 below).

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:   

(i)            must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and 

(ii)          (ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.  

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.  

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution

To confirm and sign the minutes of the Audit Committee meeting held on 18 January 2024 and 14 December 2023 as a correct record.

To review the action tracker.

This report provides key updates on progress of the Strategic Asset Management and Property Improvement Plan 2023-28 (SAMPIP 2023-28) and the associated action plans (Appendix 1), which capture the recommendations from previous internal and external audit reports

To receive an update on Procurement.

To receive an update on the External Audit Plan.

This report provides update to the Committee on the outstanding audits relating to the Council’s accounts for 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23. It describes the Government’s proposed “backstop” arrangements, and the Council’s approach to uncompleted and outstanding 2020/21 external audit.

This report provides an update to the Audit Committee on the Council’s treasury management activities and performance for the third quarter of the financial year, ending 31 December 2023,in accordance with the CIPFA Code.

The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving the annual internal audit plan as part of its Terms of Reference.

This report details the work undertaken by Internal Audit in the period 7 October 2023  to 31 January 2024 and focuses on progress on internal audit coverage relative to the approved internal audit plan, including the number of audit reports issued and finalised – work undertaken by the external provider (Mazars).

This report details the work undertaken by the in-house resources in the Audit and Risk team and communicates a quarter three update on completion of the work plan for 2023/24.

The Audit Committee’s purpose is to provide an independent and high-level focus on the adequacy of governance, risk and control arrangements. Its role in ensuring there is sufficient assurance over governance, risk and control gives greater confidence to all those charged with governance that those arrangements are effective. Specifically in respect of governance, to review the council’s corporate governance arrangements against the good governance framework, including the ethical framework, and consider the local code of governance.