Venue: Bourges/Viersen Room - Town Hall
Contact: Karen S Dunleavy; Governance Officer
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Apologies Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Sandford.
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Declarations of Interest At this point Members must declare whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest, or other interest, in any of the items on the agenda, unless it is already entered in the register of members’ interests or is a “pending notification “ that has been disclosed to the Solicitor to the Council. Members must also declare if they are subject to their party group whip in relation to any items under consideration.
Minutes: There were no declarations of interest or whipping declarations.
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting |
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Minutes of the Meeting Held on 6 June 2013 PDF 66 KB Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2013, were approved as an accurate and true record.
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Minutes of the Meeting Held on 24 June 2013 PDF 100 KB Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 24 June 2013, were approved as an accurate and true record.
It was agreed that item 9 would be discussed next
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Risk Management: Strategic Risks PDF 62 KB To receive an update on the strategic risks for the Council
Additional documents: Minutes: The Resilience Service Manager introduced a report on Risk Management (RM) and Business Continuity (BC), which had recently been approved by Corporate Management Team (CMT). In addition, Members were advised that there had been a number of new diagrams included within the Risk Management Policy.
The key points within the report included:
The Resilience Services Manager, Head of Legal Services and Head of Strategic Finance responded to comments, concerns and questions raised by Members. In summary the comments and responses included:
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The Invest to Save Scheme PDF 99 KB Minutes: The Head of Legal Services introduced a report regarding projects that were funded through the Invest to Save Scheme and the principles followed in terms of allocating the funding. The Committee was also advised that there were numerous budget setting rules that the Council had to follow which had included the Council’s ability to do anything under the General Power of Competence.
The following key points within the report included:
The Head of Legal Services and Head of Strategic Finance responded to comments and questions raised by Members. In summary the responses included:
ACTION AGREED:
The Committee:
· Reviewed the update provided in respect of the Invest to Save Scheme’s decision making process; and · Considered guidance on the Council’s authority to allocate money to projects such as the Invest to Save Scheme.
The Committee also agreed that:
The Head of Strategic Finance would provide Audit Committee with the details of the recent report submitted to Cabinet, and further information on the projects relating to solar panels.
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Revised Contract Rules PDF 66 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Head of Legal Services introduced a report to the Committee on the revised Contract Rules. Members were also informed that the existing Contract Regulations set out under Part 4, Section 11 of the Constitution were last reviewed in 2007 and needed to be replaced. There had also been some developments around procurement law, changes in the way the Council had contracted with and through strategic partners and suggestions made by Officers to improve service delivery. The Committee were informed that Legal Services revised the Contract Rules to improve Council processes for its purchasing, so that procurement was more efficient and effective. Furthermore, to assist the Council to meet the current challenges and its corporate priorities.
The Head of Legal Services and Head of Strategic Finance responded to comments and questions raised by Members. In summary responses included:
Councillor Lee commented that revised Contract Rules were very easy and clear to understand.
AGREE ACTION:
The Committee
1. Noted the contents of the report relating to the revised Contract Rules; and 2. Recommended that Council should be asked to include the Contract Rules within the Constitution to replace the current Contract Regulations
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Compliance Team Annual Report 2012 / 2013 PDF 75 KB To receive, consider and endorse the annual report on the investigation of fraud and irregularities for the year ended 31 March 2013
Additional documents: Minutes: The Compliance Manager introduced the Compliance Team Annual report to the Committee, which outlined the fraud and irregularity in accordance with the established Work Programme 2012/2013. The report enabled the Audit Committee to continue to monitor the Council’s approach to the areas for fraud dealt with by the Investigations team.
Key points highlighted within the report included:
The Compliance Manger responded to comments and questions raised by Members. In summary the responses included:
AGREED ACTION:
The Committee:
Received, considered and endorsed the annual report on the investigation of fraud and other issues for the year ending 31 March 2013.
The Committee also agreed:
That the Head of Legal Services would:
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Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000): Quarterly Report 1 PDF 77 KB To receive an update of RIPA during the 3 months to 30 June 2013 Minutes: The Compliance Manager introduced a report on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000) quarterly report. The Committee were advised that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) provided a statutory mechanism for authorising covert surveillance and the use of a ‘covert human intelligence source’ (CHIS).
The current investigation utilising RIPA powers had obtained subscriber details of a mobile phone number which identified the operator concerned and established a link with an unlicensed taxi driver. The files were submitted to the Legal Department for prosecution.
The Compliance Manager responded to comments and questions raised by Members. In summary the responses included:
AGREED ACTION:
The Committee
Received, considered and endorsed the report on the use of RIPA for the three months from 1 April 2013 to 30 June 2013.
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Audit of Statement of Accounts To Those Charged with Governance PDF 113 KB To receive the final Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2013 and the annual report to those charged with governance following their scrutiny by External Audit
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Executive Director of Strategic Resources introduced a report on the audit Statement of Accounts to Those Charged with Governance. The Committee was also informed of the changes that had been applied following the external audit, which was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Chris Hughes, External Auditor from PwC presented the report to the Audit Committee and invited Members to provide comments over the content of the report and any risks that PwC had identified.
The following key points within the reports included:
The External Auditor, PwC and the Executive Director of Strategic Resources responded to comments and questions raised by Members. In summary the responses included:
The Committee
1. Received and approved the “Report to those charged with governance (ISA260) 2012/13 Audit” from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the Council’s external auditors; and 2. Received and approved the audited Statement of Accounts 2012/13
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Minutes: The Head of Strategic Finance provided an update to the Committee on the action points that had arisen from the Audit Committee meeting held on 24 June 2013. The verbal updates included:
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Work Programme 2013-2014 PDF 51 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman of Audit Committee introduced a report on the latest version of the Work Programme for the municipal year 2013/2014 for consideration and approval. The standard report provided details of the proposed Work Programme for the Municipal Year 2013/2014 together with any training needs identified. . AGREED ACTION:
The Committee noted and approved the 2013/2014 Work Programme.
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