Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received as listed above.

There were no declarations of interest stated.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting(s).

Resolved:              That the minutes of the meeting held on 15^th July 2024 be agreed as a true and accurate record.

KPMG Director Richard Lee and Senior Manager Robert Fenton presented the report on the audited Statement of Accounts and Year End report for the year 2023-24.

The Chair invited questions from members.

Cllr Stubbs commended the efforts to make those reports understandable for non-experts. Cllr Whieldon suggested that the long list of glossary terms to refer to was making the reading difficult and could be more thorough. Cllr Stubbs added that there may be a better way to present the Collection Fund figures on page 81 of the agenda pack.

The Chair noted that a non-technical financial summary was provided from page 17 to 21 of the pack explaining the report and giving a good overview of the figures and what had been going on during the year. In the past such summary was not provided. An informal meeting could be arranged to go through the figures in more details however this had been tried in the past and did not generate much interest amidst members.

Cllr Stubbs welcomed the suggestion and the Finance Manager (Deputy Section 151 Officer) confirmed this could be actioned and that the Draft Statement of Accounts report to the Committee on 28^th May 2024 provided a breakdown of the main parts of the accounts.

The Finance Manager (Deputy Section 151 Officer) also confirmed that whilst the accounts had been significantly decluttered in comparison to previous years, the majority of information provided was required by and presented in accordance with regulation.  

Cllr Whieldon praised the auditors’ work for including an executive summary and a glossary of terms.

The Chair thanked the auditors for their report.

Resolved:    1. That the final accounts for the financial year 2023/24 be received and delegated authority given to the Service Director for Finance and the Chair of the Audit and Standards Committee to sign off the Statement of Accounts once the audit has been completed.

2. That the audit findings report for the financial year 2023/24 be received.

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The Service Director for Strategy, People and Performance presented the Health and Safety Annual Report providing information and trends in relation to the health and safety service delivery for 2023-24.

The Chair enquired about the Bathpool park incident and line marking fluid. The service director clarified that there was a slight divot in the grass which could have been related to the weed killer contained in the fluid causing a trip hazard.

Cllr Stubbs asked if there was a pattern to be drawn out of the various incidents. The service director responded that there were quite different things, a lot of them having in common that they were located in the street scene.

Resolved:    That the content of the report in Appendix 1 be noted.

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The Service Director for Legal & Governance – Monitoring Officer presented the Corporate Risk Management Report on the current position in respect of risk management controls and identified corporate risks.

The Chair asked that an update on the risks identified be provided at the next meeting. The service director confirmed that the risks were being monitored to a satisfactory level and that an update would be shared with members.

Resolved:    1. That that there were currently 3 risks that were more than 6 months overdue for a review up to end of Q1 2024/25, be noted.

2. That there had been no risk level increases, be noted.

3. That there were no changes to the Corporate Risk Register, be noted.

4. That officers be advised of any individual risk profiles that the Committee would like to scrutinise in more details at its next meeting.

5. That whilst the likelihood of a risk materialising may be mitigated, the likely impacts may not change, be noted.

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The Internal Auditor presented the update report on the position in terms of Internal Audit for the year 2024-25.

Resolved:    That the progress against the 2024-25 Strategic Internal Audit Plan be noted.

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The Chair mentioned a training scheduled for July 2025 when the Statement of Accounts would be completed.

Resolved:    That the work programme be noted.

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There was no urgent business.