| Number | Item |
| | Agenda Front Sheet  |
| | Agenda Papers |
| | Minutes for this Meeting |
| 1. | Apologies/Substitutes |
| 2. | Declarations of Interest |
| 3. | Minutes – To approve the Minutes of the Meeting of this Committee held on the 29th September 2015 |
| 4. | Part I – For Decision |
| | The report sets out findings and brief of the recent audit into the controls designed and operated by the Council to ensure it meets its safeguarding obligations. The report is marked as ‘draft’ in anticipated completion of the enclosed action plan but its findings and recommendations are accepted by officers. |
| | Safeguarding – Internal Audit Findings |
| 5. | This covering summary introduces the attached Annual Audit Letter from Grant Thornton (external auditors). Lisa Robertson external audit manager will be present to introduce and take question on the report.This year’s annual letter is short containing key messages to the council. It reiterates the positive comments made by the external auditors at the last meeting when unqualified opinions on the council’s financial statements and thearrangement for ‘value for money’ opinion were reported. A report setting out the results of audit certification work on the housing benefit grant claim will be reported at a later date though the work is completed and an unqualified opinion will be given. Audit fees payable are currently the same as the audit plan with the possibility of a variation for the housing benefit claim audit.The report contains two recommendations that mirror comments made at the last meeting when considering the audit of the financial statements. Both points are in hand and are being taken into account by the Head of Finance in the planning for next year’s earlier closedown. |
| | Annual Audit Letter 2014/15 |
| 6. | The report sets out progress against the agreed audit plan for the first half of 2015/16 including detail on audit findings and commentary on wider issues on audit and the service. |
| | Internal Audit Interim Report |
| 7. | Part II – Monitoring/Information Items |
| | This report updates on the progress made towards the areas of review highlighted by the 2014-2015 Annual Governance Statement |
| | Annual Governance Statement – Progress on Remedying Exceptions |
| 8. | The attached report is the latest general update from our external auditors Grant Thornton UK LLP. The report contains details on the progress of audit work at Ashford. In this regard there is one update to the audit of the Housing Benefit Grant Claim. This was recently completed following further quality review testing and we understand will be signed off and completed by the auditors as Unqualified without adjustment. This is a most welcome conclusion and testimony to the data processing and verification work undertaken by the service in processing several thousand housing benefit claims and changes of circumstances over the year. Grant Thornton’s report also contains summary updates from its national work and of relevant statutory changes to accounting and auditing matters. Most documents referred to have either been received by the council or are available on the internet.Not all issues mentioned in the update are directly for the Audit Committee but a good number will be of interest.There is a report elsewhere on the agenda providing an update of the position with ‘Local Public Audit’ following a recent government announcement. It is suggested this matter is further reported to the Committee at its March meeting.Pre- audit committee briefing sessions are a good opportunity to brief on some of these topics but with their number limited officers can provide more advice in topical briefings that can be circulated to the committee between meetings. |
| | External Audit Progress Report |
| 9. | This report has been requested in response to a minute from the December 2014 Audit Committee meeting requesting an annual update on the level of the Councils reserves. The Council has a policy to have a General Fund Reserve of no less than 7.5% of the councils Net Budget Requirement (approximately £1m). The Council also hold a number of earmarked reserves that are reserves held for specific purposes a schedule of these is attached to the report. |
| | Annual Report on Reserves and Balances |
| 10. | This report sets out the governance arrangements that have been put in place for the council’s companies outlining the relationships and structures that have been put in place to manage the Council’s interfaces with its companies.The report discusses the appointment of external auditors for the companies and the mechanics of the loan agreement that has been established with the property company. |
| | Reporting for ABC Companies |
| 11. | In June the committee received an information item updating members about the legal framework put in place and the options to become available to councils to appoint their external auditors at a point in the future that was then still to be determined. A copy of that main report is appended for ease of reference.The Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) has recently determined the timing by when councils must have newly procured external audit services in place. This report provides the further update. |
| | The Future of Local Public Audit |
| 12. | Report Tracker and Future Meetings |