Issue - meetings

Prior to the Committee’s consideration of this matter, Mr P Yates was invited to speak.

Mr Yates referred to the fact that the Statement of Accounts had been published on the Council’s website two clear working days before the Committee’s meeting, whereas the Council’s Constitution provided that agendas and reports will be made available for inspection at least five clear working days before the meeting. He therefore felt that the Council had broken its own rules and that the report should be withdrawn.

The officers responded that Mr Yates had already raised his query with officers and had been provided with a response to the effect that since the Local Government Act 1972 did not require documents to be available to the public before they were available to Members, and since in any case there were separate Regulations providing how the Statement of Accounts was to be published, the legal requirements had been met However, the officers would consider whether any changes to the wording within the Constitution would be helpful. The response sent to Mr Yates would be circulated to all members of the Committee for information.

Mr Yates also mentioned the fact that the internal audit report to the Committee in June on Lyme Green had mentioned various breaches of procedure. However, no reference to this had been made in the Statement of Accounts.

The officers responded that this had been referred to in the Annual Governance Statement and that the wording had been discussed and agreed with the Audit Commission.

The Committee then considered the Final Statement of Accounts 2011-12.

The 2011-12 financial year had proved challenging. Overall, Services had overspent against budget by £8.2M. Since mid-year, remedial actions had been taken to address the budget shortfall, including a recruitment freeze, a cessation of non-statutory advertising and a cessation of expenditure on non-essential supplies and services. In addition, savings had been achieved through the restructuring of senior management.

Training sessions had been held with the Committee in early September, which had provided Members with the opportunity to consider more detailed aspects of the Accounts. 

RESOLVED

That the final Statement of Accounts for 2011-12 be approved.