Issue - meetings

To consider the management response to the 2012/13 Audit Findings Report presented to the Committee on 28 September.

Consideration was given to the management response to the 2012/13 Audit Findings Report which had been presented by the Councils External Auditors, Grant Thornton, to the Committee at its meeting on 28 September 2013. 

The auditors had given an unqualified opinion on the accounts and concluded that the Council’s arrangements for securing value for money were adequate.  The specific recommendations of the auditors were set out in Appendix 1 of the report along with the responses of managers which, in being developed, had paid due regard to the need for the actions to be robust, realistically deliverable within agreed timescales, and proportionate taking into account the level of priority.

In considering the recommendations of the auditors and the associated management response particular discussion ensued on the budget process, on which a resume was given of the various sessions and working groups held to date, and on governance and risk management arrangements with regard to the emerging Alternative Service Delivery Vehicles (ASDV’s) (Appendix 1, point 12).  The Chief Operating Officer reported that he wished to strengthen this management response by adding “That a report outlining the proposed governance and stewardship arrangements and particularly the overall control environment for the operation of the new Alternative Service Delivery Vehicles is brought to the Audit and Governance Committee’s next meeting in January 2014”.  This was agreed although a number of Members considered that there should be an all Members briefing prior to the next meeting of the Committee.

The Committee was advised that this was outside the remit of the Committee but it was moved and seconded that: -

This Committee recommends an all Member briefing on governance issues relating to Alternative Service Delivery Vehicle’s in advance of the next Audit and Governance Committee meeting.

In addition it was moved and seconded that there be a named vote on this recommendation.  The voting was recorded as follows: -

For the motion: - Councillors B Murphy, S Hogben, S Corcoran and R Fletcher.

Against the motion: - Councillors J Wray, L Brown and M Simon. (Councillor L Brown asked for it to be recorded that she had voted against the motion as it was outside the remit of the Committee.)

The motion was, therefore, carried.

The Committee then further requested that there be a report back to a future meeting on the terms of reference of the Committee.

RESOLVED

1.    That there be an all Member briefing on governance issues relating to Alternative Service Delivery Vehicle’s in advance of the next Audit and Governance Committee meeting.

2.    That there be a report back to a future meeting of the Committee on its terms of reference.