Agenda and minutes

          The Minutes of the meeting held on 23 November 2016 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

          The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided an update from Grant Thornton (External Auditors), regarding:

·       Progress made in delivering their responsibilities as the Council’s External Auditors; and

·       A summary of emerging national issues and developments that could be relevant to the work of the Board.

It was noted that from 2017/18, local authorities would need to publish their audited financial statements by 31 July each year, which was earlier than the current deadline of 30 September.

Georgia Jones, Audit Manager and Mark Heap, Engagement Lead from Grant Thornton, attended the meeting to present the report and then dealt with Members’ questions.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

          The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided a progress update of actions in the Corporate Risk Register 2016/17.

          The report outlined actions taken in relation to corporate risks for this year.

          The Board reviewed the robustness of the Corporate Risk Register and the adequacy of the associated risk management arrangements.

          RESOLVED: That the progress on actions be noted.

          The Board considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on the planned programme of internal audit work for 2017/18.

          A risk based Audit Plan had been prepared, designed to enable internal audit to deliver an overall opinion on the Council’s risk management and control and governance arrangements.

          A copy of the draft Audit Plan for 2017/18 was attached as an appendix to the report and provided information on the role of internal audit and the factors taken into account in developing the plan.

          RESOLVED: That the proposed Internal Audit Plan for 2017/18 be approved.

PART II

In this case the Board has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

The Board considered:

1)    Whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

2)    Whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

(N.B. The following Councillors declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following item of business for the reasons stated: Councillor John Stockton was a Governor at St Martin’s Primary School; Councillor Norman Plumpton Walsh had a family member with a business connection with Tiny Steps Nursery, which paid rent to St Martin’s Primary School)

          The Board considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, which provided Members with a summary of internal audit work completed since the last progress report in November 2016. The report also provided details of progress against the 2016/17 Internal Audit Plan.

          It was noted that a total of fifteen Internal Audit reports had been finalised since the last progress report. An overall assurance opinion was provided for each engagement. In addition a number of follow up audit reviews had been planned for the first quarter of 2017/18.

RESOLVED: That the update on progress against the Internal Audit Plan 2016/17 be received.