Meeting documents

Audit Committee
Wednesday, 22nd June, 2011 6.30 pm

Place:
Civic Suite, Civic Centre, Southend-on-Sea
 

Attendance Details

ItemDescriptionResolution
Part I
97 Apologies and substitutions.
 Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Hadley (substitute: Councillor Evans) and Lamb (substitute: Courtenay)
98 Declarations of interest.
 The following declarations of interest were made:-

(a) Councillor Betson - South Essex Homes, Annual Governance Reports 2010/11 (Agenda item 4) - Council appointed member on South Essex Homes Board - personal.

(b) Councillor Robertson - (Relevant agenda items) - Non-Executive Director Affinity Trust/Relative in care home - personal.
99 Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday, 30th March, 2011
 Resolved:-

That the Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 30th March 2011 be confirmed as a correct record and signed.
100 South Essex Homes, Annual Governance Reports 2010/11
Business for item 100
Resolved:-

That the assurance provided by South Essex Homes regarding the operation of its systems of internal control/governance arrangements throughout 2010/11, be accepted.
101 PKF: Progress Report to Those Charged with Governance
Business for item 101
Resolved:-

That the progress made in delivering the Annual Audit Plan, be accepted.
102 Anti Fraud and Corruption Update Report
Business for item 102
Resolved:-

1. That the updated Anti Fraud and Corruption, Whistleblowing and Money Laundering Policies and Strategies (subject to clarification of the first example in the Money Laundering Strategy on where potential higher risk transactions could occur), be endorsed and referred to Cabinet.

2. That the action plan for 2010/11, be approved.

(ACTION: Head of Internal Audit)
*Referred to:- The Cabinet
103 Housing Benefit Investigation Team Progress Report 2010/11
Business for item 103
Resolved:-

That the progress report be accepted.

(ACTION: Head of Finance and Resources)
104 Final Summary Audit Progress Report
Business for item 104
Resolved:-

1. That the Summary Audit Progress Report for 2010/11, be approved.

2. That the updated Audit Plan for 2011/12, be approved.
105 Manager Assurance Statements 2010/11
Business for item 105
Resolved:-

That the results of the Manager Assurance Statements, be noted.
106 Head of Internal Audit Annual Report 2010/11
Business for item 106
Resolved:-

That the Head of Internal Audit's Annual Report for 2010/11, be accepted.
107 Annual Governance Statement 2010/11
Business for item 107
Resolved:-

That the declaration reflected within the Annual Governance Statement for 2010/11 and the action plan for 2011/12, be approved.
108 Audit Committee Annual Report 2010/11
Business for item 108
Resolved:-

1. That the Annual Report 2010/11 and proposed work programme for 2011/12, be endorsed.

2. That the report be forwarded to Council for consideration.
109 PKF: Annual Fee Letter 2011/12
Business for item 109
Resolved:-

1. That the Fee Letter for 2011/12, be noted.

2. That the Head of Internal Audit be requested to arrange for a report to be prepared explaining the fee setting process for consideration at the September meeting of the Committee. The fee itself would be considered at the January meeting.
110 Information Items
 The Committee noted the following reports:-

- CIPFA - Audit Committee Update.
- CIPFA - The role of the Head of Internal Audit.
18:30/20:50

Attendance Details

Present:
Cllr I T Robertson (Chairman), Cllr C W Walker (Vice-Chairman), Cllr M A Betson, Cllr P M Collins, Cllr J I Courtenay*, Cllr M F Evans*, Cllr B T Kelly, Cllr J McMahon, Cllr R A Woodley

*Substitutes in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 31
In attendance:
J Williams, S Ullah, L Everard, T Hyuni, I Ambrose, C Gamble, A Barnes (PKF) and D Eagles (PKF)

Also in attendance representatives of South Essex Homes

Business

ItemBusiness
100The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting South Essex Homes' key end of year governance reports.
101The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk on the progress made in delivering the 2010/11 Annual Audit Plan.
102The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting a progress report on the delivery of the Council's ongoing Anti Fraud and Corruption, Whistleblowing and Anti Money Laundering Strategies.

On consideration of the Anti Money Laundering Strategy and, in particular, the section of the strategy relating to the identification of risks, the Head of Internal Audit undertook to clarify the first identified example of where potential higher risk transactions could occur and inform Members of the Committee accordingly.
103The Committee received a report by the Corporate Director Support Services outlining the work carried out by the Housing Benefit Investigation Team for the period April 2010 to March 2011.

On consideration of the report, Members requested details on how the Authority compared with Thurrock and other local authorities against the listed Best Value Performance Indicators relating to the work of the Investigation Team. Comparisons were also requested on the amount of overpaid housing benefit recovered. In addition, Members asked to be notified of the recovery position regarding the three highlighted cases set out in the submitted report.
104The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting the final report on the delivery of Internal Audit's strategy and performance targets for 2010/11 and an update on the proposed Audit Plan for 2011/12.
105The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting a summary of the annual assessments completed by senior management of how well key business management processes had been applied in their service areas throughout 2010/11.
106The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk concerning the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council's systems of internal control for 2010/11.
107The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting the Annual Governance Statement for 2010/11 and action plan for 2011/12.
108The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk presenting the draft Audit Committee Annual Report for 2010/11.
109The Committee received a report by the Chief Executive and Town Clerk on the External Audit Fee Letter for 2011/12. The Fee Letter was circulated at the meeting.

 

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