Issue - meetings

This report presents the Committee with its annual Work Programme.

The Committee received a report presenting the annual Work Programme.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Work Programme Changes. A Member of the Committee stated that the Committee had agreed the work programme in February for the March meeting, and this included the External Audit Report. The Member queried who decides what is removed from the work programme and on what basis was the decision made to remove that item from the work programme. The Chair responded to explain that the External Audit item was removed from the work programme, as it was initially only included in case the February External Audit Report did not manage to capture everything and get the accounts signed off, as that was all completed in February, the March item was no longer needed. The Chair pointed out that this can also be understood from footnote 6, in the report. The Member expressed their concern is surrounding the Chair or Officers removing items from the work programme after it has been agreed by the Committee. They did not want items that had been added by Committee Members to run the risk of being removed from the Agenda without the approval or knowledge of the Committee. The Chair invited the Member to propose that a report be added to the agenda for the July Committee Meeting, asking SLT to produce a report on the external audit management responses. The Chair stated that the Committee can then decide whether they agree and if they do, the item can be added to the work programme.

b)            March Agenda. A Member of the Committee raised that they would like to know on who’s authority was the External Audit Report removed from the March Agenda. The Member stated that do not believe the report should have been removed from the March Agenda. The Chair informed the Committee that the item was removed on their authority. The Chair explained that there was nothing to report regarding the External Audit and that is why the item was removed from the March Agenda. The Chair explained that a report from SLT regarding the external audit management responses, is a separate item to the External Audit Update which was listed for March. There was no further update to be provided from the External Auditors, as they managed to provide a full update to the February Committee.

c)            External Audit Update. A Member of the Committee asked for the evidential basis as to why an External Audit Update report could not be brought to the Committee. The Member explained that they are concerned that future reports could be struck off using the same mechanism the External Audit Update was removed from the work programme. The Director of Corporate Services (S151) explained that the External Audit Update listed for the March Agenda, was essentially a contingency, in case the accounts were finished too late for the February Committee Meeting. The accounts were finished for the February Committee; therefore, the External Audit was completed. That is the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57