Issue - meetings

This report summarises progress against the audit plan for 2016/17

The Committee received and noted a report summarising progress against the audit plan for 2016/17. The following matters were considered:

a)            Audit of PCI compliance. The Committee was informed that the Council was currently not PCI compliant but had agreed actions to become so. The required self-assessment questionnaire had been completed by the end of March 2017. Confirmation of third party compliance was due to be completed by the end of June 2017.

Voice recording of all customer calls had now been ceased to avoid the risk of payment card details being recorded. Following a question regarding this, the Committee was informed that the Council’s current system did not provide functionality for recording to be turned off mid-call if payment details were due to be disclosed, and therefore it had been necessary to turn off the whole system.

b)            Audit of barrier controlled parking project. The Committee was informed that possible typing errors in the key findings of this Audit report had been identified and that officers would discuss these with the auditor who had written it, to seek clarity. The errors were as follows:

·                     that the text “119k higher”  in the first key finding of the Auditor’s report should be amended to read “£79k higher”.

·                     that the text “This added £48k to the cost of these”  in the first key finding of the Auditor’s report should be amended to read “This added £11k to the cost of these”.

The Head of Customer Services and Business Support informed the Committee of the background and key dates of the barrier controlled parking project, including the reasons for additional funding having been required. The project had been initiated in 2011, and the Head of Customer Services and Business Support had taken over its management in 2015, following a review of the Council’s officer structure. It was noted that a number of lessons had been learnt from the implementation of the project and that it was no longer intended to convert the Depot Road or Upper High Street car parks to barrier control. Pay and display parking would be retained in both of these locations.

c)            Audit of Financial Management and Main Accounting. The Committee was informed that officers were confident that the Council’s accounts would be closed on time despite the current staffing difficulties experienced in the Financial Services team. It was noted that the Head of Corporate Governance would provide a verbal update on progress against the actions from the audit at the November 2017 meeting of the Committee.