Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the Annual Improvement Report of the Auditor General which incorporated the first Corporate Assessment, and the Council’s executive response.

            The Chief Executive explained that the report would be considered by the Audit Committee the following day and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 16 April 2015. 

            Mr Huw Lloyd-Jones from the Wales Audit Office (WAO) was welcomed to the meeting and was invited to provide an overview of the key points detailed in the Annual Improvement Report and the Corporate Assessment. 

            It was noted overall that the Auditor General concluded that the Council’s track record suggested that it was likely to respond positively to the internal and external challenges it faced and make arrangements to secure continuous improvement for 2015-16.

            The Auditor General had not made any statutory recommendations with which the Council must comply.  Instead, seven advisory proposals for improvement were made, which were detailed in the report.

            The Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection and Leisure asked if levels of ambition were reduced due to the financial pressures on local government, would that be considered as negative by the WAO.  Mr Lloyd-Jones said if the Council provided details on the decision making that had taken place, and the reasons why a target could not be bet, it would not be.

The Cabinet Member for Education commented on the reference to budgetary control for out-of-county placements and said this was a volatile area and new placements into the County could not be predicted.

            The Chief Executive re-iterated that there were no new statutory recommendations.  The seven advisory proposals for improvement were already well advanced and he presented the detailed action plan for adoption.

            The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said the Council was proud to receive a positive Annual Improvement Report and Corporate Assessment Report, particularly following the challenges the organisation had faced.

RESOLVED:

That the Annual Improvement Report be accepted and the response attached for consideration with the Audit Committee and the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be adopted.