Issue - meetings

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That the new approach of asking managers to attend the Committee be noted.

The Internal Audit Manager introduced the results from the Committee’s self-assessment carried out in February 2016 which helped to inform preparation of the Annual Governance Statement 2015/16 and any training/development needs of the Committee.  He thanked the Committee members for completing the questionnaires, the results of which were appended to the report, indicating the averages and range of scores given compared to last year.  In summarising the results, he pointed out the Committee’s increased focus on value for money as reflected in audit reports.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Internal Audit Manager explained that it was good practice to carry out the annual assessment, in accordance with guidance from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA), and to feed the results into the overall governance framework.

Following a query from Councillor Ian Dunbar on the outcome of the questionnaire, the Internal Audit Manager gave assurance that the results were noted and acted upon.  He referred to a number of concerns about implementing actions - an area being addressed by the tracking system on the new audit software - and the agreement for more managers to attend the Audit Committee to give explanations on non-implementation of recommendations for their respective areas.

The Chief Officer (Governance) advised that the findings of work on the Council’s approach to compliance would be reported back to the Committee as part of the Audit Plan.

Mr. Paul Williams questioned the need to complete the questionnaire if the results were not debated.  He felt that the results reflected the Committee’s ongoing concerns about non-implementation of recommendations which needed to be further explored.  In respect of the personal comments alluded to in some responses, it was his view that meetings were sometimes uncomfortable and that points should be raised in a valid way.  He felt it was important to note the underlying issues behind personal comments and expressed concern that the credibility of the Committee could be brought into question.

The Chief Executive said that managers of red risk reports were asked to attend the Committee to be held accountable for their areas and that this practice would increase to help raise awareness of recognised levels of responsibility and to give the Committee greater assurance on controls and accountability.

In commenting on this approach, Councillor Ian Roberts urged caution that managers being asked to attend the Committee should be treated and questioned appropriately.

Ms. Hughes felt it was a worthwhile exercise for the results of the questionnaire to identify any training needs for the Committee.

Councillor Arnold Woolley referred to comments previously made about the need to update job descriptions to reflect changing structures and appropriate training to enable roles to be carried out.  He commented on the practice at Standards Committee for a training session to be held before each meeting.

The Chief Executive confirmed that support and mentoring were available for transitions to new roles and that a period of adjustment was necessary in such periods of change.

RESOLVED:

(a)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59