Issue - meetings

(a)       That the draft Statement of Accounts 2019/20 (which includes the Annual Governance Statement) be noted; and

(b)       That Members note the opportunity to discuss any aspect of the Statement of Accounts with officers or Audit Wales from July to September, prior to the final audited version being brought back to the Committee for final approval on 9 September 2020.

The Corporate Finance Manager presented the Draft Statement of Accounts 2019/20 (subject to audit) for information only at this stage.  These comprised the Group accounts, including its wholly owned subsidiaries, and the Annual Governance Statement to be considered later on the agenda.  The Committee would receive the final audited accounts for approval on 9 September, ready for publication by the statutory deadline of 15 September.

The Corporate Finance Manager and Interim Finance Manager (Technical Accountancy) gave a joint presentation covering the following:

·         Purpose and Background of the Accounts

·         Contents and Overview

·         Responsibility for the Accounts

·         Accounts Governance Group

·         Links to Budget Monitoring

·         Headlines - Council Fund, Revenue Reserves, Capital and Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

·         Changes to the Accounts for 2019/20

·         Group Accounts

·         Impact of COVID-19

·         Timeline and Next Steps

·         Impact of Earlier Deadlines

·         Clwyd Pension Fund Accounts

Allan Rainford asked about public inspection of the accounts and was advised that if such requests could not be accommodated electronically then an appointment would be made at one of the Council’s buildings, in accordance with physical distancing guidelines.  When asked about the challenges in producing the accounts during the emergency period, the Corporate Finance Manager said that agile working was part of normal business practice and that teams had adapted to an extension of this arrangement.  On the accuracy of figures, he gave assurance that there had been no change to estimating techniques and that the robust quality assurance process had been strengthened by other teams providing verification of figures.

Matt Edwards of Audit Wales gave assurance that there had been regular engagement with the Finance team throughout the process to deal with emerging issues in order to mitigate the risks and challenges arising from the emergency situation.

In response to questions from Sally Ellis on short-term debtors, officers explained that the figures reflected the position at that stage in the process.  The increase in the category marked ‘Other’ comprised an additional amount for Parc Adfer along with a number of individual debtors with low balances outstanding at that particular time.  On the NHS debt, the Chief Executive reported positive progress with the matter due to be reviewed again during the Autumn to enable the national pandemic to take priority.  The Corporate Finance Manager said that whilst that the figure in the accounts was the position at that time, an update would be provided in a written response to the Committee.

To prepare for the challenges around the 2020/21 accounts, Sally Ellis asked that the Committee be kept informed of any emerging issues to help carry out its role.  The Corporate Finance Manager advised that preparations were underway and that achieving the early timeline for this year’s accounts amidst challenging circumstances reflected positively on the process for next year.

In response to questions from Allan Rainford, the Corporate Finance Manager referred to the Council’s robust and transparent protocol for setting reserve levels, which had been maintained at a base level of £5.8m (around 2% of the budget) for some years and reviewed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62