Agenda item

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That the Internal Audit Manager make representations to the Wales Chief Auditors’ Group, on behalf of the Committee, for all Welsh Councils to participate in the benchmarking exercise.

The Internal Audit Manager presented the update report on progress of the Internal Audit department.  No major issues were reported on the Audit Plan, which included some lower priority audits for possible movement if necessary.  Members were advised of reasons for changes made to the Plan since last reported and progress on the gradual switch to using integrated audit software due to be implemented from January 2015.

During an update on finalised reports, more detail was given on the findings of those with high level recommendations.  On recommendation tracking, whilst eight recommendations had been implemented, 16 remained outstanding, however 11 of these related to work on the Capital Programme and Capital Strategy which was currently in development.  On performance indicators, it was envisaged that the downward trend on ‘days taken for departments to return draft reports’ may continue into Quarter 3.  The Internal Audit Manager provided explanation on the reasons for this which identified one particular area of concern, however it was felt that the new audit software would help to improve the process.  The report also included benchmarking data for 2013/14 compiled by the Wales Chief Auditors’ Group, where Flintshire’s performance amongst the 15 Councils taking part was mainly above the Welsh average.  The one indicator where this was not the case would show improvement as a result of the changes introduced to the audit process.

As mentioned at the previous meeting, attention had been drawn to the new Whistleblowing Policy by highlighting on employees’ payslips in October 2014, although no new referrals had been received to date.  The contact details of the Internal Audit Manager had been provided should employees prefer not to raise any issues directly with their supervising officer.  Following a request from Councillor Alison Halford, the Internal Audit Manager agreed to notify the Committee of the number of issues referred through the Whistleblowing Policy, which was also available in the Internal Audit Annual Report.

In response to a question from Councillor Halford on the investigation in waste services, the Chief Executive replied that four employees had been subject to the disciplinary procedures, two of whom had been dismissed and one demoted with one outcome awaited.  The Internal Audit Manager said that in line with the request previously made by the Committee, a report would be shared following completion of the disciplinary process.

The Chief Executive made reference to the investigation into potential fraud on concessionary travel by a bus operator.  The vigilance of employees supporting the service and services elsewhere in North Wales had helped to identify this issue, which was now being followed up at a national level by Welsh Government (WG) as the funder of all schemes across Wales.

The Internal Audit Manager agreed to action the request by Councillor Haydn Bateman to view the final reports on ‘Repairs & Maintenance Procurement’ and ‘Voluntary Redundancy & Early Voluntary Retirement’.

On Section 106 Agreements, Councillor Halford raised queries on the progress of audit work, the review being undertaken by the Planning section and papers which may have been issued to Town/Community Councils.  The Internal Audit Manager said that the Chief Officer (Planning & Environment) had attended a meeting of the Committee to respond to issues raised on S106 Agreements.  He agreed to provide a response to the Committee on any follow-up issues and the queries raised by Councillor Halford.

In welcoming the benchmarking results, Councillor Glyn Banks asked if it could be made compulsory for all 22 Welsh Councils to report their results to achieve a more complete picture.  The Internal Audit Manager explained that this was an initiative by the group rather than by WG, and that individual Councils chose whether or not to participate.

Members were reminded by Ms. Amanda Hughes of Wales Audit Office that all Internal Audit sections within Councils were required to set and manage their own performance measures as part of compliance with the Public Internal Audit Standards.

In recognition of the benefits of all Welsh Councils taking part in the benchmarking exercise, the Chief Executive suggested that the Internal Audit Manager report the concerns to the Wales Chief Auditors’ Group and make representations for the remaining seven Councils to take part.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That the Internal Audit Manager make representations to the Wales Chief Auditors’ Group, on behalf of the Committee, for all Welsh Councils to participate in the benchmarking exercise.