Documents
Agenda
Agenda Items
1
Apologies for Absence
To receive any apologies for absence.
2
Named Substitutes
To receive details of any Member of the Authority nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Committee.
3
Declarations of Interest (if any)
This item allows the Chairman to invite any Councillor to declare an interest in any of the items on this Agenda.
To confirm the minutes of the Audit and Standards Committee meeting held on 18 January 2016
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RESOLVED that the minutes of the Audit and Standards Committee held on 18 January 2016 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
To provide the Committee with a progress update on the 2015/16 delivery plan.
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The Head of Internal Audit Shared Services reported progress against the 2015/16 plan and highlighted to Members that since the last report a further five audits had been finalised and there were no high priority recommendations. Outcomes and assurance will continue to be reported to the committee until the plan is satisfied.
[10:38 Councillor Amos entered the room]
RESOLVED the Internal Audit Monitoring Report 2015/2016 be noted.
To provide the Committee with the External Audit Plan for the year ended March 2016 which highlights any risks for Members to be aware of.
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Members were advised that work was on track to meet the key phases of the 2015/16 audit delivery schedule and in fact some aspects of work had been brought forward to avoid a summer peak.
Members were reassured that although the MTFP gap had been identified as an area of significant risk within the report, the Auditors concerns had since been allayed following a meeting between the External Audit Partner, the Treasurer and the Chief Fire Officer. The meeting took place after the report had been submitted.
Some Members queried where responsibility lay with regards to governance of joint ventures such as Place Partnership Ltd. Members were reassured by the Head of Legal Services that the Fire Authority was already involved in the governance of Place Partnership Ltd. via representation on the Executive Board and it was expected that PPL would submit annual reports to the Partners. The Internal Auditor also highlighted that WIASS were preparing to bring Internal Audit summaries of Place Partnership Ltd. to the Fire Authority on a regular basis.
RESOLVED the External Audit Plan 2015/16 be noted.
To contribute towards effective communication between the Authority’s external auditors and the Authority’s Audit and Standards Committee. Highlighting areas where external auditors are required to make enquiries of the Audit and Standards Committee under Auditing Standards.
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Members were advised to note that there were no areas in the Audit Risk Assessment 2015/16 that were of concern to the Treasurer or External Auditor.
The Chairman queried whether it would be beneficial for Members to meet with External Auditors without Officers present. The Head of Legal Services highlighted concerns about this from a governance perspective. This would be considered further at a later date.
RESOLVED the External Auditor’s report 'Informing the Audit Risk Assessment' be noted.
To update the Committee with details of compliments, complaints and concerns made by the public about the Service over the past 12 months.
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Members were informed of the compliments, donations, complaints and concerns made by the public over the past 12 months. Reassurance was given that there were no significant recurring themes or trends in concerns or complaints to give any cause for concern.
RESOLVED that the the Annual Compliments, Complaints and Concerns 2015/16 Report be noted.
To provide Members with the draft Members Development Plan 2016/17 for approval.
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Members were presented with a draft Development Plan for 2016 and reminded that this was the final year in the three year Development Strategy. Members were advised that the focus for the next 12months is Firefighter Safety.
RESOLVED that the Member Development Plan 2016 be approved subject to the inclusion of the following additions;
Annual Member Code of Conduct refresher; and
Updates covering Strategic Risk Management and Business Continuity.
Attendance
Declarations of Interests
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.
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