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Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Chorley and YouTube
Contact: Ben Storey, Democratic & Member Services Officer Email: ben.storey@chorley.gov.uk
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Apologies Minutes: Apologies were received for Councillors Samantha Martin and Dedrah Moss. Councillor Russ Green was in attendance as a substitute for Councillor Dedrah Moss. |
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Declarations of Any Interests Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.
If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter. Minutes: There were no interests declared. |
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Minutes of meeting Wednesday, 27 November 2024 of Governance Committee To agree the minutes of the last meeting, held on Wednesday 27 November 2024, as an accurate record for signing by the Chair. Minutes: In response to a query, members were advised to contact the Head of Audit & Risk to raise any specific areas for further consideration or review by the internal audit team so that they could be assessed for inclusion within the next audit plan.
Resolved: (Unanimously)
That the minutes of the last meeting, held on Wednesday 27 November 2024, be signed by the Chair as an accurate record. |
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External Audit Findings Report Update Report of the Council’s external auditors, Grant Thornton, to follow. Minutes: The Chair invited Gareth Winstanley, of the Council’s external auditors Grant Thornton, to present an updated version of their audit findings report for 2023/2024.
Members heard that when the report was presented to the Committee in November, some work on the valuation of the council’s land and buildings remained outstanding so the updated report reflects the conclusions from this work. This had identified a potential projected understatement of £805,000, falling below the materiality threshold.
The Committee were advised that final stages of the audit work were progressing and should be completed before the 28 February backstop date.
A query was raised why corrections to the valuations identified were not adjusted. It was acknowledged that updating the accounts would generate a significant amount of work, and given the accounting estimate amount was below the materiality threshold and would have no impact on the council’s budget or day to day finances, a decision had been taken not to make the changes.
Resolved – that the report be noted. |
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Internal Audit Interim Report To receive and consider the report of the Head of Audit and Risk. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair invited the Senior Auditor to present the report which outlined the work carried out by the internal audit team against the current six monthly plan period. This included the outcomes of six internal audit reviews, each appended to the report, progress on actions relating to previous reviews that had been issued with a limited assurance rating as well as updates on the internal audit team’s capacity and new global internal audit standards that were due to take effect for public bodies in the coming months.
As a result of changes within the internal audit team, namely a retirement and recruitment of a new trainee auditor, the Committee was also asked to approve the deferment of the Treasury Management review to a subsequent audit plan.
On the new Global Internal Audit Standards, members welcomed the offer of a briefing for the committee to ensure a good understanding of the new standards and how they will influence the work of the committee.
A number of questions were raised in relation to the review of fuel management, which had been issued with a limited assurance rating. Unfortunately, the Head of Streetscene and Waste had hoped to provide a more detailed response but was unwell and unable to attend the meeting. The Committee were however reassured that actions to address concerns highlighted had been progressed, with further monitoring and a follow up report on the fuel management review subsequently requested for the next meeting. Furthermore, following a query in relation to health and safety measures, it was clarified that actions due by December 2024 had been implemented.
The Committee asked several questions regarding the review of CCTV. In response, members heard that all staff have completed the required vetting checks and all were booked onto SIA training, including a number of new staff in the team. Other actions were also in progress, including changes to the sign in procedures and how training was recorded and monitored.
Cyber security was raised, and what assurances there were that the council’s security systems were routinely updated. The Committee heard that the dedicated Cyber Security Officer, and other colleagues within the Digital Services team would receive notifications from a range of sources such as the Government, system providers or through networking forums. In addition many systems the council used could be updated automatically by the software providers as part of contractual arrangements in order to maintain the council’s protection from cyber threats.
The Committee wished to place on record their appreciation of the internal audit team’s work in presenting a number of extensive and detailed reports.
Resolved: (Unanimously)
That the Committee:
1. Note the position with regard to the current Internal Audit Plan; and
2. Approves the deferment of the Treasury Management review until 2025/2026. |
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Governance Committee Effectiveness To receive and consider the report of the Head of Audit and Risk. Additional documents: Minutes: The Head of Audit and Risk presented the report that evaluated the committee’s compliance with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) guidance. The Committee were pleased to hear that all actions identified in the last assessment had been addressed and that the committee was operating in line with recognised best practice guidance.
Further training scheduled for committee members on risk management and also treasury management were noted, with a skills and knowledge assessment commencing after these had been delivered to evaluate any other training needs that would inform a comprehensive training plan for the committee.
Members also heard that subject to approval by Full Council, the Governance Committee would be joined by new Independent Members to support its functions from May 2025.
To support and maintain its high standards, the Committee highlighted the benefits of consistent membership of the committee and reaffirmed its commitment to further training and development. Following a further suggestion, it was agreed that stability of the committee’s membership and it’s knowledge be added to the relevant risk register.
Resolved – that the report be noted. |
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Annual Governance Statement: Management Actions Update To receive and consider the report of the Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer. Minutes: The Head of Legal and Procurement presented a progress update on management actions agreed and included within the Annual Governance Statement.
Members were pleased that good progress was being made on actions highlighted within the report, but suggested a traffic light rating could provide a clearer position on current progress. On whether the actions could be ranked by risk, and prioritised accordingly, it was advised that all were of equal importance and sought to enhance the council’s governance arrangements.
Resolved – that the report be noted. |
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RIPA Application Update The Monitoring Officer will present a verbal report at the meeting. Minutes: The Head of Legal and Procurement and Deputy Monitoring Officer confirmed that no Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) applications had been made. |
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To receive and consider the work programme for the Committee. Minutes: The Committee noted the work programme for the remainder of the 2024-2025 municipal year. |
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Any urgent business previously agreed with the Chair Minutes: There was no urgent business. |