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RESOLVED That John Evans be duly elected as Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
RESOLVED That the Committee noted the update and agreed that the Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Governance and Audit Committee be the nominated lay representative on the Corporate Joint Committee Governance and Audit Sub-Committee, in accordance with the decision made at the Council’s AGM on 26 May 2022, and in line with the other constituent Authorities.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updated Terms of Reference.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee endorsed the Internal Audit Charter.
RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Internal Audit plan to 30 September 2022, and did not determine any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Counter Fraud, Corruption & Bribery Policy Statement and Strategy and the Counter Fraud Workplan for 2022- 23.
RESOLVED (a) That the Committee refer social care demand, financial resilience and phosphates risks to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further consideration. (b) That the Committee approved the Business Risk Management Strategy for 2022-25. (c) That the Committee considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and noted the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. Following an update as part of the Interim Head of Internal Audit’s introduction stating that the Corporate Risk Management Group had opened an invite for Governance and Audit Committee Members to join the group, Councillor Jacob Williams requested further information, which was provided by the Interim Head of Internal Audit. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group, and in his absence the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group and in his absence, the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Head of Internal Audit Opinion & Report for 2021-22
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Local Government and Elections Act: Annual Self-Assessment report.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Outturn Monitoring Report for 2021-22, and did not identify any matters which required referral to Cabinet or Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updates provided regarding the Annual Governance Statements for 2020-21 and 2021-22 and did not identify any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the progress of the actions contained within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan for 2022-24. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee agreed key observations and comments for inclusion in a progress report to Cabinet and Council.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the contents of the Compliments, Concerns and Complaints Handling update report, and the progress made in addressing the recommendations outlined in the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Action Plan.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales Audit Plan for 2022.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Summary.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the external report into Direct Payments for Adult Social Care.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee; (a) Noted the dates of the Committee meetings for 2022-23, and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2022- 23. (b) Noted the proposals for the training workshops in 2022-23, and did not identify any specific topics they would like to be included in future training workshops at this time.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee considered the proposed response to Audit Wales and did not identify any amendments required.
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RESOLVED That John Evans be duly elected as Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
The Director of Resources sought nominations for the role of Chair. Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved that John Evans be duly elected; Seconded by Norma Barry. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That John Evans be duly elected as Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
The Chair sought nominations for the role of Vice-Chair. Following a query from Councillor Guy Woodham, the Head of Law & Governance provided advice stating that law and guidance in relation to the Committee did not state that the Vice-Chair needed to also be a lay member, therefore felt it would be acceptable for any other Committee Member, with the exception of any Members of the Authority’s Executive, to be appointed to the role. Councillor Guy Woodham Moved that Councillor Jacob Williams be duly elected; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Jacob Williams be duly elected as Vice-Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Moved by Councillor Mike Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 March 2022 be approved as a correct record.
There were no declarations of interest received.
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RESOLVED That the Committee noted the update and agreed that the Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Governance and Audit Committee be the nominated lay representative on the Corporate Joint Committee Governance and Audit Sub-Committee, in accordance with the decision made at the Council’s AGM on 26 May 2022, and in line with the other constituent Authorities.
The Head of Law & Governance introduced the update report regarding the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. With no questions raised by Members, Councillor Guy WoodhamMoved that the Committee note the update and agree that the Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Governance and Audit Committee be the nominated lay representative on the Corporate Joint Committee Governance and Audit Sub-Committee, in accordance with the decision made at the Council’s AGM on 26 May 2022, and in line with the other constituent Authorities; Seconded by Norma Barry. The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee noted the update and agreed that the Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Governance and Audit Committee be the nominated lay representative on the Corporate Joint Committee Governance and Audit Sub-Committee, in accordance with the decision made at the Council’s AGM on 26 May 2022, and in line with the other constituent Authorities.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updated Terms of Reference.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the report stating that in accordance with the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, Council approved the new Terms of Reference for the Governance and Audit Committee on 4 March 2021. The content of the report and attached terms of reference was outlined and questions from Members were welcomed. Moved by Councillor Mike Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Guy Woodham The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updated Terms of Reference.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee endorsed the Internal Audit Charter.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Internal Audit Charter report, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. With no questions raised by Members, Norma BarryMoved that the Committee endorse the Internal Audit Charter; Seconded by Councillor Guy Woodham. The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee endorsed the Internal Audit Charter.
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RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Internal Audit plan to 30 September 2022, and did not determine any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Counter Fraud, Corruption & Bribery Policy Statement and Strategy and the Counter Fraud Workplan for 2022- 23.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Internal Audit & Counter Fraud Quarter 1 Update for 2022-23 report, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to some recent general press in relation to fraudulent activity concerning receipt of Covid related grant funding and queried if the Authority were monitoring this on a local level. The Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that the Authority were responsible for investigating funding which had been administered by the Authority, of which some cases were currently being investigated and confirmed that the matter formed part of the forward work programme. · Norma Barry made reference to the referral outlined for fraud and irregularity, where there was no evidence base, and queried what the resolution of the matter had been. The Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that the referral had been made by Welsh Government and following investigation, it was concluded that it had been based on reasonable assumption of which no further action was deemed necessary. · The figure of 4% of homes claiming a single person council tax discount fraudulently was highlighted and Normal Barry queried if the time officers spend dealing with such matters was measured, although noted that the income generation of the 4% would be minimal. The Interim Head of Internal Audit stated that on this occasion, the work was outsourced to a 3rd party and the Director of Resources added that the Authority had to weigh up the value for money benefits whilst also taking into consideration the moral grounds of such activity. · The Chair referred to the highlighted resourcing issues within the Audit team and queried as to whether HR had considered an apprenticeship scheme for the roles. The Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that HR had explored all avenues. An update was provided on a number of roles allocated earlier in the year of which the successful candidates were currently progressing through an intensive work training plan. It was stated that members of the team were always being progressed and skills gaps assessed. Moved by Councillor Mike Stoddart; Seconded by Norma Barry The Committee then proceeded to the vote, undertaken by way of a roll-call, which was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Michael James, Michael Stoddart, Aled Thomas, Jacob Williams, and Guy Woodham and Lay Members; Norma Barry and John Evans [7]. There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Internal Audit plan to 30 September 2022, and did not determine any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee approved the Counter Fraud, Corruption & Bribery Policy Statement and Strategy and the Counter Fraud Workplan for 2022- 23.
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RESOLVED (a) That the Committee refer social care demand, financial resilience and phosphates risks to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further consideration. (b) That the Committee approved the Business Risk Management Strategy for 2022-25. (c) That the Committee considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and noted the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. Following an update as part of the Interim Head of Internal Audit’s introduction stating that the Corporate Risk Management Group had opened an invite for Governance and Audit Committee Members to join the group, Councillor Jacob Williams requested further information, which was provided by the Interim Head of Internal Audit. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group, and in his absence the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group and in his absence, the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit outlined the Business Risk Management Strategy for 2022-25 and Business Risk Management Update for Quarter 1 of 2022-23. The Committee debated the contents of the strategy and Corporate Risk Register and the key points werehighlighted as follows: · The Chair made reference to the newly recruited Strategic Risk Manager, noting her previous employment with Dyfed Powys Police, and queried how the force ranked, in terms of risk management, in comparison to other forces across the U.K. The Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that such matters were outside of the Committees remit. · Norma Barry commented that she felt the strategy was a sound document although stated that clear differentation between the aims and objectives would be beneficial. · Reference was made to the Risk Register and Norma Barry raised concerns regarding the lack of dates and progress indicators for a number of the Social Care demand measures. The Interim Head of Internal Audit noted the comments and advised that if the Committee felt it necessary, individual Officers could be invited to attend a Committee meeting to provide additional information regarding the risks allocated to them. · Norma Barry made reference to the mention of ‘DTI’ as part of the Shrinking Local Economy section of the Risk Register, and commented that such reference was outdated and suggested that it be updated to refer to either the ‘Department for Business and Regulatory Reform’ or the ‘Department for Innovation in Universities and Skills’. The Interim Head of Internal Audit noted the proposed alteration and advised that he would feed it back to the lead Officer. · Councillor Mike James highlighted three areas of concerns rated as red residual risks within the Corporate Risk Register as follows; social care demand, financial resilience and phosphates risks and suggested that the three areas be referred to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further consideration. It was requested that matters regarding carers be specifically looked at as part of the social care risk due to increasing costs of travelling having a deteriorating impact on the service and it’s workers. · The Director of Resources provided clarification stating that if the Committee were to refer the three matters discussed above to be further scrutinised, the relevant Committees would be as follows; Social Care demand – Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Financial resilience – Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Phosphates risk – Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee · Discussion was had regarding the phosphates matter, and although the impact it was having on the Authority’s planning department and the Local Development Plan was recognised, it was noted that the matter was currently in the hands of Welsh Government, where it was being progressed. The Corporate Planning Manager advised Members that there was an existing multi-agency working group already considering the phosphates matter and was thought to include the Local Authority, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales and representatives from agricultural interests. Councillor Mike James commented that further information regarding the work that was being undertaken by the working group would be beneficial. Moved by Councillor Mike James; Seconded by Councillor Aled Thomas The Committee then proceeded to the vote, undertaken by way of a roll-call, which was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Mike James, Mike Stoddart, Aled Thomas, Jacob Williams, Guy Woodham and Norma Barry andJohn Evans [7] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED (a) That the Committee refer social care demand, financial resilience and phosphates risks to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further consideration. (b) That the Committee approved the Business Risk Management Strategy for 2022-25. (c) That the Committee considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and noted the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. Following an update as part of the Interim Head of Internal Audit’s introduction stating that the Corporate Risk Management Group had opened an invite for Governance and Audit Committee Members to join the group, Councillor Jacob Williams requested further information, which was provided by the Interim Head of Internal Audit. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group, and in his absence the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee be invited to join the Membership of the Corporate Risk Management Group and in his absence, the Vice-Chair of the Committee would deputise.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Head of Internal Audit Opinion & Report for 2021-22
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Annual Head of Internal Audit Report for 2021-22, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Following a question from Norma Barry regarding feedback, the Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that alternative methods of feedback generation were being considered by the team, from services they undertake reviews within, of which a number of methods were outlined. · Norma Barry requested further information regarding the asset management system valuations, to which the Interim Head of Internal Audit advised had received a moderate assurance rating as recommendations from the previous year had been implemented and improvements were being seen. · Councillor Mike James raised concerns that the rising costs and availability of building materials could add additional pressure to the delivery of the 21st Century Schools Band B Programme. The Interim Head of Internal Audit responded advising that the programme was continuously monitored by the associated Board and it had also been raised as a corporate risk therefore an assurance review would be undertaken within 2022 to monitor the affordability of the capital programme. The Director of Resources added that the Band B envelope had recently been expanded following the decision to fund part of it via the MIM scheme. · Following a clarification request from Councillor Mike Stoddart regarding Internal Audit Performance Indicators for staffing costs, the Interim Head of Internal Audit stated that he was not planning to spend more, as outlined, but the figures were in place to enable benchmarking to take place across Wales and it was noted that he was of the opinion that they did not add any value. · The Chair outlined areas of the performance indictors where he felt there was room for improvement, to which the Interim Head of Internal Audit agreed that there would always be room for improvements to be made and advised that consideration was being given to a range of approaches to improve productivity. It was stated that the main focus had in recent months been to assist new members of team in becoming fully skilled in the roles and reassurance was given that improvements would continue to be made with regards to the performance indictors through the quality assurance improvement programme. · Following a number of questions raised by the Chair regarding compliance with the Financial Management Code, the Interim Head of Internal Audit outlined the timescales and processes which are abided by and embedded when monitoring recommendations. Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Head of Internal Audit Opinion & Report for 2021-22
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Local Government and Elections Act: Annual Self-Assessment report.
The Assistant Chief Executive introduced the Local Government and Elections Act: Annual Self-Assessment report, and handed over to the Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager who outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Chair made reference to a statement contained within the report stating that the assessment was not necessarily about introducing new systems and processes but was about utilising what was already in place in a more coherent, integrated and effective way, and commented that it would be more effective to look at new ways of identifying step change improvements to reduce the cost of processes. The Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager advised that the statement was in relation to the process of pulling together the self-assessment and expressed that it was hoped, in time, that an effective simplified process for informing the self-assessment would be embedded. Moved by Norma Barry; Seconded by Councillor Guy Woodham The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Local Government and Elections Act: Annual Self-Assessment report.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Outturn Monitoring Report for 2021-22, and did not identify any matters which required referral to Cabinet or Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance introduced the County Council BudgetOutturn Monitoring Report for 2021-22, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Director of Resources reiterated that whilst increasing reserves was positive, the funding gap in the medium term financial plan would be increasing over the next four years due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, so a sustainable financial positon needed to be achieved over the longer term to address the challenges. The Committee debated the contents of the Outturn Monitoring Report and the key points werehighlighted as follows: · Following a comment from Norma Barry, suggesting that to assist with the financial challenges an increase in Council Tax should be considered, [See preamble of Minute 22 of meeting held on 27.09.22]the Cabinet Member outlined a number of factors which would need to be taken into consideration by Members over the next 12 months and recognised that any increase in Council Tax would create further hardship for residents within the County. The Director of Resources outlined an ongoing challenge that the Authority face with regards to assumptions Welsh Government make regarding Council Tax levels. · The Chair queried if it would be beneficial to ascertain areas of the Authority which were not in line with average financial levels of other Welsh Authorities, to which the Director of Resources informed Members that the Authority had already made a number lean changes and advised that areas of the Authority were now delivering services with a minimal workforce. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Outturn Monitoring Report for 2021-22, and did not identify any matters which required referral to Cabinet or Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updates provided regarding the Annual Governance Statements for 2020-21 and 2021-22 and did not identify any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
The Director of Resources introduced the Annual Governance Statement for 2021-22 and 2020-21, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Norma Barry raised concerns regarding the Planning department failing to meet 40% of the eight week targets and requested further information on the matter. The Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Resources provided further information, advised that improvements were being seen, and stated that the newly recruited Head of Planning was due in post imminently which would assist with continuous improvements. · The Chair made reference to priorities for improvement and queried why job descriptions would need to be updated, raising concerns that such items should have been embedded into the original job descriptions. The Director of Resources advised that on conducting a series of external service reviews, it had become apparent that for some roles it was not explicitly clear within the job descriptions as to the extent of the responsibilities required; therefore updates would ensure clarity of responsibilities. · Following a number of questions raised by the Chair and Norma Barry regarding the Business Process Re-design (BPR) delays, the Director of Resources provided an update stating that delays had been experienced due to a number of members of the small team being re-deployed to support the Covid efforts although assurance was given that staff would start to transition back into their substantive roles to enable the BRP programme to progress. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to an amendment he had made during a Council debate regarding cost benefit analysis of carbon reduction matters and requested an update on the resolution. The Director of Resources advised that he would liaise with the Director of Community Services on the matter and circulate an update to Committee Members. Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the updates provided regarding the Annual Governance Statements for 2020-21 and 2021-22 and did not identify any matters which required referral to Overview & Scrutiny Committees for further action or monitoring at this time.
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RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the progress of the actions contained within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan for 2022-24. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee agreed key observations and comments for inclusion in a progress report to Cabinet and Council.
The Assistant Chief Executive introduced the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan for 2022-24, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the plan and the key points were highlighted as follows: · The Chair reiterated comments made during the previous item of business regarding job descriptions and expressed that Officers taking on managerial roles should assume that management of budgets was a standard expectation. The Assistant Chief Executive noted the opinion and advised that the matters had been identified and were being resolved. · Following a suggestion from the Chair for the Committee to be provided with a monthly progress report, in the form of an easy read dashboard, the Assistant Chief Executive agreed to liaise with the Interim Head of Internal Audit to work out the most effective timescales to provide an update on the areas of largest concern. In summing up Members commented that the plan had been an informative piece of work with good progress being made across a range of actions. Moved by Norma Barry; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED (a) That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the progress of the actions contained within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan for 2022-24. (b) That the Governance and Audit Committee agreed key observations and comments for inclusion in a progress report to Cabinet and Council.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the contents of the Compliments, Concerns and Complaints Handling update report, and the progress made in addressing the recommendations outlined in the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Action Plan.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit outlined the Complaints Handling update and welcomed questions from Members. Moved by Norma Barry; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the contents of the Compliments, Concerns and Complaints Handling update report, and the progress made in addressing the recommendations outlined in the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Action Plan.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales Audit Plan for 2022.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Audit Wales 2022 Audit Plan and outlined the main points. The Chair welcomed the Performance Audit Lead and the Financial Audit Manager from Audit Wales to the meeting to partake in the discussion and answer questions raised by Members. The Performance Audit Lead for Audit Wales reiterated that the Chair of the Committee would receive quarterly updates from Audit Wales, Care Inspectorate Wales and Estyn outlining the progress of work. Moved by Councillor Mike Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Guy Woodham The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales Audit Plan for 2022.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Summary.
Alison Lewis, Performance Audit Lead for Audit Wales introduced the Audit Summary for 2021 for Pembrokeshire County Council and welcomed questions from Members. Norma Barry made reference to the action plans and commented that some Officer responses were more assuring than others regarding progress towards the recommendations, and queried if Audit Wales had a role to play in monitoring how recommendations were being taken forward within the Authority. The Performance Audit Lead for Audit Wales advised that the responsibility of recommendation progression lay with a range of groups which included individual Officers, the Authority’s internal audit team and the Governance and Audit Committee. Members were informed that Audit Wales follow up the recommendations which they deem the highest risk to ensure that they are being embedded. The Chair made reference to the Audit of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Accounts for 2019-20 and queried how the statement ‘the quality of the draft statements presented for audit on 25 July 2020 was generally good’ compared with other Welsh Authority’s as it did not sound reassuring. The Performance Audit Lead for Audit Wales advised that the terminology was standard of financial reporting and meant that there were no immediate issues identified and added that she was not able to comment on comparisons between other Authority’s, as reporting was not collated in a league table format. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Summary.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the external report into Direct Payments for Adult Social Care.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Audit Wales Direct Payments for Adult Social Care national report, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. Norma Barry commented that the report had been an interesting document and queried whether there had been any concerns identified where fraud was being committed regarding the direct payment. The Interim Head of Internal Audit advised that the matter formed part of the Authority’s forward risk register and would also be included within the Committees work programme. Moved by Councillor Mike Stoddart; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the external report into Direct Payments for Adult Social Care.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee; (a) Noted the dates of the Committee meetings for 2022-23, and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2022- 23. (b) Noted the proposals for the training workshops in 2022-23, and did not identify any specific topics they would like to be included in future training workshops at this time.
The Interim Head of Internal Audit introduced the Committees Forward Work Programme for 2022-23 and Members were asked to consider whether there were any additional reports they would like to consider. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee; (a) Noted the dates of the Committee meetings for 2022-23, and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2022- 23. (b) Noted the proposals for the training workshops in 2022-23, and did not identify any specific topics they would like to be included in future training workshops at this time.
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RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee considered the proposed response to Audit Wales and did not identify any amendments required.
The Director of Resources introduced the Audit Enquiries to those Charged with Governance & Management letter from Audit Wales and requested that Members consider the proposed response to Audit Wales. Councillor Jacob Williams made reference to the enquiries of management in relation to fraud section of the response and requested further details as to the potential contractual claim. The Head of Law & Governance informed Members that the claim was in relation to an external provider of the Council and that the matter was in the early stages so limited information could be shared at this stage. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Norma Barry The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee considered the proposed response to Audit Wales and did not identify any amendments required.
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