Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED That the updates provided be noted.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the work and activities taking place in the implementation of the Housing services’ decarbonisation of council stock.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted and approved the Revised Financial Procedure Rules.
RESOLVED That the Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Update report to 31 March 2023 be noted.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered and supported the approach outlined within the report and approved the Internal Audit work plan for Quarter 1, 2023-24.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. [At this juncture the Meeting adjourned for a 30 minute lunch break]
RESOLVED · That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed the Statement of Accounts for 2021-22 and the Tenby & Lower Fishguard Harbour’s Authority Annual Return for 2021-22 and had considered the Audit Wales Audit of Accounts Report and Audit Opinion (ISA 260). · That the timetable for production and audit of the Statement of Accounts for 2022-23 be noted.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales update on the Audit of Accounts for 2022-23.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the updates provided within the Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 and had determined that there were no matters arising that should be referred to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee for further action or monitoring.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed and approved the process and timescale for compilation and approval of the Annual Governance Statement 2022-23.
RESOLVED · That the progress on the actions within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan be noted. · That the key comments and observations from the Governance and Audit Committee be noted by the Director of Resources, Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Law and Governance.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales update provided.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment progress update.
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the dates of the Governance and Audit Committee meetings for 2023-24, and had reviewed and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2023- 24.
No declarations of interest were received.
Moved by Mr John Evans; Seconded by Mr Martin Veale The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 31 January 2023 be approved as a correct record.
The order of business was changed to the following order: Item 15 – Financial Regulations to be considered after Item 6 – Results of HR Survey.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the updates provided be noted.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the follow-up actions report for the consideration of the Committee. The Chair referred to the minutes of the WRW report and that he had requested that the contract procedural rules be amended to reflect the lessons to be learned by the report and queried if that had been completed. In response the Director of Resources advised that the actual contract procedure rules had not been updated yet because they were awaiting the change in legislation for them to be formally updated; however, the actions that would be included within the updated contract procedure rules would be happening now. The Chair stated that he was under the impression that there would be an addendum to the current rules to ensure lessons learnt would be adhered to immediately. The Director of Resources gave assurance that he would follow the matter up with the Head of Financial Services and ensure an addendum was added. The Chair requested that this be included in the follow-up actions. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Councillor Michael James The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the updates provided be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the work and activities taking place in the implementation of the Housing services’ decarbonisation of council stock.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Housing and Public Protection on the Decarbonisation of Council Housing Stock, following a request from Councillor Michael Stoddart at the Meeting held on the 29 November 2022. The Head of Housing and Public Protection presented the report highlighting a number of key areas which included the strategic context; funding; the Decarbonisation Work Programme for Pembrokeshire 2023 onwards; and the wider considerations in developing a Decarbonisation Programme. The Committee considered the report, with the key points highlighted as follows: · In response to a query from Mr Martin Veale on addressing training and skills issues, the Head of Housing and Public Protection outlined the training in relation to Council staff and referred to Welsh Government funding and the development of a training programme. It was noted that would also need to include looking at local colleges and the construction industry to meet demand. · Mr Martin Veale highlighted that some measures were physically prohibitive as referenced in the report and queried whether there had been a review on what could be adapted and the cost. The Head of Housing and Public Protection highlighted that there was a two/three year programme to review the energy pathway of stock. In terms of the balance of cost against the retrofitting of housing stock this could change over time and be done on a house by house or street by street basis. · Councillor Michael Stoddart raised his concerns over the cost of retrofitting houses and the difficulty of getting trained staff when it was already difficult to recruit and retain maintenance staff. · Councillor Michael Stoddart asked how many gas boilers were replaced by heat pumps every month, with the Head of Housing and Public Protection advising that she would provide that information outside the meeting. Councillor Michael Stoddart went onto raise his concerns about the unfeasibility of replacing all gas boilers and the impact it would have on the house building programme. · Councillor Michael James referred to match funding from the Housing fund and raised concerns on how that would impact future housing work. · In response to concerns over affordability the Head of Housing and Public Protection highlighted that a balanced HRA business plan was signed off on an annual basis, which was a 30 year plan. The decarbonisation programme had been integrated into that plan; however it was acknowledged that these figures would need to be reviewed once the implications of the revised Welsh Housing Quality Standards became clear. · Councillor Michael Stoddart highlighted a section of the report which stated that ‘net zero carbon emissions must be achieved for the housing stock as a whole and compliance by 2033’. He commented that this was totally impracticable and not achievable. The Head of Housing and Public Protection clarified that the section was a direct lift from the consultation document and that in relation to the concerns he had raised about the achievability these had been fed back to Welsh Government, with it noted that all Social Landlords shared the same concerns. · The Chair referred to the competing for resources in the supply chain in terms of contractors and concerns over inflation; and asked what plans there were to mitigate that, commenting that there was an opportunity for Pembrokeshire College to carve career paths for new skills in high demand. The Building Maintenance Operations Manager outlined the current ongoing work to establish a framework, which included discussions with the communities and housing investment consortium. He also highlighted that had been liaising with the Learning and Development Team in relation to various apprenticeships, opportunities at Pembrokeshire College and Green Academy Wales. · In response to a question from the Chair in relation to the capacity per house for solar panels the Building Maintenance Operations Manager advised that it was 4 Kilowatts per household. · The Chair then asked about charging of batteries overnight. In response the Building Maintenance Operations Manager advised that this was a matter that was being looked at and there was ongoing liaison with tenants and training of staff. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham; Seconded by Mr Martin Veale. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the work and activities taking place in the implementation of the Housing services’ decarbonisation of council stock.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Chief HR Officer presented the report, which provided the findings of the staff engagement survey. The Committee considered the findings of the staff engagement survey, with the key points highlighted as follows: · Councillor Guy Woodham asked about how staff well-being was reflected in the survey; sought clarification if the leadership team had been clearly defined as part of the survey; referred to the response rate; and commented that it was a good start, however, there was more work to be done and a need to look at how outcomes were measured. · The Chief HR Officer clarified senior leadership was defined in the survey. In terms of the 47% that had not engaged she highlighted that did include some staff who did not trust they would not be identified; however, she confirmed that HR only receive the outcome and staff cannot be identified. She hoped that by the next survey, which was recommended for two years time, trust in process would be higher. · Mr Martin Veale commented that quite often you only hear from people who have something to say and that perhaps the more disillusioned don’t fill out the survey. He queried whether it was representative of the staff as a whole. The Chief HR Officer stated that from the comments she felt the disillusioned definitely did respond and was truly reflective. She also commented that there was a positive commentary for an appetite for change throughout the survey. · Mr Martin Veale commented on the ‘What’s next section’ and that it would be interesting to see how that drills down into real change and suggested the Committee could have a more detailed conversation about the information behind the results in an offline briefing session. The Chair concurred and suggested that a small focus group could engage with officers to get a better understanding and provide some guidance. · The Chair highlighted his concerns over the way forward in terms of the leadership to fix the issues when the survey has identified low scores in terms of leadership communication. · Reference was made to the low score in relation to doing something about people not delivering in their role. The Chair commented that this indicated that HR were not using the disciplinary procedures in an appropriate manner. It was queried how many verbal warnings had been issued for performance in the last 12 months and how many staff had been dismissed in the last 2 years for poor performance. The Chief HR Officer advised that she did not have the figures in relation to verbal warnings; however, it would be under 5 Officers who had been dismissed in the last 2 years for poor performance. · In response to the Chair querying absentee rate, the Chief HR Officer advised that there was a robust system in place and that the Council had the fourth lowest absence rate in Wales. · The Chair highlighted work life balance and asked about home working. The Chief HR Officer outlined that the corporative directive was 2/3 days a week in the office; however, each team managed their own requirements, with hybrid model promoted. Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams; Seconded by Councillor Aaron Carey The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted and approved the Revised Financial Procedure Rules.
The Director of Resources presented the report, which provided the Committee with details of the proposed amendments to the 2018 Financial Regulations, which align with the Welsh Local Government model constitution and would be known as the Financial Procedure Rules (FPR) going forward. Mr Martin Veale queried whether there was anything to note of concern within the revised regulations. The Director of Resources highlighted that the FPR had been updated based on the revised model. It was noted that consideration of the CIPFA Financial Management Code and the FPR of other local authorities had been looked at. In response to a query on an explanation on the term ‘Corporate Managers’ by Mr Martin Veale, the Director of Resources agreed to add that into 1.1.3. Reference was made to section 4.7.9 of the FPR, where it commented whether approval should be sought by Council/Cabinet or Chief Finance Officer in relation to commercial investment activity. The Director of Resources clarified that anything of that nature would require approval by Council/Cabinet, and would go through a formal process as required. The Chair thanked Officers for an excellent document and highlighted the importance of ensuring all elements were communicated to staff and followed up with the correct disciplinary procedures where required. A vote was undertaken by way of a roll call, which was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Mr John Evans, Councillors Aaron Carey, Michael James, Michael Stoddart, Jacob Williams, Guy Woodham and Mr Martin Veale [7] There were no votes against of abstentions. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted and approved the Revised Financial Procedure Rules.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Update report to 31 March 2023 be noted.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager introduced the Internal Audit & Counter Fraud Quarter 4 Update for 2022-23 report, highlighting that since the last Governance and Audit Committee a Principal Auditor and Senior Auditor had successfully been recruited. It was noted that there was now a full complement of staff in place, which will allowed the Internal Audit Team to continue to deliver on their objectives and to provide an increased level of assurance to the Director of Resources in terms of the internal audit plan. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Concerns raised in relation to the Buildings at Risk Audit Review being deferred. The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager referred to the Strategic Asset Management Plan, which had only just been agreed and therefore needed to ensure that the plan was effective, with it included in 2023-24 Internal Audit Plan. · Mr Martin Veale queried the Social Services Debt management limited assurance and highlighted his concerns that a follow up audit had resulted in a limited assurance. The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager advised that Social Services Debt Management had now been put under the Director of Resources following a request of the Chief Executive. It was noted that the Director of Resources was monitoring the action plan, which was very detailed and the matter would be reviewed again by Audit. · The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager responded to a query about the reduction in the amount of internal audit time spent in comparison to last year, when there had been more referrals. He highlighted that none of the referrals for 2022-23 related to a Police Investigation. · Mr Martin Veale queried whether there were lessons learned in relation to the fraud referrals. The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager highlighted that whenever there was an allegation of fraud or irregularity, they were investigated and the processes surrounding those cases were reviewed to ensure lessons were learned. · Mr Martin Veale referred to the Internal Audit Plan 2022-23 attached at Appendix A and in particular the Culture, Ethics and Values Review, which had a moderate assurance. In response to a query about anything in the plan linking to the HR Staff Survey, the Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager advised he would look at the detailed report and get back to the Member on this matter. The Committee did not identify any matters contained within the report that should be referred to Overview and Scrutiny Committees for further actioning or monitoring. Moved by Councillor Guy Woodham: Seconded by Councillor Aaron Carey The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Update report to 31 March 2023 be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered and supported the approach outlined within the report and approved the Internal Audit work plan for Quarter 1, 2023-24.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the report, which outlined the role of Internal Audit and the approach to audit planning and delivery for 2023-24. The Chair asked what confidence there was that there was capacity to deliver the plan. In response the Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager outlined that it was challenging; however, he was confident that it would get a good level of coverage across the Council’s operations. Mr Jeremy Sanders responded to a query from Mr Martin Veale about a standardised approach to assurance categories across local authorities. He advised that the key was that members understood what the ratings mean rather than comparison across other local authorities. Moved by Councillor Michael James; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered and supported the approach outlined within the report and approved the Internal Audit work plan for Quarter 1, 2023-24.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. [At this juncture the Meeting adjourned for a 30 minute lunch break]
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the report, which was an update on the business risk management position of the Council at April 2023 and to highlight any changes from the previous position reported to the Committee at its meeting on 29 November 2022. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Mr Martin Veale highlighted his concerns in relation to risk control measures planned for to the Cost of Living information that had not yet been started. The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager advised that it was for each individual risk owner to ensure that those actions were completed and delivered on time; and that they were kept under review by the Corporate Risk Management Group. · The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager, in response to a query regarding homelessness from Mr Martin Veale, clarified that this was being looked at under Risk 3 - Supply of Affordable Housing, in the report. · The Director of Resources provided further explanation and assurance on the process relating to the corporate risk register on request of Councillor Guy Woodham, with it noted that it was a fluid live document. · Councillor Jacob Williams asked about capital financing costs and whether the financial cap was close to being breached. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance advised that the formula for reviewing the cap was used last year to increase the level and therefore the financial cap was not going to breached over the MTFP. It was noted that the Cabinet and senior Leadership Team were undertaking an exercise to look at the affordability of the capital programme. · The Chair asked for an update on the two risk control measures related to the Cyber Security threat, which had not yet been started. The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager advised that he would liaise with the risk owner and provide an update to the Committee outside the Meeting. · Councillor Jacob Williams referred to the risk control measure on page 110, which referred to risk workshops with contractors. He raised the issue of the fire at Manorbier School, which had been discussed at the most recent Schools Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the potential issue with a contractor and the cause of the fire. The Chair sought legal advice from the Solicitor who advised that the oversight of the ongoing situation following this particular incident would not be within the remit of this Committee. · Councillor Jacob Williams requested that an update at the next committee on contract rules be provided as a brief report at the next meeting as a matter of concern. The Chair referred to the Corporate Improvement Plan which specifically related to the contract procedural rules being updated and highlighted that the Authority were working towards completing the rules in line with Welsh Government guidance by April 2024; and that in the interim an addendum would be added to the rules. In relation to lessons learned from the WRW report he advised that had not yet been finalised; however, they would be done and a report would be received at the next Governance and Audit Committee on the status of the work on the contract procedure rules. Moved by Mr Martin Veale; Seconded by Councillor Aaron Carey The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the update provided on Business Risk Management and the contents of the Corporate Risk Register. [At this juncture the Meeting adjourned for a 30 minute lunch break]
The order of business was changed in the following order: Item 12 Statement of Accounts to be considered next followed by Item 13 Audit Wales Audit of Accounts.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED · That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed the Statement of Accounts for 2021-22 and the Tenby & Lower Fishguard Harbour’s Authority Annual Return for 2021-22 and had considered the Audit Wales Audit of Accounts Report and Audit Opinion (ISA 260). · That the timetable for production and audit of the Statement of Accounts for 2022-23 be noted.
The Director of Resources presented the report on the Statement of Accounts for 2021-22 for the consideration of the Committee. Mr Jeremy Sanders, Audit Wales, then presented the Audit Wales ISA 260 report for the consideration of the Committee. In considering the reports the key points of the debate were highlighted as follows: · Councillor Jacob Williams expressed his disappointment that the Audit Wales ISA 260 report had been a supplementary agenda published later than the main agenda. He also asked for more information in relation to a potential compensation claim of £1.4m mentioned on page 275 of the agenda. It was noted that further detail could not be provided due to it still being an ongoing matter, although the Solicitor confirmed that it was not a matter that was yet before a court. · Mr Martin Veale referred to the issues with timescales and made a comparison to local authorities in England being notified sooner and commented that the delays were not fair on the finance team, there being a need to ensure improved timescales going forward. · The Chair commented that some of the delays were caused by the introduction of the FIMs system and suggested a review of lessons learnt be completed. The issues were outlined by the Deputy Chief Finance Officer and that the supplier had not advised on what resources were required. It was noted that the same system was used at other local authorities. · In response to the Chair, the Director of Resources provided further detail in relation to the regrading process, with it noted that if it were a Senior Officer then it would go to the Senior Staff Committee. · The Chair referred to section 10.5.3 – Termination Benefits in the Statement of Accounts and commented that some average termination figures had increased from 2020/2021 to 2021/2022. The Director of Resources advised the Committee that it was difficult to compare one year with another, without analysing the detail behind those figures. He advised that he would email the Chair on the matter after the meeting. · The Chair highlighted the audit fees in relation to the cost of the public interest report into the payment to the previous Chief Executive and commented that it was disappointing to see those additional costs. · The Chair commented on the proposal of the increase in audit fees due to a more complex method of auditing and that would mean more resources required by the authority to meet the new standards. In terms of Audit Wales looking at the IT systems he suggested an action plan needed to be considered to ensure there were the resources in place to meet expectations. · Assurance was sought that there would not be ongoing issues with delays with the Statement of Accounts. The Director of Resources outlined the challenges the Finance Team have had in terms of recruitment and retention and hoped it would stabilise going forward and would address the issue identified in the ISA 260. The Deputy Chief Finance Officer outlined the ongoing work in this area and stated that she did not anticipate the same issues going forward. It was noted that the Committee did not wish to include any comments or concerns in the report going to Council on 11 May 2023. Moved by Councillor Aaron Carey; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED · That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed the Statement of Accounts for 2021-22 and the Tenby & Lower Fishguard Harbour’s Authority Annual Return for 2021-22 and had considered the Audit Wales Audit of Accounts Report and Audit Opinion (ISA 260). · That the timetable for production and audit of the Statement of Accounts for 2022-23 be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales update on the Audit of Accounts for 2022-23.
Mr Jeremy Sanders, Audit Wales presented the Audit of Accounts 2022-23 for the consideration of the Committee. It was noted that that it was not guaranteed that the Accounts would be certified by 30 November and that it was more likely to be January 2024. Mr Martin Veale highlighted his concerns in relation to the delay in the certification of Accounts, with Mr Jeremy Sanders stating that, when the letter was drafted and finalised last month, there was a commitment to try and complete them by the end of November; however, it was now realised that this would not be possible. The Chair referred to the concerns identified by Audit Wales on page 310 of the agenda and queried whether there was an action plan to meet all those concerns. The Director of Resources gave a commitment to provide an update on an action plan to address those issues. Moved by Councillor Aaron Carey; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales update on the Audit of Accounts for 2022-23.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the updates provided within the Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 and had determined that there were no matters arising that should be referred to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee for further action or monitoring.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 progress update, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. In considering the report the Committee did not identify any matters arising that should be referred to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee for further action or monitoring. Moved by Councillor Michael Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Aaron Carey The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had considered the updates provided within the Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 and had determined that there were no matters arising that should be referred to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee for further action or monitoring.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed and approved the process and timescale for compilation and approval of the Annual Governance Statement 2022-23.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the Annual Governance Statement process 2022-23, outlined the key points and welcomed questions from Members. In response to the Chair, the Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager provided assurance that the checklist on compliance with the good governance framework would be completed by the end of the month. Moved by Mr Martin Veale; Seconded by Councillor Michael Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had reviewed and approved the process and timescale for compilation and approval of the Annual Governance Statement 2022-23.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED · That the progress on the actions within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan be noted. · That the key comments and observations from the Governance and Audit Committee be noted by the Director of Resources, Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Law and Governance.
The Director of Resources, Head of Law and Governance and the Assistant Chief Executive all presented their respective areas of responsibility within the Corporate Governance Improvement plan providing an update on the progress of actions. [At this juncture Councillor Guy Woodham left the Meeting] The Committee considered the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan and updates provided, with the key points highlighted as follows: · Reference was made to Action A9, with a need to work on understanding the Nolan principles, and it was commented that the Authority should develop a set of values which explained how services were delivered. The Assistant Chief Executive highlighted the Behaviour Standards that were developed in 2020. It was noted that the Director of Resources had met with the Head of HR and that they would be looking at the Behaviour Standards going forward. · In response to a query regarding Action B2 to develop and implement a communication and engagement, the Assistant Chief Executive advised that he would change the progress section from green to amber. · In relation to Action E16 to explore the potential for a regional health and care strategy, it was commented that it did not capture the development of a strategy or cover the action required. The Assistant Chief Executive advised that he would look at this and come back on the matter. · Reference was made to the wording of actions F2 and F8 and that it should be changed to ‘have been done’. · It was queried whether Action G2, the Whistleblowing policy, should be included in the Constitution. The Head of Law and Governance advised that her view was that she would like it to be part of the Constitution, for openness and transparency and so that all policies and protocols were in one place. It was noted that she would bring this to the attention of the Constitutional Working Group. The Chair referred to the following Actions: · Action E13 and the HR Staff Survey and suggested that the progress section should be changed from green to amber and to incorporate actions from the staff survey. · Action F3 in relation to Contract Procedure Rules and WRW lessons learnt as an addendum until the work was concluded, as highlighted earlier in the agenda · Action F5 in relation to training on Contract Procedure Rules, the Director of Resources confirmed he would dovetail the addendum into financial regulations training. · Action F8 – it was suggested this should be amber as it is not concluded yet. · Action F13 – it was suggested this should be red, as there is currently an end date of 31 July 2023 Moved by Councillor Aaron Carey; Seconded by Councillor Michael Stoddart The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED · That the progress on the actions within the Corporate Governance Improvement Plan be noted. · That the key comments and observations from the Governance and Audit Committee be noted by the Director of Resources, Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Law and Governance.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales update provided.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the Audit Wales Update as at the end of Quarter 3. It was noted that, in accordance with the Local Government Elections (Wales) Act 2021, the Auditor General for Wales must produce a timetable that sets out the dates or periods when Audit Wales, Estyn and Care Inspectorate would be undertaking their work, which was set out at Appendix A. Mr Martin Veale queried why the report had not come to the January Meeting, with the Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager confirming that the report was not received in time to be included on the January agenda. It was noted that the next Quarter 4 update would be completed by Audit Wales in the next couple of weeks and provided to the Committee. Moved by Councillor Michael Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Michael James The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee noted the Audit Wales update provided.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment progress update.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment Progress Update Report In response to a query by Councillor Michael Stoddart on the Council’s Net Zero target, Ms Alison Lewis stated that Audit Wales had not set out what the Council should do, but had pointed out that the action plan was not costed and it was unclear if it would be deliverable. Councillor Michael Stoddart stated that he did not think the plan was deliverable and did not agree with the Council declaring a Climate Emergency and referred to an amendment he had made at Council relating to cost analysis. The Director of Resources highlighted that, in terms of the costing of the action plan, the Sustainable Development and Energy Manager was undertaking that work. The conclusion of the work would identify what was affordable and deliverable and at that point it could be revisited. Moved by Councillor Aaron Carey; Seconded by Mr Martin Veale The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment progress update.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the dates of the Governance and Audit Committee meetings for 2023-24, and had reviewed and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2023- 24.
The Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager presented the Committee Forward Work Programme for the consideration of the Committee. The Committee made the following comments: · To consider extra meetings due to long agendas. · Reports had got longer and it was not sure that they provided value for money. · Long presentations were not necessary if information were already contained within the report. · Reports could be summarised with bullet points. The Chair concluded that he would meet with the Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager to look at where efficiencies could be improved and would report back to the next Meeting. Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams; Seconded by Mr Martin Veale The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Governance and Audit Committee had noted the dates of the Governance and Audit Committee meetings for 2023-24, and had reviewed and approved the forward work programme for the remainder of 2023- 24.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.