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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED That Mr David McGregor be duly elected as Chair.
RESOLVED That Councillor Michael James be duly elected as Vice-Chair. It was clarified that a Vice Chair does not have to be a lay member and can take the role of the Chair when required and would be amended in the constitution to reflect that.
RESOLVED That the draft Internal Audit Charter for the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee be approved
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Mr David McGregor be duly elected as Chair.
Nominations were sought for the role of Chair. Councillor Phil Rogers Moved that Mr David McGregor be duly elected; Seconded by Councillor Michael James. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Mr David McGregor be duly elected as Chair.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor Michael James be duly elected as Vice-Chair. It was clarified that a Vice Chair does not have to be a lay member and can take the role of the Chair when required and would be amended in the constitution to reflect that.
Nominations were sought for the role of Vice-Chair. Councillor Phil Rogers Moved that Councillor Michael James be duly elected; Seconded by Councillor Mike Harvey. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Michael James be duly elected as Vice-Chair. It was clarified that a Vice Chair does not have to be a lay member and can take the role of the Chair when required and would be amended in the constitution to reflect that.
No declarations of interest were received.
The Monitoring Officer presented the report, which provided an overview on the structure of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee. In response to a Member, the Monitoring Officer provided clarification regarding the Lead Officer and Political Lead roles on the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee. He highlighted that the political lead for an item would be the Leader of that particular authority, who would Chair that committee. The officer, who was identified as the lead officer, would provide the professional support. It was queried whether there was any overlap of Members on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and this Committee and the potential to get that cross committee impact to ensure each Committee were aware of each other’s work plans. The Monitoring Officer advised that Councillor Rob James was a Member on both Committees and highlighted that as part of work planning, the Committee could invite the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee to attend this meeting or have cross attendees and that the establishment of the work programme could in those synergy elements. The Committee noted the report.
The Head of Internal Audit presented the Terms of Reference for the consideration of the Committee. In considering the Terms of Reference the Committee raised the following key points: · In response to a request for an update regarding the Welsh Government consultation on the guidance, the Monitoring Officer advised that it was still in progress and that there was currently no definitive date on when the final guidance would be received. · Reference was made to section 12.3 of the Terms of Reference where a person is not obliged to answer any question, with it queried whether inferences could be drawn in that instance. The Monitoring Officer advised there was nothing specific in the statute; however, if a question was not answered as part of individual decision making, part of any investigation or processes then that would be recorded. He concluded that he would look into it in more detail for future iterations of the Terms of Reference. · The Monitoring Officer outlined how the Committee could refer matters to the Scrutiny Sub Committee and South West Corporate Joint Committee. · It was queried whether consideration could be given to the structure of the Terms of Reference in line with CIPFA guidance. It was noted that these Terms of Reference had been taken directly from the Constitution, which was agreed in January 2022; and the CIPFA guidance came out after the completion of the report. The Monitoring Officer advised that he would liaise with the Head of Internal Audit to review the Terms of Reference in line with recent guidance and bring back to this Committee to endorse and the South West Corporate Joint Committee for formal adoption. · There was a discussion relating to the Terms of Reference being aligned to other local authorities, with it also noted that there would be some differing arrangements. The Chief Finance Officer stated that the principles of the Governance and Audit Committees should be consistent across the four authorities; however, in terms of referrals, these could vary slightly because of the responsibilities of the various work streams led by the individual authorities. · The Head of Internal Audit highlighted that the key components of the Governance and Audit Committee should mirror what happens in every constituent local authority, which is underpinned by legislation. It was noted that the only matter the Corporate Joint Committee does not have to consider was complaints, which have to be dealt with the relevant authority. He agreed would be happy to liaise with the Monitoring Officer to look at the Terms of Reference in light of the deliberations of the Committee. · It was commented that the Committee was still in its infancy and that the Terms of Reference was a living document, which can always be reviewed if required. · In response to a query about liaising with other Corporate Joint Committee Governance and Audit Sub Committees about their Terms of Reference, the Head of Internal Audit highlighted, that the Terms of Reference presented do meet the legislative approach; and would work with the Monitoring Officer to strengthen those Terms of Reference following CIPFA guidance. The Committee agreed to accept the Terms of Reference.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the draft Internal Audit Charter for the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee be approved
The Head of Internal Audit presented the report for the Committee to consider and approve the draft Internal Audit Charter for the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee. It was noted that the Internal Audit charter would be reviewed annually with any changes brought back to this Committee. The Chair commented on the division of responsibilities and element of Independence as being healthy, with Pembrokeshire overseeing the Internal Audit component and the financial transactions through Carmarthen. Attention was drawn to the signature section of the report, with it queried when it was likely to be signed. The Head of Internal Audit outlined the process for the Internal Audit Charter to be signed off, with it noted that following consideration by this Committee it would be included on the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee for approval. RESOLVED That the draft Internal Audit Charter for the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee be approved
The Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) presented the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee budget for financial year 2022/23 for the Committee to consider. The Chief Finance Officer, in response to a query about the budget being fair to each local authority, highlighted that the work involved within the individual work streams of the Corporate Joint Committee would be proportionate to activity carried out. The Chair commented that there would still be costs coming through and queried whether there was significant variations on the estimated costs. The Chief Finance Officer advised that there was a current projected underspend in the region of £280,000 to the end of the year. He highlighted the public sector financial budget pressures and consideration would need to be given on the affordability of the work going forward. In response to a query on who would mediate any disputes between local authorities the Chief Finance Officer outlined the budget setting process of the Corporate Joint Committee, with it noted that it has to be agreed by all four local authorities. The Committee agreed to receive the report.
The Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) presented the report for the consideration of the Committee. The report provided an update on the approach undertaken by Audit Wales regarding the undertaking of an early landscape review to understand the evolving arrangements of the CJC and in the auditing of the CJC from an accounting perspective for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years. In response to a query regarding producing an Annual Governance Statement, the Chief Finance Officer clarified that there was no requirement to produce one this year and would only be produced if the relevant body went over the £2.5 million status. The Committee noted the report.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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