Agenda item

The Council will receive for noting the minutes of the following Committees:

(a)    Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny of Tuesday 27 June 2023;

(b)    Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny of Monday 3 July 2023;

(c)    Human Resources & Council Tax of Thursday 6 July 2023;

(d)    Audit of Thursday 13 July 2023;

(e)    Standards of Wednesday 19 July 2023; and

(f)     Planning Policy & Local Plan of Thursday 27 July 2023.

NOTES:         

(1)   The above minutes are presented to Council for information only.  Members can ask questions on their contents to the relevant Chairman but questions as to the accuracy of the minutes must be asked at the meeting of the Committee when the relevant minutes are approved as a correct record; and

(2)   If any recommendations to Council have been made by those Committees, these are included within separate reports for Council to decide upon (i.e. by noting the minutes those recommendations are not approved at this stage of the proceedings).

It was moved by Councillor M E Stephenson and:-

RESOLVED that the minutes of the following Committees, as circulated, be received and noted:-

(a)   Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny of Tuesday 27 June 2023;

(b)   Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny of Monday 3 July 2023;

(c)   Human Resources & Council Tax of Thursday 6 July 2023;

(d)   Audit of Thursday 13 July 2023;

(e)   Standards of Wednesday 19 July 2023; and

(f)    Planning Policy & Local Plan of Thursday 27 July 2023.

Councillor Fairley asked the Chairman of the Audit Committee (Councillor Sudra):-

“Given the national picture for external audit delays plus the increasing levels of bankruptcies and financial instabilities being seen within local authorities even though these meetings are recorded it is my belief that our written minutes should reflect our discussions in a greater level of detail. I have raised this concern. As BDO have continually broken agreed deadlines due to their other workload and workforce issues, would the Chairman of the Audit Committee agree that it is important for all Members and the public to be reassured that the Committee members have been very robust in asking questions to clarify the reasons behind the unresolved issues and to question our external auditor’s performance and that it is important for our residents to know this and be reassured of this Council’s favourable financial position? Would the Chairman of the Committee please give an assurance that this will be discussed and rectified at our next meeting on 5 October?

Councillor Guglielmi then asked the Chairman of the Audit Committee (Councillor Sudra):-

“As Chairman of the Audit Committee I am sure that she will be aware that two members of the Committee from my Group have raised questions, as we have just heard, with Officers on the contents of the published draft minutes. Their queries relate to the verbal report given by the External Auditor and the reporting within the minutes of the answers given to the questions raised and the need for improvements to the level of detail recorded. These matters will be raised at the next Audit Committee meeting on the 5^th of October when these minutes will be on the agenda for approval. However, as these minutes come before us this evening on the Full Council agenda and for the benefit of Members who were not present as well as for the benefit of the public, will she be kind enough to offer a brief overview of the outstanding issues that came forward in BDO’s verbal report and the Committee’s position on those outstanding matters?

The Chairman of the Audit Committee replied to Councillors Fairley and Guglielmi as follows:-

“Thank you for your question Councillor Guglielmi. There are two main issues outstanding that I am aware of and they relate to the floor area of the Council’s buildings for valuation purposes and the evidence to support the Council’s valuation of coastal defence assets, which are classified as material infrastructure assets. As discussed at the Committee’s meeting in July, Officers have confirmed that they have provided the External Auditor with as much information as possible including the latest valuation information on the floor area of the Council’s buildings. I understand that the Auditor is now considering their response to the floor area issue along with reviewing the evidence the Council has provided to support its valuation of its coastal defence assets, which included a letter from a suitably qualified external expert supporting the assumptions made by Richard Barrett and his Team. The External Auditor mentioned at the July meeting having to review the experience and expertise of the Council’s external expert and they were asked by the Committee what their expectations were in this regard. They were not able to answer this question on the day and, to date, no response has been received. The Committee has therefore asked the External Auditor for a further update on these outstanding matters at its next meeting on 5 October.

And to answer Councillor Fairley’s question as well, yes, I will consider that request.”