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Contact: Wyn Richards 01597 826375
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Apologies To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from: County Councillor G Ratcliffe, Lay Member: G Hall
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Disclosures of Interest To receive any disclosures of interest by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting. Minutes: There were no Declarations of Interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.
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Minutes and Action Log PDF 151 KB (a) To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the previous meeting held as follows: 31-03-2023
(b) Action Log Minutes: Documents Considered:
Outcomes: · Minutes agreed by Panel members present as a true and accurate reflection of the meeting and ratified accordingly by the Chair.
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Audit Wales Audit Summary Report PDF 214 KB To receive and consider the Audit Wales Summary Report 2022 Additional documents: Minutes: Background: · Annual Audit Summary – outlines key facts on the Council and Audit Wales duties. · Includes high level summaries and outputs from the Local and National reviews that have been undertaken. · All publications are available on the Audit Wales website.
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Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment Review Report PDF 831 KB To receive and consider the Audit Wales Assurance and Risk Assessment Review Report Additional documents: Minutes: Background: · Final report as information duplicated within the Annual Audit Summary. Three main areas reviewed: 1. The Financial Position, aware outdated and would now have greater financial information available. 2. The Local Government Act (Elections) Act 2021- No issues found in regard to arrangements input. 3. The Carbon Reduction Plan – Recommendation 1 narrative explains a fully costed action plan aligned with MTFS is required, to be tracked, Audit Wales will review progress in future discussions.
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Audit of Accounts Report Addendum PDF 733 KB To receive and consider the Audit of Accounts Report Addendum Minutes: Background: · Report from Audit Wales was for Information Only. · Addendum to Audit of the Accounts report, presented in January. · This report lists Audit Wales findings and / or recommendations from the audit report. · Will be used by Audit Wales and the Finance Team to improve for the process and audit of 2022/23 accounts. · All recommendations have been accepted. · The Council’s response is held within the report and all actions and recommendations will be built into audit plans for closure of the accounts in 2023, with appropriate actions put in place to deal with recommendations made.
Observations: · Committee can be assured that recommendations would be progressed in audit work and briefings this year. |
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Audit Wales - Q3 Work Programme Update PDF 221 KB To receive and consider the Audit Wales Quarter 3 Work Programme Update. Additional documents: Minutes: Background: · Unscheduled Care Review Report relating to patient flow through the back door (i.e., non-emergency admissions) is currently being drafted. · Springing Forward Assets Report, currently being drafted by Audit Wales and planned to be with Council shortly. · Final Planning Report issued to the Council and to be added to the Forward Work Programme.
Action: · Planning Report to be added to the Committee’s Forward Work Programme. |
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Internal Audit - Activity Report Quarter 4 2022-23 and Audit Plan 2023-24 Update PDF 784 KB To receive and consider the Activity Report Quarter 4 2022-23 and the Audit Plan 2023-24 Update. Additional documents: Minutes: Chair Comments: · In the absence of a draft Audit Plan to approve, at its March meeting the Committee had agreed the Q1 Plan in the SWAP forward plan. · Noted that Committee cannot fully discharge its objectives and responsibilities as no draft Audit Plan had been presented and would not be available until June 2023. · The draft Annual Audit Plan should be submitted to the Committee in Q4, prior to the commencement of the next financial year.
Background: · Purpose of Q4 Activity plan is to keep Members updated on outcomes and any significant concerns which need to be raised. · Number of Reports currently being undertaken is 67. · Important to align Internal Audit work to the Strategic Risk, however, cannot audit all areas. · A Q1 plan has been approved plus an interim measure discussed at the last meeting. · The new Audit plan from June will have links to Strategic Risk and Corporate Objectives as the key areas of focus for the Council, providing assurance to this Committee of Internal Audit work. · Corporate Plan details are being formalised by the Council. · Overall opinion was positive. 80% of opinions are positive, i.e., reasonable, or substantial assurance. · 2 areas of concerns are which are Housing Voids and Statutory Compliance scheduled to be reported on in full at the next Committee meeting. · An action tracking dashboard is available, but due to staff sickness some of the detail has not been completed. · SWAP are transitioning to a new audit system “Audit Board” using to maintain operational workload. Main benefits will be real time BI-Power dashboard providing detailed information, action tracking, performance and quality of work undertaken to Members of Council and this Committee. · Training would be provided for Members prior to the system going live. · Annual Audit report opinion will be presented to Committee in June. Indicative opinion for 2022/23 currently stands at reasonable assurance.
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Strategic Risk Register - Quarter 4 PDF 74 KB To receive and consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation. Additional documents:
Minutes: Background: · 16 Strategic Risks noted on the Q4 report. All risk owners asked to provide summary of progress since last quarter. · EMT request to the Cabinet during this quarter for risk (PCC005) to be de-escalated. This is in relation to a Pandemic / Influenza breakout or winter illness which increases staff absenteeism, with increased demand for services from residents and an increased workload for council staff, possible closure of council premises. Currently rated at a score of 9. The justification for de-escalation is that it is now considered appropriate as monitoring will be in place under the Health Protection Strategic Oversight Group and reviewed in the winter 2023/24, who will take advice from Public Health Wales (PHW) and other such bodies. · A cross referencing exercise was undertaken in the last quarter looking at the National Security Assessment (published Dec 2022) to the Council’s Risk Register, some risks have been highlighted to relevant service areas whether to add to their Business Continuity Plans / Risk Registers. · Internal Audit have conducted a Risk Management Assessment, completed at end of March 2023 (Appendix C). The Council’s Risk Management was found to be Reasonable. In summary, the Council has made progress on its risk maturity journey, moving from an assessment rating of 2 to 3. A clear improvement at the higher organisational level, however it has been noted improvement is required at lower levels to strengthen risk management across the Council. · The last 3 risks on report relate to the Transformation Programme, these risks, as per the Risk Management Framework, have been highlighted to the Programme Delivery Manager and will be considered by the programme Board for decision to escalate. · 4 risks on Service Risk Registers were not recommended for escalation as continue to be managed by Service Areas. · There have been improvements made to the JCAD system. A decision activated management of controls and mitigation functionality has been added. All risk owners can now provide a deadline for their mitigation, and also on a regular basis, provide updates in terms of a percentage as to how the mitigation is progressing, giving additional assurance how risks are being managed.
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Self Assessment - Action Plan PDF 114 KB To review and update the Self-Assessment Action Plan 2022 and Draft Action Plan 2023 Additional documents: Minutes: Background: · The 2022-2023 action plan completed. · Actions in progress to be brought forward to 2023-24. · Close off Self-Assessment for 2022-23.
Action: · Vice Chair & Head of Democratic Services to discuss outside this forum closure of one particular issue from 2022-23.
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To receive feedback from the following Working Groups:
(i) HoWPS Working Group 03.04.2023
(ii) Capital Working Group 27.04.2023
(iii) HTR Working Group 19.04.2023
Additional documents:
Minutes: Background: · Date scheduled for Internal Audit Working Group – 24th May 2023.
· Summary reports provide good record of work undertaken.
Points raised by the Committee: (i) HoWPS WG – Organised an informal meeting to obtain views of Councillors. Councillors were requested to respond. (ii) Capital WG – Report noted.
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To consider the forward work programme (attached) and consider whether any additional items should be included. Minutes: Action: Items added: · Draft Audit Plan for approval. · SWAP Report. · Housing Voids and Statutory Compliance. · Audit Wales planning report. · Deep dive sessions planning meeting to be organised.
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Demand in Children's Services PDF 71 KB To receive and consider an extract from the Strategic Risk Register. Minutes: Background: · As noted at commencement of this meeting, scheduled agenda item has been postponed until next meeting.
Action: · Work Programme to be updated and reviewed.
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Exempt Item To consider passing the following Resolution:
RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following item. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting.
Minutes: Background: · To consider passing the following Resolution: RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007). · The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following item. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). · These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting.
Action: · Proposed and seconded by Members of the Committee.
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Confidential Presentation - Update on GCRE Project. To receive and consider a confidential presentation by the Director of Education and Children and the Head of Children’s Services. Minutes: Background: The Chair agreed that the matter could be considered at the Committee as an urgent item. Committee received an update on the GCRE project and supported the proposal to be put to Cabinet.
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