Governance
and Audit Committee
Membership:
6
Councillors (politically balanced) plus
3
Independent / Lay Member
•
To approve authority's statement of accounts, income
and expenditure and balance sheet or record of receipts and
payments (as the case may be).
•
Ensure the risk management strategy guides the
programme of internal and external work, to address the controls
and risk related issues identified
•
Oversee the production of the annual governance
statement, recommend its adoption to County Council and ensure
appropriate action is taken to address the issues raised
•
To consider and approve the annual audit opinion on
internal control and the level of assurance given to the corporate
governance arrangements
•
Approve the annual
audit plan, ensuring there is sufficient and appropriate coverage,
with a strong emphasis on risk management and resources are
available to implement the plan.
•
Receive and review
internal audit reports and ensure officers respond promptly to the
findings. Where necessary recommendations to other committees and
portfolio holders will be made, to ensure action plans are
implemented
•
Consider and approve
the annual letter, regulatory plan and specific reports as
agreed.
•
Where necessary ensure
action is taken by officers to address those issues raised, and if
necessary recommendations to other
committees and portfolio holders will be made to address findings
and deliver clear conclusions
•
Comment on the scope
and depth of the external audit work, to ensure it gives value for
money
•
Assess and approve the
annual statement of accounts, external audit opinion and management
representation in relation to annual audit findings
•
Promote effective
relationships between external and internal audit, inspection
agencies and other relevant bodies to ensure the value of audit and
inspection is enhanced and actively promoted
•
regularly monitor treasury management
reports
Local Government Measure 2011 (Section 81) as
amended by the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021
(Section 115)
•
review and scrutinise the authority's financial
affairs
•
make reports and recommendations in relation to the
authority's financial affairs
•
review and assess the risk management, internal
control, performance assessment and corporate governance
arrangements of the authority
•
make reports and recommendations to the authority on
the adequacy and effectiveness of those arrangements
•
review and assess the authority's ability to handle
complaints effectively
•
make reports and recommendations in relation to the
authority's ability to handle complaints effectively
•
oversee the authority's internal and external audit
arrangements, and
•
review the financial statements prepared by the
authority
Local
Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (Section 91)
·
Duty to review the Council's draft performance
self assessment report and may make
recommendations for changes to the conclusions or to anything
included in the draft
·
Duty to review the Council's draft response of the
panel performance assessment and may make recommendations for
changes to the statements made
·
Duty to consider the report of the Auditor General
following a special inspection
·
Duty to review the Council's draft response to the
report of the Auditor General and may make recommendations for
changes to the statement made