Issue - meetings

(i)       to instruct the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) to seek a schedule of external audit reporting in 2024/25 from Audit Scotland by 31^st March 2024, including dates for reporting the audited annual accounts and Best Value reports, in order that officers can plan for resourcing these activities, update committee business planners and ensure the requirements to notify the London Stock Exchange are fully met;

(ii)      to instruct the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) to write to the chair of the Strategic Scrutiny Group, comprising Scotland’s main public sector scrutiny bodies, to seek a schedule of external scrutiny in 2024/25 to allow Council resources to be allocated accordingly; and

(iii)      to note the management proposals on the Internal Audit Plan 2024/25 and seek the views of the Chief Internal Auditor on these proposals when considering the Plan at a later point in this agenda.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided information on the requirements for audit and scrutiny activities in 2024 and of the associated pressures on Council resources.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)      instruct the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) to seek a schedule of external audit reporting in 2024/25 from Audit Scotland by 31^st March 2024, including dates for reporting the audited annual accounts and Best Value reports, in order that officers can plan for resourcing these activities, update committee business planners and ensure the requirements to notify the London Stock Exchange are fully met;

(b)      instruct the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) to write to the chair of the Strategic Scrutiny Group, comprising Scotland’s main public sector scrutiny bodies, to seek a schedule of external scrutiny in 2024/25 to allow Council resources to be allocated accordingly; and

(c)      note the management proposals on the Internal Audit Plan 2024/25 and seek the views of the Chief Internal Auditor on these proposals when considering the Plan at a later point in this agenda.

In response to questions relating to recommendation (a) above and whether there would be a delay in reporting to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) if the schedule was not provided, the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) advised that the timeframes required to be clarified in order for the Council to meet the requirements for the (LSE).  The Chief Officer – Finance advised that there were requirements for reporting to the LSE and that there was a significant resource requirement from both the Council and External Audit therefore it was important that there was a clear reporting structure in place.  The External Auditor advised that at the next meeting in April, the Committee would be presented with the Annual Audit Plan which sets out the audit of the 2023/24 accounts.

In response to a question relating to the suggested internal audits to be delayed or removed from this years Internal Audit Plan and why they were selected, the Interim Chief Officer – Governance (Assurance) advised that those audits were not focusing on the financial controls of the organisation and would be the audits that management would recommend to be removed.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.