Issue - meetings

This report provides an update against the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) Action Plan which identified actions to be taken to address the significant governance issues identified in the 2023/24 AGS.

Progress against the agreed action plan is as follows:

Best Value Notice – the Government has lifted the Best Value notice.

Dedicated School Grant (DSG) - The DSG deficit continues to increase, with the accumulated DSG deficit assumed to be £63.5m on 31 March 2024, £108m on the 31 March 2025, and £165.5m on the 31 March 2026. As part of a precursor to a s114 report the Director of Finance wrote to MHCLG in May 2024 to seek advice on how a legally balanced budget for 2025/26 can be set when it will be unable to settle the bills for DSG high needs expenditure. The conversation is ongoing with the possibility of a capitalisation direction being explored.

Department for Education Statutory Direction for special educational needs and disability services (SEND) – February 2024 – SEND Improvement Plan continues to be delivered and progress monitored by the SEND Improvement Board and reported to Children’s Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Significant progress is being evidenced.

Delay in the completion of the previous years’ External Audit -

The 2023/24 Statement of Accounts (SoA) is being audited now and will be brought to this Committee for approval together with the Audit Findings Report to the next meeting of this Committee on the 27 February 2025.

Mandatory Training – the actions identified have been rolled out and completion rates had increased to 84% as of January 2025.

The Head of Audit and Management Assurance presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report provided an update against the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) Action Plan which identified actions to be taken to address the four significant governance issues identified in the 2023/24 AGS approved by the Committee in July 2024. The Head of Audit and Management Assurance drew attention to Table 1 in the report which gave a more detailed explanation of the progress made. The action plans associated with the best value notice, delays in the external audit and mandatory training were all very well progressed. As noted in an earlier agenda item the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit continued to present significant issues for the Council and would be likely to remain on the action plan for 2024/25.

RESOLVED that Audit & Governance Committee notes the progress made to address the significant governance issues on the BCP Council AGS Action Plan 2023/24.

Voting: Nem. Con.