Issue - meetings

This report sets out the reports to be received by the Audit & Governance Committee for the 2020/21 municipal year.

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 'I' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report set out the reports to be received by the Audit & Governance Committee for the 2020/21 municipal year.

For new members of the Committee, the Chairman explained the style and purpose of the ‘extra’ meetings referred to in the Plan and the Chairman invited members of the Committee to suggest future items for consideration at those meetings. In the meantime, subjects initially included were further examination of the governance of ‘BH Live’ and also a consideration of the roles of members in Outside Bodies inherited from the legacy Councils. It was agreed that the number of ‘extra’ meeting issues ultimately identified would determine the number of meetings required during the next Municipal Year.

The Committee noted that the report from the Constitution Review Working Group completing its current tranche of review work would be submitted to the Audit and Governance Committee at its next meeting on 26 November 2020. The Chairman repeated his intention to canvas all members of Council to identify further issues for consideration by the Working Group going forward.

The Chairman also referred to the importance of ensuring that members of the Committee were as well trained as possible to most effectively consider the issues that came before the Committee. Members with particular ideas for training, including specific subject areas, areas of weakness or areas of future focus were invited to raise these with him. In the meantime, the Chairman was addressing this subject with the Monitoring Officer and undertook to report back to the Committee.

The Head of Audit and Management Assurance reported the intention to provide an awareness session later in the year for the Committee around the subject of detection of fraud. He also referred to the CIPFA best practice model for Audit and Governance Committees as previously used by the Committee for self-assessment of its performance in certain areas of its work.

RESOLVED that, subject as above, the Audit & Governance Committee approves the forward plan set out at Appendix A.

Voting: Unanimous