Report of the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services.

Mr Amjad Ali, Senior Manager at RSM, the Council’s internal auditors attended the meeting to present the Internal Audit Report Quarter 4, for the financial year 2019/20. The report highlighted the completion of four reports: Garden Waste, Property Leases and Rents, Main Accounting Systems and Follow-up. In terms of findings, Mr Ali reported three substantive audits have returned findings of Substantial assurance, the Follow-up audit, scored differently received a ‘Good Progress’ finding. The Garden Waste and Property Leases and Rents did not result in any managements actions. The Main Accounting System audit resulted in two low level recommendations. The Follow-up audit resulted in five low priority findings being re-raise. Management actions were agreed in respect of all the recommendations.

Members questioned the outstanding actions in the Follow-up audit and asked whether there was a timescale for these to be implemented, given that a new audit company was in place going forward. Mr Ali explained that the Council’s  management have agreed an action plan and that the new auditors (BDO) will pick up on these when they take over.

Councillor Virdi referred to member training and the Council’s Procurement Strategy not being up to date and asked for assurances that these would be completed swiftly. The Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services explained that officers had been dealing with other priorites as a result of Covid-19 pandemic. Onging mointoring of implementation of recommendations are undertaken by Internal Audit.

It was RESOLVED that the final progress report for 2019/20 prepared by the Council’s Internal Auditor is noted.