Agenda and minutes

Venue: 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, OX14 4SB

Contact: Steve Culliford, Democratic Services 

Items
No. Item

23.

Apologies for absence

To record apologies for absence and the attendance of substitute members. 

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Peter Dragonetti.

 

24.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 368 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Joint Audit and Governance Committee minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2022. 

Minutes:

Resolved: The minutes of the last meeting on 5 July 2022 were approved by the committee.

 

25.

Declarations of interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest in respect to the items of the agenda

26.

Urgent business and chair's announcements

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chair. 

Minutes:

Mentioned that it was the last joint audit committee taking place at Milton Park, thanks were given to officers for their support.

 

27.

Public participation

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

Minutes:

There was no public participation.

28.

External auditor's annual audit letter 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

To receive the annual audit letter from the council’s external auditor, EY

– to follow.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the external audit report, which summarised the auditors’ annual reports for both councils for the year ended 31 March 2021. The report focused on two aspects, whether the council’s accounts presented a true and fair view of the finances of the organisation and whether the council had appropriate arrangements in place to ensure value for money for its residents. It was stated by the audit letter that there was no reason to report by exception as it was determined that there were no weaknesses in the councils’ arrangement to demonstrate value for money. Both councils had very similar reports and there no matter that were wished to be highlighted.

Resolved: Both councils voted unanimously to accept the audit report.

 

29.

Treasury management outturn report - 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 250 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Finance.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the treasury outturn report by the head of finance. The report highlighted that in terms of performance both councils exceeded their budget, however, this is primarily due to the rise in interest rates. Performances exceeded benchmarks across both councils and all counterparty limits were met, with no breaches of potential indicators within the context of the strategy it was set in.

Resolved: Committee voted unanimously to receive the report.

 

30.

Internal audit activity report quarter two 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 246 KB

To consider the report of the Internal Audit Manager.

 

Minutes:

The report had no actions to bring to the committee’s attention. The committee were given an update on the progress of audits and were informed that nine planned audits and four follow up audits had been completed and that there were no limited assurance audits.

Resolved: Committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

 

31.

Internal audit management report quarter two 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 250 KB

To consider the report of the Internal Audit Manager.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report was discussed alongside the previous item in the committee. The internal audit manager confirmed that nine planned audits from the current audit year internal audit plan were in progress and there were no specific concerns to raise to the committee’s attention.

Resolve: Committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

 

32.

Internal Audit - Progress Update

To receive a verbal progress update on internal audit.

Minutes:

The internal audit manager provided a verbal progress update on the internal audit plan for the year.  The internal audit manager confirmed that a mid-year review of the internal audit plan is underway, to ensure it remains flexible and reactive to changing risks and events. Any changes to the internal audit plan will be formally presented to the committee at the next meeting.

Resolve: Committee thanked officers for the report

 

33.

Statement of accounts 2021/22 - verbal update

To receive a verbal update on the statement of accounts 2021/22 for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.

 

Minutes:

Officer gave an update on the 2021/22 Statement of Accounts.  It was noted that less councils had made the 31 July deadline for accounts to be put online, both South and Vale councils’ accounts were slightly late on the deadline. The external audit would commence later on this year or early next year.

Resolve: Committee thanked officers for the report.

 

 

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South Oxfordshire District Council
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OX14 3JE