Agenda and minutes

Venue: This will be a virtual, online meeting.

Contact: Steve Culliford, Democratic Services 

Note: This is a virtual meeting, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTj2pCic8vzucpzIaSWE3UQ 

Items
No. Item

53.

Apologies for absence

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

Minutes:

Councillor George Levy had sent his apologies for absence. 

54.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 142 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Joint Audit and Governance Committee minutes of the meeting held on 26 January 2021. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to adopt as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 26 January 2021 and agree that the chair signs them as such. 

55.

Declarations of interest

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

Minutes:

None

56.

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:

The committee held a minute’s silence in memory of former Vale councillor Roger Cox, who had passed away. 

 

The Chair reported that this was likely to be the committee’s last virtual meeting and that future meetings were likely to be held in person. 

57.

Public participation

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

Minutes:

None

58.

Statement of accounts 2019/20

To receive a verbal update on progress with the audit of the statement of accounts 2019/20 for both South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council. 

Minutes:

The committee received a verbal update on progress with the external audit of the councils’ statement of accounts for 2019/20.  Kevin Suter of EY reported that good progress had been made on the audit but that EY’s report was not ready for the committee’s consideration.  At this stage, no significant issues had been identified with the councils’ accounts. 

59.

Statement of accounts 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 111 KB

To consider the interim head of finance’s report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the interim head of finance’s report on the preparation of the councils’ statement of accounts for 2020/21.  The report also presented revised statements of accounting policies for approval. 

 

The committee noted that the deadlines for completing the accounts for the 2020/21 financial year, ending on 31 March 2021, had changed as a result of the Redmond review.  The draft accounts now had to be prepared by 31 July each year, and the final accounts had to be audited, approved by the committee and published by 30 September each year.  The committee noted that the accounts should be brought to its meeting for consideration on 28 September 2021.  In answer to questions from the committee, officers reported that they were not expecting any material impairments of the councils’ assets to arise from the audit of the 2020/21 accounts. 

 

The committee also noted that the councils’ Exchequer service had been brought back in-house and that the councils were introducing a new financial management system. 

 

The committee reviewed the statements of accounting policies.  These remained unchanged from the previous year and the content was identical for South and Vale.  The committee was content with the policies. 

 

RESOLVED: to

 

(a)      note the progress on completing the 2020/21 statement of accounts; and

 

(b)       approve the revised statements of accounting policies as shown in Appendix 1 (South Oxfordshire) and Appendix 2 (Vale of White Horse) to the interim head of finance’s report. 

60.

Internal audit activity report - fourth quarter 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 129 KB

To consider the interim internal audit manager’s report. 

Minutes:

The committee considered the interim internal audit manager’s report, which summarised the outcomes of internal audit activity at both councils during quarter 4 of 2020/21, being the period 1 January to 31 March 2021. 


The committee noted that, on this occasion, the report did not include any internal audit reports with limited assurance ratings.  However, several internal audits were due for completion in April.  

 

RESOLVED: to note the interim internal audit manager’s report on internal audit activity at both councils during the fourth quarter of 2020/21.

61.

Internal audit management report - fourth quarter 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 133 KB

To consider the interim internal audit manager’s report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the interim internal audit manager’s management report for the fourth quarter 2020/21, being 1 January to 31 March 2021.  This set out progress against the audit plan and summarised the priorities for the first quarter of 2021/22. 


The audit manager reported that the internal audit team had assisted with the Covid-19 response, which had impacted on the team’s progress against the audit plan.  Some work would be transferred into 2021/22. 

 

The committee thanked officers for their work. 

 

RESOLVED: to note the interim internal audit manager’s management report for the fourth quarter of 2020/21. 

62.

Internal audit plan 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 149 KB

To consider the interim internal audit manager’s report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the interim internal audit manager’s report, which proposed an internal audit plan for 2021/22.  The report also set out the process for setting the internal audit plan and for calculating the resources available. 

 

The audit plan set out internal audit’s priorities for 2021/22.  During much of 2020/21, internal audit staff had been working on the council’s Covid-19 response.  Some internal audits had been deferred because of this and were now included in the 2021/22 audit plan. 

 

Committee members supported the audit plan for 2021/22. 

 

RESOLVED: to approve the internal audit plan 2021/22. 

63.

Work programme pdf icon PDF 144 KB

To note the work programme. 

Minutes:

The committee noted its work programme. 

 

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South Oxfordshire District Council
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