Agenda

To receive any announcements from the chair and general housekeeping matters.

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

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Joint Audit and Governance Committee minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2024. 

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

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.

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

To receive the report from the Head of Legal and Democratic (Interim).

This report provides a summary of the complaints determined in the 2023-24 municipal year which were made against district and parish councillors for alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.

RECOMMENDATION:

To note the annual report on the councillors’ Code of Conduct for the 2023-24 municipal year.

To receive the report from the Internal Audit and Risk Manager.

The Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) require the chief audit executive to provide an annual internal audit opinion and report that can be used by the organisation to inform its governance statement. This report provides that opinion for South Oxfordshire District Council (South) and Vale of White Horse District Council (Vale).

RECOMMENDATION:

Members are asked to consider the annual internal audit opinion and report.

To receive the report from the Internal Audit and Risk Manager.

The purpose of the report is to summarise the outcomes of recent internal audit activity at both councils for the committee to review. The committee is asked to monitor progress of management actions to ensure actions are completed correctly in the timescales originally offered by management, and that controls are managing risk more effectively.

RECOMMENDATION:

That members review the results of recent internal audit work and monitor progress of management actions.

To receive a verbal update on the progress being made towards the completion of the 2023/24 statement of accounts.

To note the committee’s work programme.

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items of business under Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended on the grounds that:

(i)     It is likely that there will be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A, and

(ii)    the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To receive the report from the Risk and Assurance Team Leader.