Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Council’s External Auditor.

The Chief Finance Officer presented the external auditors report on behalf of KPMG. He discussed the external auditors work in delivering their responsibilities as the external auditor, highlighting the financial statements, value for money and certification of claims and returns. He provided a summary of the Councils Annual Audit Letter which was a statutory requirement, requiring approval, and provided a summary and conclusion of key findings from the work carried out for the City Council in 2017/18. He highlighted that the severance policy had been raised as a high risk recommendation in the audit.

In response to Member questions, the Chief Finance Officer responded:-

·         The ‘except for’ qualified Value for Money opinion meant that VFM for the Council had been rated  had been rated as good, except for in respect of procurement and had been in place for three years. The auditors had noted the procurement recruitment work had been ongoing and acknowledged that progress had been made. A new procurement team was now in place and training and development was being delivered;

·         The housing benefit certification and capital receipts work were two separate functions and would not impact on each other.

The Audit and Governance Committee noted the External Audit Progress Report and approved the Annual Audit Letter.