Agenda item

(To receive a report from Lucy Pledge, Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management, which provides the Committee with details of the audit work completed to 30 September 2022 and advises on the progress of the audit plan)   

The Committee considered a report from Lucy Pledge, Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management, which provided details of the audit work completed to 30 September 2022 and advised on the progress of the audit plan.

The Committee noted the key messages, as detailed on page 349 of the report pack, which advised of the audit work completed since the last progress report in March 2022 and page 350 provided details of the revised plan, which provided details of key areas of focus for the next six months and staffing changes.  The Committee was advised that capacity within the team had been strengthened with the recruitment of six new auditors and that this had impacted on delivery of work with focus on induction, training and development as the team ‘grow our own’.  It was reported that additional resources continued to be drawn from external suppliers to support delivery and that it was expected that performance would improve as the new staff gained in experience.

A copy of the Internal Audit Progress Reports was attached at Appendix A to the report for the Committee to consider.

During consideration of this item, the Committee raised some of the following comments:

·       The recent success with recruitment, and some assurance was expressed to the growing your own strategy.  The Committee noted that everything that could be done was being done to help develop staff with career grades/progression in place to help new recruits;

·       Transport Connect - In an update to the Committee, the Assistant Director of Communities advised that the audit had been requested by management to look at the Company’s governance, as the company was moving into its next phase, and that this had not been part of the expected or routine plan.  The Committee was advised that it had been set up in 2015/16 for a very specific set of circumstances to manage market supply.  It was reported that as a commercial business, financial oversight had been undertaken throughout by Wright Vigar.  It was highlighted that all the actions identified in the audit had already been addressed or identified by the Board and that steps had been put into place.  Confirmation was also given that no confidential information was ever shared from a laptop. Reassurance was given that the company was managed and overseen by the council and by the board and that the company was the only operating trading company the council had.  The Committee noted that the Assistant Director of Communities was a member of the Board and an officer of the Council, so there was no chance of any control being lost.  Assurance was given that the company was fully compliant with Companies House requirements; and

·       Areas requiring attention – Virus protection/Malware, a request was made for the Executive Director with responsibility for IT to attend a future meeting to advise the Committee of the challenges the council faced.  The Committee was advised that the IT Manager could attend the February meeting as part of the Combined Assurance report.

RESOLVED

              That the progress and delivery of the internal audit plan be noted.