Audit & Scrutiny Committee on 26 September 2023 approved the recommendation to Council for an Independent Person (IP) to be appointed to the Council’s Audit & Scrutiny Committee (for audit business).

Cllr Sankey MOVED and Cllr White SECONDED the recommendations in the report. A vote was taken and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY

Members were asked:

R1. That an Independent Person is appointed for the Council’s audit functions, which form part of the business of Audit & Scrutiny Committee.

R2. The recruitment of the Independent Person is delegated to the Interim Director of Resources in consultation with the Chair of Audit & Scrutiny Committee.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

The Government response in June 2022 to the Local Audit Framework: Technical Consultation set out plans to strengthen local audit framework in light of the Redmond Review. It confirmed that when parliamentary time allows, audit committees will be made compulsory for all local councils, with at least one independent member required on each committee. This follows the CIPFA detailed guidance on the function and operation of audit Committees in Local Authorities which endorsed the approach of mandatory inclusion of a lay or independent member and recommended that, for authorities for whom it is not a requirement at present, they actively explore the appointment of an independent member to the Committee. Ahead of any legislative requirement being implemented, it is recommended that the Council therefore takes steps to introduce an Independent Person onto the Audit & Scrutiny Committee so that an appropriate person can be recruited as soon as is practicable.