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His Worship, The Mayor, called Councillor G carpenter to present and propose the report.
Councillor G Carpenter presented the report to Council.
A Position Statement was issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy [“CIPFA”] in 2022. It contains a number of recommendations including that local authorities include at least two co-opted independent Members on their audit committees. This is not presently a statutory requirement, but it is anticipated that it may become a requirement in the future. This report considers the guidance and whether the Council wishes to commence a recruitment process in this regard. The Position Statement further recommends that there should be annual public reporting of compliance with the CIPFA Position Statement (at Appendix 1). The Head of Internal Audit has also recommended that such an appointment be considered.
Proposer: Councillor G Carpenter
Seconder:- Councillor Galer
That Council:-
1) (Subject to budgetary approval) Appoint 1 independent Member to Audit, Risk &
Standards Committee for a 3 year period or until such time as Local Government
Reorganisation takes place; and
2) Give delegated authority to the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chair of
Audit, Risk & Standards Committee, to undertake recruitment arrangements.
3) Adjust Committee’s Terms of Reference to require it to report annually on how the
Committee has complied with the CIPFA Position Statement, to include:-
- How it has discharged its responsibilities
- An assessment of its performance; and that such report be made available to the public.
CARRIED.