Issue - meetings

The Director of Finance and the City Barrister & Head of Standards will present a joint report to seek the Committee’s approval of updates to the assurance and corporate governance processes at the City Council and the Committee’s own terms of reference.

The Committee is recommended to confirm:

1.    that no material changes to the Assurance Framework are needed and agree that it shall form the basis on which the Council will compile its Annual Governance Statement for the financial year 2014-15.

2.    that no material changes to the Local Code of Corporate Governance are needed.

3.    approve the proposed minor amendment to the Committee’s terms of reference.

The Director of Finance and the City Barrister & Head of Standards submitted a report which sought the Committee's approval of updates to the assurance and corporate governance processes at the City Council, and the Committee’s own terms of reference. The Audit Manager presented the report.

The Audit Manager referred to the Assurance Framework in Appendix 1 in the report, and the new professional standards terminology now reflected in the document. The diagram informed Members how the Council’s corporate objectives and associated risk and assurance processes were tracked.

Members were informed there were no material changes, and only minor changes in terminology were proposed changes to the Local Code of Corporate Governance, and one minor change to the Committee’s Terms of Reference which named the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd as successor body to the Audit Commission.

Members present at the meeting raised the point of who appointed the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, and further information which detailed the procedure would be brought to a future meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee.

The Chair thanked the Audit Manager for the report.

RESOLVED:

that:

1.    the Committee confirmed no material changes to the Assurance Framework were needed, and agreed that it shall form the basis on which the Council would compile its Annual Governance Statement for 2014-15.

2.    the Committee confirmed that no material changes to the Local Code of Corporate Governance were needed.

3.    the proposed minor amendment to the Committee’s terms of reference be approved.

4.    details of the procedure for the appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair to the Committee be brought to a future meeting.