Item 3 - DRAFT Minute of Audit Committee - 13 December 2023
West Dunbartonshire Council · 21 February 2024
Back to Audit Committee — 21 February 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
AUDIT COMMITTEE At a Meeting of the Audit Committee held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, on Wednesday, 13 December 2023 at 2.00 p.m. Present: Councillors Ian Dickson, Jonathan McColl and Martin Rooney. Attending: Peter Hessett, Chief Executive; Laurence Slavin, Chief Officer – Resources; Amanda Graham, Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities; Julie Slavin, Chief Finance Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP); Andi Priestman, Shared Service Manager – Audit and Fraud; Stephen Daly, Citizen and Digital Manager and Lynn Straker, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Karen Murray Conaghan, Ian Dickson, James McElhill, Michelle McGinty, John Millar and Hazel Sorrell, and Lay Member Mr Christopher Johnstone. Councillor Jonathan McColl in the Chair DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS The Minutes of Meetings of the Audit Committee held on 3 May 2023 and 9 August 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record. OPEN FORUM The Committee noted that no open forum questions had been submitted by members of the public. INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN 2023/24 – PROGRESS TO 15 NOVEMBER 2023 A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Resources advising of progress at 15 November 2023 against the Internal Audit Plan for 2023/24, of recently issued
Page 2
Internal Audit reports and action plans and the status of implementation progress in relation to action plans from previously issued Internal Audit reports. After discussion and having heard the Shared Service Manager – Audit and Fraud in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the contents of the report. TREASURY MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2022/2023 A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Resources advising of the operation of the treasury function and its activities for 2022/23 and requesting that the report is remitted to full Council for approval. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer - Resources in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the contents of the annual report on treasury Management for 2022/23; and (2) to remit the report to the Full Council for approval. TREASURY MANAGEMENT MID-YEAR REPORT 2023/24 A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Resources advising of the operation of the treasury function and its activities to 30 September 2023 and requesting that the report is remitted to full Council for approval. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Resources in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the treasury management stewardship information within the appended report; (2) to note the 2023/24 revised estimates of treasury and prudential indicators as advised within the appended report (Tables A, B, C, D, E, F, H, L and N); and (3) to remit the report to the Full Council for approval. SCOTTISH PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN COMPLAINTS REPORT 2022/23 A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities presenting the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report on complaints handling by West Dunbartonshire Council for the year 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023. After discussion and having heard the Citizen and Digital Manager in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the contents of the report and the ongoing commitment at a service and strategic level to
Page 3
monitor complaints and ensure compliance with Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) timelines. The meeting closed at 2.18 p.m.