Contact your Parish Council
|
Audit, Governance & Standards Committee |
17 September 2018 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
External Auditor’s Annual Audit Letter |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Final Decision-Maker |
Audit, Governance and Standards Committee |
|||
|
Lead Head of Service/Lead Director |
Mark Green, Director of Finance & Business Improvement |
|||
|
Lead Officer and Report Author |
Ellie Dunnet, Head of Finance |
|||
|
Classification |
Public |
|||
|
Wards affected |
None |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Executive Summary |
||||
|
The Annual Audit Letter summarises the main findings from the work undertaken by the external auditor for the year ended 31 March 2018, and brings the audit process for 2017/18 to a close.
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
This report makes the following recommendations to this Committee: |
||||
|
1. That the External Auditor’s Annual Audit Letter for the year ending 31 March 2018, attached at appendix 1 is noted. |
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
Timetable |
||||
|
Meeting |
Date |
|||
|
Audit, Governance & Standards Committee |
17 September 2018 |
|||
|
External Auditor’s Annual Audit Letter |
|
|
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.1
The Annual Audit
Letter summarises the main findings from the work undertaken by the external
auditor for the year ended 31 March 2018. Representatives from Grant Thornton
will be in attendance at the meeting to present the letter and respond to any
questions which Committee members may have.
1.2 It is recommended that this document is considered by the committee in accordance with the terms of reference detailed within the council’s Constitution.
1.3 The Committee considered the External Auditor’s Audit Findings report for the year ending 31 March 2018 at its meeting on 30 July 2018. The Annual Audit Letter at Appendix 1 summarises the key findings arising from the audit and effectively concludes this process by confirming that:
- The external auditor gave an unqualified opinion on the Council's accounts on 31 July 2018; and
- The external auditor is satisfied that in all significant respects the Council put in place proper arrangements to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources for the year ending 31 March 2018.
2. AVAILABLE OPTIONS
2.1 The Committee is asked to note this report for the reasons outlined within section 3.1 below.
2.2 The Committee could choose not to acknowledge the comments made by the external auditor. This option is not recommended since the report offers an independent view of how the authority is operating.
3. PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 It is recommended that the Committee notes the External Auditor’s Annual Audit Letter included at Appendix 1 to this report and considers whether any recommendations should be made to other committees. As the Committee charged with governance, receiving regular reports from the external auditor is considered to play an important role in ensuring that this responsibility is discharged effectively.
4. RISK
4.1 This report is presented for information only and has no risk management implications.
5. CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK
5.1 No formal consultation has been undertaken in relation to this report.
5.2 This Committee previously considered the External Auditor’s Audit Findings report for the year ending 31 March 2018 as part of the formal adoption of the annual financial statements for the 2017/18 financial year.
6. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS
|
Issue |
Implications |
Sign-off |
|
Impact on Corporate Priorities |
We do not expect the recommendations will by themselves materially affect achievement of corporate priorities. However, the Council is committed to delivering on its priorities and securing value for money through effective governance. This letter is one measure of how effective the council has been in delivering against this commitment. |
Head of Finance |
|
Risk Management |
This report is presented for information only and has no risk management implications. |
Head of Finance |
|
Financial |
The financial implications arising from the work of external audit are detailed within Appendix 1. |
Head of Finance |
|
Staffing |
No implications identified.
|
Head of Finance |
|
Legal |
The terms of reference for the Audit and Governance Committee specifically require the Committee to consider the external auditor’s annual letter.
|
Team Leader (Corporate Governance), MKLS |
|
Privacy and Data Protection |
No implications identified.
|
Head of Finance |
|
Equalities |
No implications identified.
|
Head of Finance |
|
Crime and Disorder |
No implications identified.
|
Head of Finance |
|
Procurement |
No implications identified.
|
Head of Finance |
7. REPORT APPENDICES
The following documents are to be published with this report and form part of the report:
· Appendix 1: External Auditors Annual Audit Letter
8. BACKGROUND PAPERS
Audited Statement of Accounts 2017/18
http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/190710/Audited-Annual-Accounts-2017.pdf
Audit Findings Report 2017/18