Issue - meetings

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Audit Partnership setting out the one-year Internal Audit Operational Plan for 2016/17 and updating the longer-term Plan up to 2018/19.

The report was presented by the Deputy Head of Audit Partnership who advised the Committee that:

·  The basis of the Plan had changed in 2015/16 from a project to a days-led approach which had enabled a much greater responsiveness and flexibility in how the audit service was delivered.  At Maidstone in 2015/16, this enabled the Internal Audit team to provide support in the development of the Council’s risk management approach.

·  The restructuring of the Audit Partnership during 2015/16 meant that the team could deliver more productive days at no additional cost.  The total audit allocation for the Council in 2016/17 was 500 days, an increase of 30 days from the 2015/16 level.

·  The Public Sector Internal Audit Standards required the Head of Audit Partnership to explicitly draw the attention of Members to his assessment of whether the level of resources available was sufficient to fulfil responsibilities to deliver the Plan.

·  Having regard to the increase in the general risk environment in which the Council continued to operate, the Council’s commercialisation agenda and willingness to take on or support more ambitious projects to assist in the delivery of its priorities, and the introduction of a new Corporate Leadership team, it was the Head of Audit Partnership’s assessment that the level of resources available was sufficient in both quantity and capability to fulfil responsibilities.

·  There were a number of amendments to the Plan as circulated including:

Addition of an operational review of the adequacy of the contract monitoring arrangements at the Hazlitt Theatre (15 days);

Reducing the number of days allocated for a review of the effectiveness of measures to monitor and enforce compliance with HR policies from 10 to 8; and

Reducing the number of days allocated for a review of compliance with policy on awarding discretionary housing payments from 15 to 10.

·  These amendments would give rise to the total audit allocation for Maidstone of 500 days.

·  In 2017/18 a full risk assessment would be undertaken for the remainder of the Plan, and it was anticipated that the audit days allocated would be reallocated according to the assessment outcomes to ensure that resources were prioritised effectively.

In response to questions by Members, the Deputy Head of Audit Partnership confirmed that:

·  The revised version of the Plan would be circulated to all Members of the Committee and re-published online.

·  The increase in the number of Plan days allocated to risk management support from 20 days to 40 days reflected the expansion of the audit role in this area of service delivery which was recognised in the revised Internal Audit Charter.

·  The increase in the number of Plan days allocated to counter fraud support from 20 days to 40 days reflected the time spent by the Internal Audit team in this area in 2015/16, particularly in terms of the National Fraud Initiative, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69