To receive questions / petitions from the public.

Please note that all questions must be received by the committee officer detailed on the front of the agenda by 10am on Thursday, 31 August 2017.

Petitions must be received must be received by the committee officer detailed on the front of the agenda by 10am on Monday, 4 September 2017.

 For guidance on submitting public questions or petitions please see appendix 1 of the council's constutition.

5(a)   Annual Governance Statement 2016-2017

Purpose - To review and approve the final audited version of the annual governance statement for
2016-17

5(b)   Audit Results report 2016-17

Purpose - This report presents the Audit Results Report 2016-17 and the draft Letter of Representation for approval by the committee.

5(c)  Statement of Accounts 2016-17

Purpose - This report presents the formal audited statement of accounts, to be authorised by the audit committee audit committee and the chief finance officer by the statutory deadline of 30 September 2017.

Purpose - To advise members of the work of internal audit, completed between April to August 2017, and the progress against the internal audit plan,  The role of internal audit is to provide the audit committee and management with independent assurance on the effectiveness of the internal control environment.  Internal audit coverage is planned so that the focus is upon those areas and risk which will most impact upon the council's ability to achieve its objectives.  The 2017-18 Audit Plan was endorsed by the council's corporate leadership team on 1 March 2017 and approved by the audit committee on 14 March 2017.

Purpose -  There is a statutory requirement for the council’s Statement of Accounts to be independently audited.  The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 brings changes to the appointment process for external auditors (referred to in the Act as a local auditor).

The contract for the present external auditors, Ernst & Young LLP (EY), is due to expire 31 March 2018. The council must, by 31 December 2017, have appointed a local auditor to be in place by April 2018, to undertake the audit of the council’s financial statements for 2018-19 onwards.

Appointments are made through an audit panel. On 20 September 2017 the Audit Committee approved using the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) to act as an audit panel. The PSAA have proposed that the local auditor for the Council continues to be EY, which will provide continuity.

Purpose - To review and approve the final audited version of the annual governance statement for 2016-17.

Due to delays with the completion of the audit, it is not possible to present the Audit Results Report 2016-17 or the Statement of Accounts 2016-17 to this meeting.  Therefore members are recommended to agree to hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, 26 September 2017 at 16:30 to consider these reports.