Agenda item

To provide to the Audit Committee with a summary of the work completed by Risk Services in quarter four of the 2016/2017 financial year.

Ms Greenhalgh, Chief Internal Auditor, presented the Committee with an overview of the Risk Services Report for the fourth quarter of 2016-2017.

Ms Greenhalgh provided the Committee with a summary of the key points contained within the report and advised Members of the work being undertaken in relation to coordinating the delivery of the National Fraud Initiative and to raise awareness of the Fraud Awareness training. Members queried the steps being taken to raise the profile of the training course and Ms Greenhalgh advised the Committee of the work being undertaken and explained that staff would be identified for whom the training would be mandatory. The Committee also raised questions regarding anti-fraud work and Ms Greenhalgh explained that work was being undertaken to focus on fraud in relation to council tax and blue badges.

Ms Greenhalgh reported on the Key Performance Indicators for the service. It was noted that the percentage of professional and technical qualifications held was lower than the target and, upon questioning from Members, Ms Greenhalgh explained that the reason was due to a turnover of staff members with professional qualifications. She advised that as a result, junior members of the team were being afforded more opportunities and training.

Members also raised questions relating to the percentages of draft reports issues within deadline and audit work within resource budget, noting that they were below the target level for 2016/2017. Ms Greenhalgh advised that the reason for the targets not being met was that there she had wanted to appropriately focus on the quality of the reports and that in terms of actual numbers, it was only two or three audit reports not being issued within the deadline.

The Committee considered the percentage of business continuity plans updated in line with the quality review reports and questioned the reason for the Governance and Partnerships directorate not being up to date. Ms Greenhalgh advised that the directorate only had three business continuity plans and that only the legal services plan was outstanding, but that it was currently being updated to reflect the new arrangements in the service.

Ms Greenhalgh provided the Committee with an overview of the Internal Audit reports issued during Quarter Four, with particular reference to the inadequate statements that had been issued.

The Committee considered the Internal Audit report of the Blackpool Museum Project and noted that there was a potential funding gap of £10 million for the delivery phase of the project. Mr Jack advised the Committee of the potential funding streams for the project and assured Members that a final bid would not be submitted until the uncertainty had been resolved and that business plans for the project had been tested as part of a requirement of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Committee also considered public liability claims data and Ms Greenhalgh advised that payouts for current claims would include incidents in previous years and that there was a downward trend in the number and cost of payouts as a result of the Project 30 work.

The Committee agreed to note the report.