Report of the Shared Internal Audit Service

The committee received a report of the Shared Internal Audit Service that detailed progress made in delivering the Council’s Annual Audit Plan for 2018/19. 

The Client Audit Manager highlighted key aspects of the report.  He advised that the completed projects to draft report’s target was currently five percentage points below the profiled target.  However, this related to one report that was about to be issued.  This would ensure the service met its target.  The report outlined two recommendations that officers had requested an extension to the implementation dates.  Further information was available in Appendix C to the report. 

Councillor Khan noted that one of the requested extensions related to Safeguarding.  This was an important issue that had to be done.  He was concerned about the continued slippage of this recommendation, which had originally been issued November 2015.

The Client Audit Manager advised that officers had provided an update which is set out in Appendix C.  He said that if the committee requested further information, the officers would be contacted to provide a more detailed update.

The Head of Finance said that as a member of the Leadership Team she could assure the committee that safeguarding was happening within the council. 

The committee agreed that officers would be asked to provide a more detailed response and report to the next meeting.

Councillor Khan then referred to the Cyber Security 2017/18 recommendation that officers had asked to be extended until 31 December 2018.  He was concerned that this recommendation had still not been resolved.

The Head of Finance and the Client Audit Manager said that officers could be asked to provide further information as it may still not be resolved by the next meeting.

The Head of Finance added that officers were progressing with the migration and she was aware that Finance was one of the last servers to be migrated.

The Client Audit Manager advised that this was an annual audit and the next one was currently at the planning stage with officers.  As part of the process outstanding previous recommendations would be discussed.

The committee agreed that officers present a report to the next meeting on their progress in implementing the final recommendation for the 2017/18 Cyber Security audit.

The Chair noted that the Tree Surveying 2016/17 audit still had three recommendations outstanding.  He was aware the deadlines had been revised to 31 July 2019, but this was some considerable time after the report was originally issued in April 2017.

The committee agreed that officers would also be asked to provide a more detailed update on the progress of implementing the outstanding recommendations for the Tree Surveying audit.

RESOLVED –

1.      that the Internal Audit Progress Report for the period to 7 September 2018 be noted.

2.      that the amendments to the Audit Plan as at 7 September 2018 be approved.

3.      that the removal of the implemented recommendations (as shown in Appendix C of the report) be agreed.

4.      that changes to the implementation dates for two recommendations (as shown in paragraph 2.5 of the report) for the reasons set out in Appendix C of the report be agreed.

5.      that the relevant officers be asked to provide detailed explanations for the delays in implementing the recommendations for the following audits –

·             Safeguarding 2015/16

·             Tree Surveying 2016/17

·             Cyber Security 2017/18