To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 10 May 2022.  The updated action log for the committee is also attached.

The minutes of the previous meeting were received.  Due to not being present for the whole of the previous meeting, the Chairperson abstained from voting on the minutes.

The action log for the committee was attached to the minutes and an updated version was tabled at the meeting.  The matters arising included:

i.             Corporate Performance: In response to a question, the Director of Resources and Assurance advised that an interim Head of Corporate Performance was in place and an offer of employment had been made to a permanent appointee.  With reference made to November 2022 due dates, it was requested that consideration be given to the earlier completion of the relevant actions; September 2022 was suggested.

ii.            There was a discussion about the implications of significant slippage in the completion of actions.  The Key Audit Partner for Grant Thornton commented on the need to be realistic given the resources available but also to revisit actions to ensure that sufficient progress was being made.  A committee member suggested that actions which slipped more than six months should be reviewed to ensure that they were still important.

iii.          Action 94: It was requested that an example of a service business plan, including internal audit recommendations, be provided in order to evidence completion.

iv.          Action 97: As the work of the Re-thinking Governance Working Group had concluded, this action (on performance and budget reporting) would need to be referred to the Scrutiny Management Board.

v.           Actions 101: The need for an external provider to deliver training in relation to Section 106 was questioned given the need to understand the processes within Herefordshire Council.

vi.          Action 102: The reason for the delay in the review of the Section 106 spreadsheet was questioned.

vii.         The Director of Resources and Assurance, noting that Cabinet had considered an item on ‘Section 106 portfolio of works – delivery proposals’ at the meeting on 25 November 2021 (minute 74 of 2021/22 refers), commented on the challenges in relation to Section 106, the measures to clear the backlog, the need to improve the information available on the council’s website, and the engagement of consultants to examine the council’s approach to developer contributions.

viii.       The Chairperson considered that an information session for councillors on Section 106 was overdue and undertook to write to the Chief Executive to expedite this.  The Chairperson commented on the important roles of local ward members and of town and parish councils.  There was a brief discussion about developer contributions for smaller developments and the authority’s position in respect of Community Infrastructure Levy.

ix.          Action 122: It was noted that the Director of Transformation position had been removed from the organisation chart and the Chairperson undertook to write to the Chief Executive to seek clarification.

x.           Action 125: The Director of Resources and Assurance said that an update would be provided on who within the Council undertakes the Carbon Audit.

xi.          Action 126: The Senior Lawyer confirmed that two skills matrixes were being developed, a specific one for the Audit and Governance Committee (as considered by the committee at the meeting on 27 October 2022 (minute 43 of 2021/22 refers)), and a broader one for all councillors.  It was requested that the matrix for the committee be circulated to committee members.

xii.         Action 129: It was requested that consideration be given to the earlier completion of the action (to establish a process for relevant internal audit recommendations to be circulated regularly to scrutiny committee members), given that there were interim officers in place for the Head of Corporate Performance and the Statutory Scrutiny Officer positions.  The Vice-Chairperson noted the use of the word ‘relevant’ was in the context of the remit of the relevant committee.  A committee member said that a variety of information sources, including risk registers, were informing the work programming for the scrutiny committees currently.

xiii.       Action 140: An update was requested on the schedule for the development of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

[Note: there was an adjournment for fifteen minutes to address a technical issue with the live streaming of the meeting]

A committee member reminded the Director of Resources and Assurance of an undertaking given at the last meeting to contact them outside the meeting about the scope of the internal audit in relation to the South Wye Transport Package.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 May 2022 be confirmed as a correct record and be signed by the chairperson.

Action(s):

Action 163:     That the Chairperson write to the Chief Executive to request an information session for all councillors on Section 106.

Action 164:     That the Chairperson write to the Chief Executive to request clarification on the Director of Transformation position.

Action 165:     That the Director of Resources and Assurance contact Councillor Jinman about the scope of the internal audit in relation to the South Wye Transport Package.