Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutions.

Apologies were received from Councillor Caplin and Philip Briggs.

Councillor Bateson attended the meeting as a substitute.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2026.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2026 would be considered at the next meeting of the Committee.

To receive any disclosures of interest from Councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for members.

Councillor Nichols declared he was a board member of Knowle Green Estates. Councillor Woodward declared he was a board member of Spelthorne Direct Services. 

There were no additional disclosures of interest.

To note the overall assurance level for the 12 Governance Assurance Areas, which will form the new Governance Assurance Register (Appendix A) and review the following six Governance Assurance Areas (Appendix B):

·       Ensuring an inclusive and prosperous economy

·       Ensuring we address affordable housing supply and demand to meet local need

·       Ensuring the Council has robust mechanisms in place to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and business interruptions

·       Ensuring we meet our Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity duties and responsibilities

·       Ensuring the Council’s financial management and long-term planning arrangements are effective to secure financial sustainability

·       Ensuring there are effective governance arrangements in place to deliver the IRP

Lee O’Neil, Deputy Chief Executive presented the report on the development of the Governance Assurance Register and the current status of the Governance Assurance Framework. He reported that good progress continued to be made in implementing and embedding the Council's new Governance Assurance Approach to Risk Management. He advised that there had been no changes to the overall assurance levels across the 12 governance assurance areas since they were last reported to the Committee.

The Committee had previously reviewed all 12 governance assurance areas over its May and June meetings, and the reporting cycle had now recommenced with the first six areas being presented again for review.

He reported that governance assurance reporting had been introduced to service committees, beginning with the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee in July. He advised that a tailored reporting template had been developed to support the scrutiny and performance role of service committees, incorporating relevant performance indicator data. Feedback from the initial report had been positive and further governance assurance reports were planned for September.

Chris Norrington, Economic Development Manager presented the update in relation to ‘ensuring an inclusive and prosperous economy’ advising that progress against some actions had been impacted by limited Economic Development resources since May.

He reported that officers continued to engage with local businesses through a range of channels, supported by regular communications and stakeholder networks. He noted that work was underway to develop an engagement framework to support businesses and community groups through the transition to West Surrey Council.

Regarding evaluation and performance monitoring, he reported that a framework was being developed. Partner organisations had agreed to provide quarterly performance information, alongside existing key performance indicators and Department for Work and Pensions data, to support governance assurance reporting. Work had commenced on developing a shared data and intelligence approach, including analysis of the borough's economy to provide a comprehensive picture and inform future improvements. In response to a query about Spelthorne’s economic positioning within the future West Surrey authority, he confirmed that the Leader of West Surrey had been invited to visit Spelthorne to better understand its economic strengths and opportunities. He clarified that further progress would be achievable before the next update.

Ken Emerson, Housing Options Manager presented the update in relation to ‘ensuring we address affordable housing supply and demand to meet local need’. He advised that work was underway to assess new Government housing outcomes as part of the development of a future West Surrey housing strategy. In relation to housing demand, he reported that homelessness caseloads had reduced and officers were continuing to monitor the impact of legislative changes, including the Renters Rights Act, on homelessness and housing demand. He advised that the Council was increasing the proportion of social housing allocations made to homeless households to help reduce the use of temporary accommodation. In relation to housing supply, he reported that work continued on development projects, the acquisition of additional properties, and opportunities to make use of vacant accommodation across the emerging West Surrey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43/26

Committee is asked to note the reasons for the delay in publishing the Statement of Accounts for 2025/26.

Terry Collier, Deputy Chief Executive and Altin Botzhani, Interim Deputy Chief Finance Officer, provided an update on the delay to publication of the 2025/26 Statement of Accounts. They advised that the delay related to complex accounting treatment within the Collection Fund and concerns regarding the reliability of information provided by an external specialist adviser.

It was explained that, following validation checks, concerns had been identified shortly before the statutory publication deadline. As a result, the Council had commissioned an independent specialist firm to undertake a detailed review of that part of the accounts to ensure they were accurate and robust before publication. It had been confirmed that the issue related to accounting treatment and reporting requirements rather than the collection of council tax or business rates, and there was no suggestion of fraud or financial irregularity. The Committee was advised that publication of the accounts was now expected by the end of August or early September, subject to completion of the specialist review and subsequent amendments.

Both officers acknowledged Councillors’ frustration with the delay but highlighted the significant improvements made to the accounts process compared with previous years. The Interim Deputy Chief Finance Officer also outlined a number of measures being introduced to strengthen future arrangements, including enhanced in-house expertise, more regular monitoring, monthly Collection Fund reviews and an expanded year-end ‘soft close’ process to identify issues earlier.

During discussion, members of the Committee expressed disappointment and concern that the issue had only been identified shortly before publication of the accounts, despite previous assurances to them regarding progress. Clarification was sought on the extent to which the external auditors had been informed of the emerging issue and whether the delay would result in additional audit costs. Officers advised that Grant Thornton had been kept informed and had supported the decision to delay publication in order to ensure the accuracy of the accounts. It was also confirmed that the revised timetable was not expected to affect the auditors' ability to report their findings to the Committee in November.

Concerns were raised about the implications of the delay for confidence in the Council's financial governance and preparedness ahead of transition to West Surrey Council. Officers acknowledged the validity of this but highlighted the significant improvements already made to the accounts process compared with previous years and advised that resolving the Collection Fund issue would strengthen the overall robustness of the accounts.

Questions were also raised regarding the management and oversight of the external specialist engaged to support Collection Fund accounting. Officers explained that regular monitoring arrangements had been in place but that concerns only became apparent once the final figures were received and validated. Members requested that the root causes of the issue and the lessons learned be reported once the specialist review had been completed.

Councillor Nichols questioned the specific content of the public notice issued to explain the delay in publication of the accounts. Officers agreed to review and update the notice in order to provide greater clarity regarding the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44/26

To consider and approve the work programme.

The Committee considered its Work Programme for the remainder of the 2026/27 municipal year.

RESOLVED: That the forward plan be agreed.