Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutions.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2026.

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

To consider the External Audit Plan for 2026/27.

To consider the Annual Internal Audit Conclusion of the Chief Internal Auditor.

Appendix B contains exempt information within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information because, disclosure to the public could expose vulnerabilities and control weaknesses, thereby compromising the Council’s security and ability to manage cyber risk effectively.

To be updated on the structure and progress of the revised Improvement & Recovery Plan (IRP) and consider whether arrangements for governance of IRP are sufficient and the need for any changes or amendments to the information on IRP progress and governance being reported to the Audit Committee.

To approve the draft Governance Assurance Statement for submission with the Statement of Accounts.

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

·       Ensuring and maintaining our Organisational Resilience

·       Ensuring our programme and change management arrangements are effective to support the successful transition to the new unitary council.       

·       Ensuring we meet our zero carbon targets and wider environmental responsibilities       

·       Ensuring effective Procurement and Contract Management arrangements       

·       Ensuring our arrangements against the threat of fraud and maintaining assurance that our anti-fraud arrangements are robust and effective

·       Ensuring our arrangements for Cyber Resilience and manage the threat of a cyber-attack are effective (Attached as Appendix D)

Appendix D contains exempt information within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information because, disclosure to the public would compromise the effectiveness of the Council’s cyber security safeguards and weaken its risk mitigation.

To consider and approve the Audit Committee work programme.