Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. LL55 1SH
Contact: Bethan Adams 01286 679020
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APOLOGIES To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Councillors Aled Ll. Evans, Dilwyn Morgan, John Pughe Roberts, Gethin Glyn Williams and John Wyn Williams. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were received from any members present. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman so they may be considered. |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee, held on 23 June 2016, be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the meeting of this committee held on 23 June 2016, as a true record. |
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2015/16 STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS PDF 74 KB To
submit, for information, the statutory financial declarations (subject to
audit) for 2015/16. Additional documents: Minutes: The Senior Finance Manager set out the background and context of the
report. Attention was drawn to the fact that unaudited draft accounts were
being submitted here for information, with the final version to be submitted
for the Committee's approval at the meeting on 29 September 2016. Their content
was expanded upon and responses were given to the members' general enquiries.
It was reported that the 2013/14 accounts had received approximately 800 visits
on the website and the number of visits regarding the 2014/15 accounts had
increased to approximately 900. In response to a question from a member on the forecast regarding grants
following the UK's decision to leave the European Union as a result of the
referendum held on 23 June, the Head of Finance Department noted that the Head
of the Economy and Community Department was examining the matter regarding
European grants and that she was holding discussions with the Welsh Government.
He added that it was impossible to forecast what would happen as a consequence
of the decision to leave the European Union and that a number of factors
impacted on the economy. In response to an
observation by a member, the Senior Finance Manager noted that the team from
Deloitte, who was undertaking the audit on behalf of the Auditor General for
Wales, was collaborating well with the Finance officers. All Council staff
involved with preparing the Council’s accounts were
thanked for their hard and detailed work. RESOLVED to accept and
note the 2015/16 Statement of the Council’s Accounts (subject to an audit). |
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2015/16 TREASURY MANAGEMENT PDF 208 KB To submit, for
information, the report of the Investment Manager on the results of the Council’s
actual borrowing and investment during the financial year that ended 31 March
2016. Minutes: The background and context of the report was set out on the true results
of the Council's Treasury Management during 2015/16 by the Investment Manager
against the strategy established for that financial year. Details were provided
on the economic background, the borrowing requirements and debt management,
investment activity and compliance with prudential indicators. Attention was drawn to the fact that there was a need to correct the
first paragraph of the report in the Welsh version to note that the total
interest received on investments was less than the original estimated figure in
the budget. It was reported
that the Council had recovered 98% of its investments in Heritable Bank and it
was anticipated that further distributions would be received. It was noted
that, consistently with what had been reported since 2008, the full amount
should be recovered but the timing had not been confirmed as it was dependent
on the settlement of the ongoing court case. The Investment Manager confirmed that the borrowing activity of the
Council remained within the constraints originally set. In response to a
question regarding interest on historical borrowings, the Head of Finance
Department noted that the situation regarding historical borrowings was being
continually assessed. He explained that the redemption premium (penalty) could
be more than the benefit gained from their termination and the older borrowings
with higher interest were gradually coming to an end. The Investment Manager
drew attention to the fact that at present the Council's average interest rate
was 5.4% on borrowings as some of the historical borrowings had been repaid. A member asked
whether interest had been received on the money in the Heritable Bank or only
on the money invested. In response, the
Investment Manager noted that a claim had been made for the relevant interest
up to the due period prior to the bank becoming insolvent. RESOLVED to accept the report for information. |
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INTERNAL AUDIT OUTPUT 1/4/16 - 30/6/16 PDF 596 KB To submit the report of the Audit Manager. Minutes: The report of the Audit Manager was submitted, outlining the Internal
Audit’s work for the period. It was noted that 14 reports on audits from the
operational plan had been completed and also one audit from the 2015/16 audit
plan and 4 follow-up audits. Consideration was given to all the reports individually. A member referred
to information governance audits in primary schools and noted that there were
four similar bullet points for the schools and that he assumed that this was
true for all schools in Gwynedd. He expressed his disappointment that steps had
not already been taken by the Education Department. In response to a
member’s observation that schools should use a shredder rather than use data
destroying sacks, the Audit Manager noted that it was a matter for the
individual schools to decide on the way forward and that it may be better to
use a shredder. RESOLVED To accept the report on the work of the Internal Audit for the period 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016 and to support the recommendations that had already been submitted to the managers of the relevant services for implementation. |
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INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN 2016/17 PDF 388 KB To submit the
report of the Audit Manager on the progress made on the 2016/17 Internal Audit
Plan. Minutes: The report of the
Audit Manager was submitted, providing an update on the current situation in
terms of completing the 2016/17 internal audit plan. It was reported
that the Internal Audit Unit had exceeded the target for quarter 1 with 14
final reports released, namely 17.5% audits of the plan compared with a target
of 8%. In response to a
member’s enquiry, the Audit Manager noted that an audit would be conducted on
the arrangements of the Animal Health Unit within the Public Protection Service
at the request of the Head of Regulatory Department to examine whether the
service provided at present could be maintained following a reduction in the
budget. The Senior Revenue and Risk Manager emphasised that Internal Audit
would be conducting an audit of the arrangements within the Regulatory Department
and would not be undertaking animal health tests. RESOLVED to note the contents of the report as an update of progress against the 2016/17 audit plan. |