To submit the report of the Audit Manager outlining the work of the internal Audit Section for the period between 1 February and 31 March 2015.
Minutes:
The work of the
Internal Audit Section for the period up to 31 March 15
Submitted
- the report of the Audit Manager, outlining the Internal Audit’s work during
the period between 1 February 2015 and 31 March 2015. When submitting the
information on the work completed during the period, the officer referred to -
·
24 reports on audits of the action plan with the
relevant opinion category shown
·
4 other reports (memoranda etc.)
·
4 grant reviews
·
5 follow-up audits
Consideration was given to each individual report and
during the discussion reference was made to the following matters –
ICT in Secondary
Schools
In response to a member’s observation regarding changing
passwords, the Audit Manager noted that the same enforcement was relevant to
officers and members to change passwords to access the network and that there
were specific regulations for other systems.
Health and Safety -
Lone Working
In response to a member's observation, the Audit Manager
noted that the scope of the audit did not include Councillors, but that
conducting such an audit was something to consider for the future.
It was noted that it was the responsibility of managers to
ensure that staff received the relevant training and that Health and Safety
Officers were available to assist when risk assessments were undertaken.
Protocol for
Member-Officer Link
In response to a member’s observation regarding the need
for Councillors to sign in and out as they visited any of the Council's
property, the Head of Finance Department noted that introducing a digital
procedure of registering in and out with a card (used for printing) had been
explored, but that it meant a significant investment due to the number of doors
in the buildings.
A member noted that he sometimes had difficulty when
receiving response to enquiries from the Planning Service. In response, the
member was advised to contact the Temporary Head of the Regulatory Department
regarding the matter.
A member added that a list of officers’ contact details
along with their working days would be beneficial to members.
The Head of Finance Department noted that he would raise
the matter of contacting officers in the next meeting of the Management Group.
Network Convergence
It was noted that an opinion category had not been noted
on this audit as the plan had progressed, and it was not always appropriate to
place a category in such circumstances.
Children Services -
Commissioning Care
In response to a member’s observation, the Audit Manager
noted that an inclusive review had been undertaken and that work to formalise
arrangements was underway.
Parking Enforcement
In response to a member’s observation regarding Civil
Enforcement Officers’ working hours and lone working arrangements, it was noted
that this had not been included in the audit’s scope.
A member noted that given the financial challenge that the
Council faced, expanding the role of Civil Enforcement Officers to include
duties such as dog fouling and planning enforcement should be considered.
The Head of Finance Department suggested that the hours
and lone working situation could be focussed upon, along with alternative
duties for the Civil Enforcement Officers at the Controls Improvement Working
Group with the 'Health and Safety - Lone Working' audit, if the relevant
manager was invited.
RESOLVED:
(a) to accept the reports on the work of the
Internal Audit Section for the period 01 February 2015 until 31 March 2015 and
to support the recommendations that have already been submitted to the managers
of the relevant services for implementation.
(b) that the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the committee, along with Councillors Trevor Edwards, John B. Hughes, Dilwyn Morgan and Angela Russell serve on the Working Group to consider the audits that have received a category ‘C’ opinion, focussing on the hours and lone working situation along with alternative duties for the Civil Enforcement Officers with the 'Health and Safety - Lone Working' audit.
Supporting documents: