(a)

the IRP was asked by the new administration to undertake a review; specific details were included in the ‘to follow’ report;

(b)

the IRP had been scheduled to meet on 13 and 14 June 2018 with recommendations due to go full Council on 25 June 2018;

(c)

the quorum for the IRP is three Independent Members however Audit & Governance Committee were invited to consider appointing Ms Jane Hopkinson as an additional Independent Member bringing the total number of panel members to four.

1.

to note the terms of reference for the Independent Remuneration Panel’s June 2018 review of Member Allowances;

2.

to approve the appointment of Ms Jane Hopkinson to the Panel, per its delegated authority from Council at 18 May Annual General Meeting.

(a)

the elections project was initially monitored by the Constitutional Review Group (CRG) however since the merge of CRG and Audit Committee resulting in the creation of the Audit & Governance Committee, updates were to be directed to this meeting;

(b)

Mr Dave Smith, an independent inspector, who was brought in as a result of several issues with the elections in 2017, provided the Council with several recommendations in order to address concerns and ensure the adequacy of the elections process. It was confirmed that in response to the recommendations made by Mr Smith, resilience in the team had been enhanced through additional capacity; improvements in elections documentation and more effective processes; a focus upon training and staff meeting national standards of certification for elections law and registration; the contact centre has taken on some tasks from the elections team, using their skills and expertise in customer service by dealing with basic enquiries about the electoral register; 

(c)

the Electoral Commission was present at the Life Centre on election night on Thursday 3 May 2018 and confirmed they were satisfied with the Council’s processes, the venue, that fact that count staff were easily identifiable due to coloured id badges and how the Returning Officer had conducted the election overall. It was raised however that further training was required for count staff to improve consistency, particularly around the process for verifying ballot papers;

(d)

the Electoral Services team was now in the process of preparing for the full canvas of the electoral register which will start in July 2018; statutory letters, Household Enquiry Form (HEF) and Invitation To Register (ITR) are required to be sent to all households in Plymouth;

(e)

there was also a statutory requirement to undertake a Polling District and Polling Place review every five years. Plymouth City Council last conducted a review in November 2014 and therefore was now undertaking a full review starting 1 October 2018 and finishing before the publication of the 2019/2020 Electoral Register. The review will set out the proposals for changes to Plymouth City’s polling districts and locations as part of a review carried out as required by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013. The review was not a review of electoral areas, only the polling districts and the polling places.  There was no requirement to change any existing arrangements. 

(f)

there was an issue at a polling station in Devonport whereby signs were mistakenly taken down too early prior to the closing of the poll; this was rectified quickly and was considered a vast improvement from the elections team in terms of a quick response; it was confirmed that training would be refined and that this incident would be used as an example of what not to do on election day;

(g)

an issue occurred at a polling station at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

1.

the Audit & Governance Committee note that overall and based on work performed during 2017/18, and that of our experience from previous years’ audit, the Head of Internal Audit’s Opinion is of ‘Significant Assurance’ on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Authority’s internal control framework;

2.

Members note the performance and achievements of the Internal Audit Team during 2017/18;

3.

Andrew Hardingham (Strategic Director for Transformation & Change) to work with Brenda Davis (Audit Manager) to put together a programme identifying specific areas of the council where improvements were required and for this to be reported back to the Audit & Governance Committee with the appropriate Managers in attendance.

(a)

who was responsible for monitoring health and safety, specifically with regards to vibrations as recently some grass cutters had to be returned due to the level of vibrations; it was confirmed that this was monitored by service managers and the health & safety department;

(b)

on page 54 of the agenda pack the statement refers to the Audit Committee having two independent members however it was considered that this was misleading as there were currently two serving independent members as well as one vacancy; this would be amended accordingly in the statement;

(c)

the importance of data security and actions taken to prevent further potential losses; it was confirmed that this would be covered in the Information Governance Report which was currently being prepared by Officers and would be submitted to Committee once available;

(d)

if further information could be provided on the whistleblowing policy and if the policy was fit for purpose; it was confirmed that the whistleblowing policy was due for review and could be added to the Council’s staffroom webpage in order to heighten awareness.

(1)

note the processes adopted for the production of the 2017/18 Annual Governance Statement;

(2)

approve the adequacy and effectiveness of the proposed Code of Corporate Governance;

(3)

endorse the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal audit;

(4)

approve and Annual Governance Statement prior to signature by the Leader, Chief Executive and Interim Strategic Director for Transformation & Change (S.151 Officer);

(5)

amend the Annual Governance Statement 2017/18 to clarify that the Audit & Governance Committee currently had two independent Members however there was a vacancy for 1 further Independent Member.

(a)

as a result of the European Directive, Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), from 3 January 2018 Local Authorities were automatically treated as retail clients but could ‘opt up’ to professional client status, providing certain criteria was met  - Plymouth had met the conditions to opt up to professional status and had done so to maintain its MiFID II status;

(b)

the Council’s Treasury Management Board has determined it was more cost effective to borrow short term loans instead of fixing in at higher long term rates;

(c)

during 2017/18 the Council’s investment and cash balances ranged between £70-£100 million due to timing differences between income and expenditure

(d)

the Council confirmed compliance with its Prudential Indicators for 2017/18 which were set out in February 2017 as part of the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy.

1.

to note the Treasury Management Annual Report 2017/18;

2.

to refer the Treasury Management Annual Report 2017/18 to Full Council for approval.

·          

The Elections Process;

·          

The Polling Place Review;

·          

Internal Audit Annual Report – Manager specific issues ‘requiring improvement’