Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

The report is the final version of the Council’s Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for 2015/16. The draft AGS had been considered by Corporate Leadership Team on 14th June 2016, the Executive on 21st June 2016 and the Corporate Governance Group on 13 July 2016. There had been no material change in governance issues up to the date of this meeting.

The Audit Committee is asked to approve the Annual Governance Statement prior to signing by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive.

Officer Contact: John Pearsall on Tel: 0161 474 4033 or email: john.pearsall@stockport.gov.uk.

A representative of the Borough Treasurer submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the final version of the Council’s Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for 2015/16.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Commissioning and pooled budgets were in the audit plan for 2016/17 and pooled audit arrangements were being considered by the Internal Audit team, the findings of which would form part of an internal audit report to be submitted to the Audit Committee.

·         Members noted the significant expansion of the pooled budget with the Clinical Commissioning Group for 2016/17 to c£200m.

·         Stockport Council first signed a Section 75 agreement with the Primary Care Trust in 2009 and therefore was well versed in dealing with the mechanisms of pooled budgets.

·         As part of the current Section 75 agreement there had been a delineation of duties between the Clinical Commissioning Group as the commissioning lead and the Council as the financial lead.

·         Grant Thornton acted as the external auditors for both Stockport Council and Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group which simplified the external auditing of the pooled budget.

·         The Internal Audit team had received funding for a dedicated two year post with the primary responsibility relating to health & social care integration, pooled budgets and commissioning.

RESOLVED – (1) That the 2015/16 Annual Governance Statement be approved and the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive be recommended to sign the document.

(2) That the Borough Treasurer be requested to provide regular updates to the Audit Committee on the governance issues arising from the Annual Governance Statement.