Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Coughlan and Molloy.

To be apprised of any changes to the membership of the Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4, the Committee noted the termination of Councillor A Owen, and the appointment of Councillor Rigby for this meeting only, thereby giving effect to the wishes of the Political Groups.

Note, no other business is permitted unless, by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified at the meeting, the Chairman is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items of business.

If a Member requires advice on Declarations of Interest, he/she is advised to contact the Legal and Democratic Services Manager in advance of the meeting.   (For the assistance of members a checklist for use in considering their position on any particular item is included at the end of this agenda  ...  view the full agenda text for item 21.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 29 May 2024.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 29 May 2024 be received as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Residents of West Lancashire on giving notice, may address the meeting to make representations on any item on the agenda except where the public and press are to be excluded during consideration of the item.  The deadline for submission is 10.00am on Friday ……..

There were no items under this heading.

External auditor's report to advise on progress in delivering their responsibilities..

Consideration was given to the Audit Progress Report from our External Auditors Grant Thornton.

The Chairman welcomed and invited Georgia Jones, of Grant Thornton, to present the report to the Committee.

The Committee considered the Audit Progress Report as contained on pages 21-38 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members for approval.

Comments and questions were raised in respect of the following:

·       Backstop legislation

·       "Pooling leverage with local NHS bodies, the third sector and community organisations?" Referred to in "the smart regeneration journey to 2030" page 12

·       Organic waste collections (food and garden)

RESOLVED: That the report be noted and the Assistant Director of Environmental Services be asked to submit a report to a future Policy & Resources Committee in respect of the new recycling requirements and the implications for West Lancashire.

The Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report to provide Members with the Internal Audit Activities Progress Report.

The Chairman invited the Internal Audit Manager to present the report.

The Committee considered the report as contained on pages 30-50 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members for approval.

Questions were raised in respect of the outstanding issues relating to payroll reconciliations

RESOLVED: That the progress in the year to date be noted.

The Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report to provide Members with the Internal Audit Annual Report and Opinion 2023/24.

The Chairman invited the Internal Audit Manager to present the report.

The Committee considered the report as contained on pages 51-66 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members for approval.

RESOLVED: That the Internal Audit Annual Report and Opinion for 2023/24 be noted.

The Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report to provide Members with the Outstanding Audit Recommendations.

The Chairman invited the Internal Audit Manager to present the report.

The Committee considered the report as contained on pages 67-76 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members for approval.

Comments and questions were raised in respect of the following:

·       Agency staffing

·       Monitoring of outstanding audit recommendations

RESOLVED:   A.     That the status of outstanding audit recommendations and the progress to date to ensure they are implemented be noted.

                      B.     That a further update be reported to the next meeting.

To consider and note a report to Audit and Governance Committee in respect of an update regarding the use of the powers provided under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (as amended).

The Chief Legal & Democratic Services Officer submitted a report on the Council's use of its powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Power's Act (RIPA).

The Committee considered the RIPA Activity as contained on pages 77-78 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members.

RESOLVED: Members noted that the Council has not had cause to use its powers under RIPA during the last 12 months.

The Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report, which provided an overview of the Council's obligation in meeting statutory regulatory requirements relating to the processing of personal, confidential, or identifiable data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and its duty to be transparent through compliance within the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Corporate Compliance and Governance Manager outlined the report.

The Committee considered the report as contained on pages 79-97 of the Book of Reports.

RESOLVED: That the Annual Report of the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be noted.

It is recommended that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item(s) of business in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph  ...  view the full agenda text for item 30.

RESOLVED: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of that Act and as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption under Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information

Report of the Director of Finance & Resources (151 Officer)

The Director of Finance and Resources (151 Officer) submitted a report on the Council's grants of exemptions from Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and/or the Council's Contract Procedure Rules.

The Chairman invited the Procurement Manager to present the report.

The Committee considered the Quarterly Report on Procurement Exemptions as contained on pages 99-140 of the Book of Reports, which had been presented to Members.

A question was raised in respect of the tender for stray dogs and kennels.

RESOLVED: That the Council's exemption activity be noted.

To note the work program and consider any amendments or additional items for inclusion.

Consideration was given to the Committee's 2024/25 Work Programme as set out on page 141 of the Book of Reports.

RESOLVED: That the Work Programme be noted.