Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies received.

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

There were no changes to the membership of the Committee.

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 19.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 28 July 2020.

RESOLVED:   That the minutes of the meeting held on the Tuesday, 28 July 2020, be approved 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 22 January 2021.

 There were no items under this heading.

To consider the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement & Commercial Services.

This item was dealt with as part of the following item at minute 23 'Annual Audit Letter'.

To consider the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement & Commercial Services.

Consideration was given to the Audit Findings report for West Lancashire Borough Council for the year ended 31 March 2020, produced by Grant Thornton, as contained on pages 225-264 of the Book of Reports.

The Chairman invited Gerard Small and Jon Roberts, Grant Thornton to present the findings to the Committee.

Comments and Questions were raised regarding the following:

·         Potential for an extra meeting of the Committee

·         Pensions

RESOLVED:     That the annual audit letter be noted and the Head of Finance, Procurement & Commercial Services, in consultation with the Chairman, be given delegated authority to finalise the document, and any significant changes be reported to Committee.

To consider the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement & Commercial Services.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement and Commercial Property as contained on pages 153-208 of the Book of Reports, which set out details of the operation of the Risk Management Framework over the last twelve months.

The Chairman invited Rebecca Spicer, Risk and Insurance Officer, to present the report to the Committee.

RESOLVED:     A.      That the continuing effective operation of the Risk Management Framework be noted.

B.        That the revised Risk Management Policy, including a new Risk Appetite Statement and Corporate Risk Matrix (appendix A) and Risk Management Toolkit (appendix B), be endorsed for approval by Executive Overview & Scrutiny and Cabinet.

To consider the report of the Legal & Democratic Services Manager.

Consideration was given to the report of the Legal and Democratic Services Manager as contained on pages 209-210 of the Book of Reports, the purpose of which was to report on the Council's use of its powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA)

RESOLVED: That it be noted that the Council has not had cause to use its powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) during the last 12 months.

To consider the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement & Commercial Services.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement and Commercial Services, as contained on pages 211-222 of the Book of Reports, which advised of progress against the 2020/21 Internal Audit Plan.

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

Comments and Questions were raised regarding the following:

·         Audit delays

·         Repairs

·         Fuel management

·         Performance Indicators suspended

RESOLVED:        That progress in the year to date be noted and special thanks be given to the Audit Manager and her team.

To consider the future work programme for the Committee.

Consideration was given to the report of the Committee's Work Program as set out on pages 223-224 of the Book of Reports.

RESOLVED: That the work programme be agreed, subject to:

A.   The removal of the meeting on 23 March 2021

B.   The inclusion of 'EU Rules – Changes with Procurement, with the emphasis on social value'