Agenda item - Valley Gardens Project (Phase 3)

Report of the Executive Director, Finance & Resources

1)           That the Committee note the report.

40.1      The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Finance & Resources that set out the results of the Internal Audit desktop review into a number of aspects of the Valley Gardens project as requested by the committee at its meeting on 23 July 2019.

40.2      Councillor Peltzer Dunn praised the standard of the report. However, there were some aspects that Councillor Wares believed had not been addressed, as set out in his letter to the committee. Councillor Peltzer Dunn asked for officer observations on those comments, specifically those detailed on page 6 and page 7 of the addendum containing the letter from Councillor Wares.

40.3      The Audit Manager stated that he would need to consult with the auditor who undertook the work and provide a written reply to Councillor Peltzer Dunn.

40.4      Councillor Nemeth noted that he had concern with the process. Similar to Councillor Wares, he had requested an audit into rough sleeping figures and had found the process had not specifically addressed the concerns raised. Councillor Nemeth asked for the reasons why the audit report was not shared with Councillor Wares before being published.

40.5      The Chair stated that he had made that decision based upon the requirements of the Constitution. The Chair noted that the committee’s remit was much more constrained that understood and there were increasing occasions where letters had been submitted that should instead be considered by the parent committee.

40.6      Helen Aston noted that there appeared a contradiction in paragraphs 4.2 and 4.5 and asked if the work had been undertaken.

40.7      The Audit Manager replied that the wording was inconsistent, and an update briefing would be sent to members of the committee.

40.8      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the report.