Issue - meetings

To set out the Work Programme of the Governance and Audit Committee (report of the Democratic Services Manager enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Democratic Services Manager which set out the Work Programme of the Governance and Audit Committee.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

• This was the final meeting of the current municipal year and that indicative items for the forthcoming year had been included within the report;
• Meeting dates for the new municipal year had not yet been confirmed, as these were subject to alignment across the wider Partnership. Provisional dates would be shared once available and would be formally approved at the Annual General Meeting, enabling Members to diarise meetings in advance.
• A minor point within the November entry of the Work Programme would be corrected, where the external audit year should read 2025/26 rather than 2026/27; and
• The Governance and Audit Committee Personal Skills Audit was being scheduled to be reported to members at the September 2026 meeting.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members asked when meeting dates for the forthcoming municipal year were expected to be confirmed, noting the proximity to the start of the new year.
  • The Democratic Services Officer advised that some provisional dates had been developed but that finalisation was dependent on agreement across all Partnership authorities. It was confirmed that work was ongoing and that members would be advised as soon as provisional dates had been endorsed by the relevant Leaders.

• Members queried whether the twice?yearly frequency of Internal Audit progress reporting was sufficient, or whether quarterly monitoring should be reinstated for high?risk areas such as procurement, waste services and digital systems.
  • The Director of Finance acknowledged the point and advised that a balance needed to be struck between the frequency of reporting and ensuring that information was meaningful and actionable. It was suggested that the current approach could continue initially, with flexibility to increase monitoring frequency if required.

• Independent Members commented on the scheduling of Governance and Audit Committee meetings across the Boston and South Holland, noting that spacing meetings helped to avoid an excessive volume of reports being considered over a short period.
  • The Director of Finance confirmed that efforts were made to be mindful of members’ workloads and competing commitments, whilst recognising that statutory deadlines, particularly for accounts and audit matters, could limit flexibility in some instances.

AGREED:

That the Governance and Audit Work Programme be noted.