FOI request (FOIR-569010781)

Audit Committee Annual/External Reviews

Requested Wed 13 December 2023
Responded Tue 09 January 2024

CIPFA Guidance on Local Authority Audit Committees states that 'Recommended practice is for audit committees to review and assess themselves annually or to seek an external review.'

We realise that the committee with audit related responsibilities are not always called 'Audit Committee'. Please can you confirm what the title of this committee is within your local authority and answer the following questions in relation to that committee.

a. Internal Annual Review of Audit Committee For each of the last five financial years. Please provide me with a copy of the audit committee's annual review of its work. Please state the date the review was published and how it was made public at the time.

b. External Review of Audit Committee

Please confirm the most recent date that an external review of the audit committee was sought, who undertook that review, when and where it was published and provide a copy of the review.

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Response

a. The last interim Auditors Annual Report on Hastings Borough Council was presented to Audit committee on 12th January which made addition recommendations to governance.

Meeting documents are available at:

https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=158&MId=4761&Ver=4

b. The latest external review was submitted to Audit committee on 7th December 2023. This included additional recommendations for governance.

Meeting documents are available at:

https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=158&MId=5113&Ver=4