Issue - meetings

Gary Hunter, Benefits Manager, introduced the report of the Director of Regeneration and Communities summarising the outcome of the work undertaken by Grant Thornton, the External Auditor, to certify the Housing Benefits subsidy claim submitted by the Council for the financial year 2013/14.  It was noted that:

·  The claim related to expenditure of £46.3m.

·  The testing had identified errors in two areas, affecting a relatively small number of cases and resulting in the amendment and qualification of the claim.

·  The overall assurance provided through the certification work confirmed that the Council continued to have good systems in place to ensure the accuracy of the grant claim.

In response to questions by a Member, the Benefits Manager confirmed that the Officers were reviewing the results of the certification work to ensure that the errors which had been identified did not occur in future years.

RESOLVED:  That the assurance provided by Grant Thornton that the Council maintains a strong control environment for the preparation and monitoring of grant claims and returns be noted.