The Committee
considered the report of the External Auditor on the progress to
date against the 2015/16 Audit Plan.
The report also included a summary of emerging national issues and
developments that might be relevant to the Committee together with
a number of challenge questions in respect of these emerging
issues.
In response to
questions, it was explained that:
·
With regard to changes in accounting for the Highways Network Asset
from 2016/17, CIPFA expected that the transport infrastructure
assets held by district councils/non-highways authorities would be
scoped out of the new requirements as assets were unlikely to form
a single interconnected network.
However, district councils would need to consider the nature of
their transport infrastructure assets to assure themselves and
evidence that their transport infrastructure assets were not part
of an interconnected network and were, therefore, outside of the
scope of the requirements.
·
This year local authorities would need to estimate a provision for
unlodged National Non-Domestic Rate
appeals, but as any unlodged appeals as
at 31 March 2016 would only be backdated to 1 April 2015 this might
not be material, and there was already contingency provision for
existing appeals.
RESOLVED: That
the External Auditor’s update report, attached as Appendix A
to the report of the Head of Finance and Resources, be
noted.