Issue - meetings

Housing Benefit Grant Claim

Meeting: 16/01/2017 - Audit, Governance and Standards Committee (Item 59)

59 Housing Benefit Grant Claim pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Interim Head of Revenues and Benefits 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 2015/16.

 

It was noted that:

 

·  The claim related to expenditure of £47.3m.

 

·  An issue was identified in the prior year around the classification of Non-HRA Overpayments which resulted in the Council performing additional work and making an amendment to the final 2014/15 Claim Form.  The Council had implemented new procedures and had also undertaken a review ahead of the submission of the 2015/16 Claim Form and made amendments where required.  Grant Thornton had reviewed this work and agreed with the Council’s findings, which enabled them to certify the Claim Form without the need for any amendments or a Qualification Letter.

 

Members recognised that the certification of the Claim Form without the need for any amendments or a Qualification Letter was a significant achievement.

 

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, and that the Officers be congratulated on the outcome of the certification work.