Agenda item

(a)  Approved the extension of the Internal Audit Contract for 1 year to cover the work needed to complete the Head of Internal Audit Opinion for 2022/23 and with an option for a further extension of 1 further year to provide flexibility should recruitment of an in-house team take longer than expected or be unsuccessful.

(b)  Delegated authority to the Director of Finance, in consultation with the Lead Member for Forward Strategy and Corporate Resources and the Lead Member for Financial Oversight, Council Assets and Performance to award a contract to RSM Risk Assurance Services LLP for the provision of internal audit services in line with an internal audit plan to be agreed with the council and approved by the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee.

The Cabinet considered a report that sought approval to extend the current Internal Audit contract with RSM Risk Assurance Services LLP through the NHS SBS Framework for one year with an option to extend for a further year.

The current contract would end on 31 March 2022 and if the contract was not extended the Council would not have an internal audit service, which was a statutory requirement.  The Audit & Corporate Governance Committee had agreed it’s preference in December 2021 that in the longer term the internal audit service be brought back in house.  The progress and timetable to deliver the in house service was set out in the report.  The extension would provide time to finalise and implement the future arrangements.

The Cabinet asked for confirmation that the Commissioners requirement that separate arrangements were put in place for the audit of the procurement and contract management processes by a third party were put in place to avoid a conflict of interest.  Assurance was provided that independent arrangements would be put in place to ensure a conflict of interest was avoided in this regard.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Cabinet agreed the recommendation to extend the current contract and requested an update be provided to Lead Members later in the year.

Resolved –

(a)  Approved the extension of the Internal Audit Contract for 1 year to cover the work needed to complete the Head of Internal Audit Opinion for 2022/23 and with an option for a further extension of 1 further year to provide flexibility should recruitment of an in-house team take longer than expected or be unsuccessful.

(b)  Delegated authority to the Director of Finance, in consultation with the Lead Member for Forward Strategy and Corporate Resources and the Lead Member for Financial Oversight, Council Assets and Performance to award a contract to RSM Risk Assurance Services LLP for the provision of internal audit services in line with an internal audit plan to be agreed with the council and approved by the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee.