Mr David Dobbs, Head of Internal Audit, Anti-Fraud and Risk stated the report provided the Annual Audit Opinion of the Head of Internal Audit and had been produced in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards. Mr Dobbs said the opinion supported the governance conclusions included in the Annual Governance Statement, which formed the Statement of Accounts required under the Accounts and Audits Regulations 2015.

Mr Dobbs drew attention to paragraph 2.2 of his report, page 27 of the agenda and said that he could provide a ‘Reasonable Assurance’ that the Council has adequate systems of governance, risk management and internal control. He said this was a positive outcome and an improvement from the opinions previously given. He said section 3 of the report detailed the audit results.

In response to comments and questions from members the following was noted:

·       Mr Dobbs stated the annual report provided general comments about risks and future risks that the Council would be exposed to. Ms Holland, Corporate Director for Resources added that whilst the in-sourcing of Tower Hamlets Homes and Leisure facilities were an identified risk, there were controls in place to ensure the switch would be as seamless as possible.

·       In reference to appendix B and the audits undertaken, Mr Dobbs was asked to elaborate on the audits of schools. He said of the schools audited 4 had achieved limited assurance. He said there had been a lull in the number of audits undertaken due to the pandemic, however they were now picking up the pace and were auditing schools more regularly.

o   ACTION: In respect to paragraph 3.8 page 29, Mr Dobbs said he would re-look at the numbers quoted for savings.

·       Mr Dobbs said the annual opinion was primarily based on the results of audit activity undertaken during 2022/23 as set out in the audit plan that had been agreed with the Audit Committee.

·       He said he was happy with the breadth and depth of audit which formulated his annual opinion.

·       Mr Dobbs said resources for the team were a challenge, however they were currently recruiting 2 internal audit officers and were also carrying a vacancy in the Insurance team too.

The Audit Committee RESOLVED to:

1.    Note the content and opinion of the Head of Internal Audit as outlined in the Head of Internal Audit Annual Report which included a summary of the work undertaken during 2022-23.