Scrutiny Committee - 24/06/2015

At a MEETING of the SCRUTINY COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 24th June, 2015.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Kevin KEENAN, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 22nd April, 2015 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

No declarations of interest were made.

II ANNUAL REPORT ON COMPLAINTS

There was submitted Report No 203-2015 by the Chief Executive reporting on complaints, performance and satisfaction figures for 2014/2015, with comparisons to previous periods, and on the action which continued to be taken to ensure that complaints were handled well.

The Committee noted:-

(i) the key performance indicators on complaints closed between 1st April, 2014 and 31st March, 2015, with trends from previous periods;

(ii) the latest update from the Complaints Review Group which met quarterly to check the quality of complaints handling and to promote learning and process improvement from complaints; and

(iii) the results of the satisfaction survey sent to everyone who made a complaint closed during each quarter of 2014/2015, with trends from previous surveys.

III CORPORATE PERFORMANCE SELF-ASSESSMENT 2014/2015 - REPORT FOR TWELVE MONTHS TO 31ST MARCH,2015

There was submitted Report No 231-2015 by the Chief Executive advising elected members of the performance of Dundee City Council for the twelve months of the financial year to 31st March, 2015, as defined by the Key Quarterly Performance Indicators.

The Committee:-

(i) noted that performance levels for the twelve months of the financial year had generally been maintained or improved; and

(ii) noted that all Chief Officers should review the contents of Appendix 1 of the report as it related to their service and consider if there were any indicators for which performance could be improved in the new financial year 2015/2016.

IV INTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS

There was submitted Report No 244-2015 by the Chief Internal Auditor providing the Committee with a summary of the Internal Audit Reports finalised since the last meeting of this Committee.

The Committee agreed to note the information contained within the report.

V INTERNAL AUDIT ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015

There was submitted Report No 245-2015 by the Chief Internal Auditor summarising the activities of the Council's Internal Audit Service during the financial year 2014/2015 and providing an independent opinion on the overall adequacy and effectiveness of the organisations governance, risk management and control framework.

The Committee noted the information contained within the report.

VI ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR TO 31ST MARCH, 2015

There was submitted Report No 254-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services presenting the Annual Governance Statement for approval and inclusion into the unaudited Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2015.

The Committee:-

(i) noted the contents of the covering report;

(ii) approved the Annual Governance Statement shown in the Appendix to the report; and

(iii) instructed the Director of Corporate Services to include the Annual Governance Statement in the Annual Accounts for the year to 31st March, 2015.

VII TAYSIDE PENSION FUND ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT 2014/2015

There was submitted Report No 213-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services detailing the governance arrangements of the Tayside Pension Fund for the period 1st April, 2014 to 31st March, 2015 which was the responsibility of Dundee City Council as the Scheme Manager and administering authority for the Fund.

The Committee:-

(i) noted the contents of the Tayside Pension Fund Annual Governance Statement;

(ii) instructed the Director of Corporate Services to arrange for the Annual Governance Statement to be signed as necessary; and

(iii) noted that the Annual Governance Statement would be considered in due course within the Audited Statement of Accounts of Tayside Pension Fund.

VIII REVIEW OF PREVIOUS YEARS EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT

There was submitted Report No 108-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing elected members with an update on the progress on implementing recommendations from previously agreed External Audit Reports.

The Committee noted the information in the report and Appendix A thereto which updated progress on implementing previously agreed recommendations.

IX FOLLOWING-UP REVIEW: ARMS LENGTH EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS: ARE YOU GETTING IT RIGHT?

On a reference to Article II of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 24th August, 2011, there was submitted Report No 253-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing elected members with a summary of the follow-up review to the above national study that had recently been undertaken by the Council's External Auditor on behalf of the Accounts Committee.

The Committee noted the key findings arising from the follow-up review.

X LOCAL SCRUTINY PLAN 2015/2016

On a reference to Article VIII of the minute of meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May, 2015, there was submitted Report No 171-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing elected members with a summary of the Local Scrutiny Plan 2015/2016 that was recently issued by Audit Scotland on behalf of the various regulatory inspection bodies responsible for scrutinising the services provided by the Council.

The Committee noted the information contained within the report and the Local Scrutiny Plan 2015/2016 appended thereto.

XI AN OVERVIEW OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SCOTLAND 2015

On a reference to Article XI of the minute of meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May, 2015, there was submitted Report No 172-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing elected members with a summary of the above national report that had been undertaken by Audit Scotland on behalf of the Accounts Commission, together with details of a number of improvement actions that were planned to be implemented as a result of a review of the reports findings.

The Committee:-

(i) noted the key findings and issues arising from the Audit Scotland overview report; and

(ii) noted the completed self-assessment and Action Plan shown in Appendix 1 of the report.

XII KPMG INTERIM MANAGEMENT REPORT - FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH, 2015

There was submitted Report No 252-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services regarding the Interim Management Report for the year ended 31st March, 2015 prepared by the Council's External Auditor, KPMG.

The Committee noted KPMG's report and approved the management actions in response to KPMG's recommendations.

The Committee agreed that the undernoted items be considered as a matter of urgency in terms of Standing Order No 17(b) in view of the timescales involved.

XIII UNAUDITED ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH, 2015

There was submitted Report No 259-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing some additional commentary on the Council's unaudited annual accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2015.

The Committee:-

(i) noted the contents of the covering report;

(ii) noted the unaudited annual accounts which had been submitted along with the report;

(iii) instructed the Director of Corporate Services to submit the annual accounts to the Council's External Auditor; and

(iv) noted that the key assumptions underpinning the independent actuaries calculation of the Council's IAS 19 liability had been reviewed and accepted by the Council as administering authority for the Pension Fund.

XIV TAYSIDE PENSION FUND - UNAUDITED 2014/2015 ACCOUNTS

There was submitted Report No 261-2015 by the Director of Corporate Services providing some additional commentary on the unaudited Annual Accounts 2014/2015.

The Committee:-

(i) noted the contents of the covering report;

(ii) noted the unaudited annual accounts which had been submitted along with this report;

(iii) instructed the Director of Corporate Services to arrange for the unaudited accounts to be signed as necessary; and

(iv) instructed the Director of Corporate Services to submit the annual accounts to the Fund's External Auditor.