Issue - meetings

To receive a report regarding Certification of Claims and Returns – Claims and Returns Organised by Local Authorities.

The Committee considered a report regarding the Certification of Claims and Returns Organised by Local Authorities.

During the discussion of this item the following points were made:

·         The Teachers’ Pension Return was an annual return required by the Department of Education by 30 November each year which covered the teachers’ pension contributions to the Teachers Pensions Scheme.  The cost for the audit of the 2016/17 Teachers Pensions return by Rice Associates, had been £950, a £50 increase on the previous year.  The cost had been met from the 2017/18 budget.

·         With regards to the Pooling of Housing Capital Receipts Return, in 2016/17, 19 Right to Buy properties had been sold for £2.851million and one non Right To Buy property sold for £89,000, giving a total sales receipt of £2.940million, of which £295,000 had to be repaid to the DCLG, with most of the remainder restricted for reinvestment in social housing in the Borough.  The cost of the audit had been £1,425.

·         With regards to the provision of External Assurance on Sub-Contracting Controls, the audit had been largely operational rather than financial in nature and had been of a specialist nature.

·         In response to a Member question, the Lead Specialist Finance, agreed to check whether the required certificate had been issued and supplied to the ESFA by the 30 January 2018 deadline.

RESOLVED:  That the Audit Certification Reports 2016/17 for the Teachers’ Pension Return; the Pooling of Housing Capital Receipts Return, and the Review of Sub Contracting Arrangements for the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) be noted.