Councillor Charles Buchan (substitute for Provost Bill Howatson) (Aberdeenshire Council); Councillor Paul Di Mascio (North Lanarkshire Council); Councillor John Shaw (Renfrewshire Council); and Councillor Collette Stevenson (South Lanarkshire Council).

Councillor Shaw, Convener, presided.

J Welsh, Director, H Carr, Head of Strategic Procurement, L Campbell, Corporate Services Manager, and S Morrison, Customer Account Manager (all Scotland Excel); and C McCourt, Finance Business Partner and R Devine, Senior Committee Services Officer (both Renfrewshire Council).

Paul Bonfanti and Sobhan Afzal (Audit Scotland).

Provost Bill Howatson (Aberdeenshire Council); Councillor Angus MacMillan Douglas (Angus Council); Provost Norman Macdonald (Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar); Councillor Stephen Thompson (Dumfries and Galloway Council); Councillor Graham Hutchison (City of Edinburgh Council); Councillor Altany Craik (Fife Council) and Bailie Norman MacLeod (Glasgow City Council). 

There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to commencement of the meeting.

There was submitted the Minute of the meeting of the Executive Sub-committee held on 23 August 2019.

DECIDED: That the Minute be approved.

Under reference to item 4 of the Minute of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 21 June 2019 there was submitted a report by the Treasurer relative to the audited annual accounts 2018/19. 

The report highlighted that the unaudited annual accounts 2018/19, submitted to the meeting of the Joint Committee in June 2019, had been amended to reflect changes identified during the audit by Audit Scotland.  The external auditor’s annual audit report, attached as Appendix 1 of the report, highlighted areas of significant risk which had been identified by the auditor and the amendments made to the unaudited accounts.  A copy of the audited annual accounts 2018/19 was attached as Appendix 2 to the report.

The report also intimated that in accordance with the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014 the audited accounts required to be approved for signature by the Joint Committee no later than 30 September each year. It was noted that the audit certificate issued by Audit Scotland provided an unqualified opinion that the annual accounts presented a true and fair view of the financial position of the Joint Committee as at 31 March 2019, in accordance with the accounting policies detailed in the accounts.  Following approval, arrangements would be made for the audited annual accounts 2018/19 to be signed by the Director of Scotland Excel, the Convener and Treasurer. 

DECIDED: 

(a) That the findings of the 2018/19 audit, as detailed in the external auditor’s annual audit report appended to the Treasurer’s report be noted; and

(b) That the audited annual accounts 2018/19, attached as Appendix 2 to the report, be approved for signature.

DECIDED: That it be noted that the next meeting of the Executive Sub-committee would be held at 10.45 am on 25 October 2019 in Scotland Excel Meeting Room 1, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley.

 

At the conclusion of the meeting the Director took the opportunity to remind members of the Affordable Housing Event being held in the Radisson Hotel, Edinburgh on 8 October 2019 and advised that Scotland Excel had recently been shortlisted for two Go Awards –Celebrating Excellence in Public Procurement in respect of the (i) Hey Girls and (ii) Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturer Company initiatives.