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Business - Renfrewshire Council
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Meeting Details

Council
26 Nov 2020 - 09:30 to 11:30
Occurred
  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Agenda
Notification
Standard Items
Recording of Meeting
This meeting will be recorded for subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site. If you
have any queries regarding this please contact Committee Services on 07534 058160. To find
the recording please follow the link which will be attached to this agenda once the meeting has
concluded. Please note that only meetings from 17 April 2020 onward have been recorded for broadcast. 
Recording of Teams meeting - Special Meeting of Renfrewshire Council - 26 November 2020
The Provost advised that this meeting would be recorded for subsequent broadcast via the Council's internet site. 
Apologies
Apologies from members.
Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.
There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Chair
Provost L Cameron presided.
In Attendance
S Black, Chief Executive; M Crearie, Director of Communities, Housing & Planning Services; A Russell, Director of Finance & Resources; L Mahon, Head of Marketing & Communications, L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Commissioning and L Adamson, Communications & Public Affairs Manager (all Chief Executive’s); J Trainer, Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice and J Calder, Head of Service Curriculum & Quality (both Children’s Services); K Graham, Head of Corporate Governance, A MacArthur, Head of Finance, G Dickie, Partnering & Commissioning Manager, D Pole, End User Technician, D Low and L Belshaw, Democratic Services Managers and R Devine, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Finance & Resources); V Hollows, Chief Executive Renfrewshire Leisure; and D Leese, Chief Officer and S Strachan, interim Chief Officer, (both Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership). 
Also Attending
J Cornett, A Haahr and M Ferris, Audit Scotland.
Items Of Business
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
1
Under reference to item 1 of the Minute of the meeting of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board held on 23 November 2020, there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the annual audit of the Council’s financial statements which had been undertaken by the Council’s appointed external auditors, Audit Scotland. 

The report intimated that each year the Council's appointed external auditors carried out an audit of the Council's financial statements and provided an opinion as to whether those statements provided a fair and true view of the financial position of the Council and its income and expenditure for the year and also whether the accounts had been prepared in accordance with the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The report also highlighted that in accordance with International Auditing Standards, Audit Scotland was obliged to provide a report which highlighted matters that had arisen during the course of the audit. 

In this connection, a copy of the Annual Audit Report prepared by Audit Scotland was appended to the report, together with a copy of the draft letter of representation provided by the Council’s Chief Financial Officer to Audit Scotland outlining assurances the Council had provided to the external auditor in respect of the accounts.
It was noted that in terms of the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014, the Council required to consider and approve the annual accounts for signature no later than 30 September each year but that the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 had extended this deadline to 30 November 2020. 

DECIDED:  That the Annual Audit Report prepared by Audit Scotland be noted and that the letter of representation provided by the Council’s Chief Financial Officer to Audit Scotland in respect of the accounts be approved. 
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
2

Under reference to item 2 of the Minute of the meeting of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board held on 23 November 2020, there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the audit of the Council’s 2019/20 annual accounts, which had been undertaken by the Council’s appointed external auditors, Audit Scotland.   
The report highlighted that the 2019/20 unaudited Renfrewshire Council Annual Accounts had been approved at the meeting of the Council held on 25 June 2020.  Subsequently, the audit process had been substantially completed and an audit opinion, free from qualification, had been provided by Audit Scotland. It was noted that in terms of the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014, the Council required to consider and approve the annual accounts for signature no later than 30 September each year and that the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 had extended this deadline to 30 November 2020.

It was noted that Audit Scotland had previously provided a report detailing all matters arising over the course of the 2019/20 audit to the meeting of the Council’s Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board, held on 23 November 2020, for consideration and that there had been three material changes to the accounts over the course of the audit in relation to (i) the valuation of the pension liability, (ii) the valuation of Council dwellings and (iii) recognition of an asset and a liability in relation to the Clyde Valley Waste facility but that these changes had no impact on the revenue outturn position of the Council or on the available two balances reported in the unaudited accounts. The Renfrewshire Council audited annual accounts 2019/20 were submitted for consideration and, if appropriate, signature. 

DECIDED: That the audited Renfrewshire Council annual accounts 2019/20,as appended to the report, be approved for signature, in accordance with the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014.

 
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
3
Under reference to item 3 of the Minute of the meeting of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board held on 23 November 2020, there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the annual audit of the financial statements of the charities controlled by Renfrewshire Council which had been undertaken by the Council’s appointed external auditors, Audit Scotland. 

The report intimated that each year the Council's appointed external auditors carried out an audit of the  financial statements of the charities controlled by Renfrewshire Council and provided an opinion as to whether those statements provided a fair and true view of the financial position of the charities and their income and expenditure for the year and also whether they had been prepared in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The report also highlighted that in accordance with International Auditing Standards, Audit Scotland was obliged to provide a report which highlighted matters that had arisen during the course of the audit. 

In this connection, copies of the Annual Audit Reports prepared by Audit Scotland were appended to the report, together with copies of the draft letters of representation provided by the Council’s Chief Financial Officer to Audit Scotland outlining assurances the Council had provided to the external auditor in respect of the accounts.
It was noted that in terms of the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014, the Council required to consider and approve the annual accounts for signature no later than 30 September each year and that the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 had extended this deadline to 30 November 2020. 

DECIDED: That the Annual Audit Reports by Audit Scotland attached to the report be noted; and that the letters of representation provided by the Council’s Chief Financial Officer to Audit Scotland in respect of the accounts be approved. 
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
4

Under reference to item 4 of the Minute of the meeting of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board held on 23 November 2020, there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the audit of the 2019/20 financial statements of charities controlled by Renfrewshire Council which had been undertaken by the Council’s appointed external auditors, Audit Scotland. 

The report highlighted that the 2019/20 unaudited financial statements of charities controlled by Renfrewshire Council had been approved at the meeting of the Council held on 25 June 2020. A copy of the audited Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019/20 for the charities controlled by the Council was attached as an appendix to the report for consideration and, if appropriate, approval.

 

DECIDED: That the Audited Annual Accounts 2019/20 for charities controlled by Renfrewshire Council, attached to the report, be approved.

 
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
5
There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to proposed changes to representation on various forums and amendment of the Delegations to Officers section within the Council’s Scheme of Delegated Functions.

The report detailed proposed adjustments to the Conservative group’s representation on the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board, Communities, Housing & Planning Policy Board, Leadership Board, Renfrewshire Licensing Board and CoSLA; advised of changes to the proposed membership of the Cultural Recovery and Renewal Fund Panel and the membership of the Climate Change Sub-Committee; and outlined a proposed amendment to the Delegations to Officers within the Council’s Scheme of Delegated Functions to enable the Director of Communities, Housing & Planning Services and the Head of Communities and Public Protection to authorise the exercise of enforcement powers by Trading Standards and Environmental Health officers and their managers where the enforcement powers were included within legislation in response to the Covid-19 epidemic.

DECIDED

(a) That the Council approve the appointment of (i) Councillor Graham to the Leadership Board, Communities, Housing & Planning Policy Board and Renfrewshire Licensing Board; (ii) Councillor Strang to the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board; and (iii) Councillor Graham as one of the Council’s representatives to CoSLA in place of Councillor J MacLaren; 

(b) That Councillor Devine and McCartin’s membership of the Cultural Recovery and Renewal Fund Panel be noted; 

(c) That the membership of the Climate Change Sub-committee be extended by one administration member, being Councillor Hughes, and one other opposition member, being Councillor McCartin; and 

(d) That the Delegations to Officers section within the Council’s Scheme of Delegated Functions be amended to allow the Director of Communities, Housing and Planning Services and the Head of Communities and Public Protection to authorise the exercise of enforcement powers by Trading Standards officers, Environmental Health officers and their managers on the Council’s behalf where those enforcement powers were included in legislation in response to the Covid-19 epidemic.
 

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.

Visitors

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