Meeting Details

No apologies for absence have been received.

Members are reminded that they should declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests at this point and that they should leave the meeting room before any item, in which they have a prejudicial interest, is discussed.

Members are asked to agree the minutes, attached marked 3, of the Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting, held on 24 November 2011, and that they be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Members are asked to receive any questions, statements or petitions, of which notice has been received, from members of the public.

This report, attached marked 5, puts forward a 2012/2013 Work Plan for the Audit and Performance Management Committee for consideration and approval by Members.

This paper, attached marked 6b, sets out the work for the 2011/12 audit, which the Audit Commission proposes to undertake to support its opinion on the Fire Authority's 2011/12 financial statements and the value for money conclusion. The paper also advises of the Audit Commission's fee for 2011/12.

This paper, attached marked 6a, reports on the Audit Commission's progress in delivering its responsibilities as the Authority's external auditor. It also seeks to highlight key emerging national issues and developements, which may be of interest to Members. At the end of this update Members may wish to consider a number of questions in order to ensure that they have received sufficient assurance on the emerging issues.

This report, attached marked 8, sets out a four-year programme of audit work for the period 2012/13 to 2015/16 and recommends that the Fire Authority approve the programme of audits for 2012/13, as set out in the appendix to the report.

This report, attached marked 9, summarises the issues identified following the internal audit of the failure of information and communications technology systems and identifies actions to rectify the situation.

This report, attached marked 10, provides Members with an update on the monitoring of recommendations made by Internal Audit, which is undertaken by the Risk Management Group. It specificially covers details about the progress made against outstanding recommendations.

This report, attached marked 11a, informs Members of the process, which will be put in place to ensure that the Fire Authority's Annual Governance Statement is ready for inclusion in the Final Accounts for 2011/12.

This report, attached marked 11b, summarises the progress made to date against the improvements contained in the Annual Governance Statement Improvement Plan 2011/12.

This report, attached marked 12, requests the Committee to recommend that the Fire Authority re-affirm the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy, following the annual review conducted by officers.

This report, attached marked 13, requests the Committee to recommend that the Fire Authority re-affirm the Whistleblowing Policy, following the annual review conducted by officers.

This report, attached marked 14b, provides information regarding the ongoing performance of the Retained Duty System in Shropshire.

This report, attached marked 14a, presents a summary of the Service's performance for the period April to December 2011, as recorded against the Public Value performance measures set out in the 2011/12 Service Plan.