Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the External Auditor which asked Members to note the contents of the External Auditor report on the audit of the statement of accounts for the County Council for the year ended 31 March 2019 (for copy see file of Minutes).

Mr M Kirkham, Mazars introduced the report and was pleased that all deadlines on the conclusion of the accounts with the tight timetable had been met.  Working papers were still of a  high standard and he acknowledged good work involved in preparing documents and the good working relationships with management and officers of the council.

Mr Collins, Mazars highlighted the audit work carried out in relation to the completion of the accounts.  He advised that assurances had been received regarding the significant risks. With regards to plant, property and equipment he advised that they were being pro-active this year to address issues as they arose and would continue to monitor.  Questions would be raised in advance to ensure a smoother year.  The updated figures from the pension fund actuary had been received and were satisfactory with no additional issues raised.  He reported on the unadjusted misstatements and adjusted misstatements.

Councillor Temple asked if the liabilities transferred to a school when converting to an academy and should the academy fail would they revert to the local authority and was this realistic.  Mr Kirkham was not in a position to answer this question.

Mr Collins explained that there was no further impact on the balance sheet due to the implementation of IFRS 16 and that there was a note in the accounts setting out future operating lease commitments, in response to a question from Councillor Temple.

In response to a comment from Councillor Shuttleworth about how the value of buildings affects the whole estate, Mr Collins explained that the calculation of depreciation identified used the gross book value and was charged lower than it should have been by £1.3m.  He assured members that that this had no impact on the general fund as a consequence.

Resolved:

That the information contained in the report, including the summary of misstatements detailed in section 4 of the report, be noted.