Apologies were received from Cllrs Williscroft and Braithwaite, with Cllr Manly attending as subsitute

There were no declarations of interest

RESOLVED:  That the minutes were agreed.

The report was introduced by the External Audtior who noted that the Value For Money report had completed with no weaknesses, three were no regulatory issues or breaches.

In response to questions it was confirmed that:

-       This report is for 23/24, the 22/23 accounts remain unaudited and will remain so. 13 December 24 is the backstop date for disclaimed audit reports and the 23/24 accounts will include a disclaimer

-       Audit work has limited procedures left and expect to be able to present at the November meeting, with delegated responsibility to sign off accounts in December

-       The disclaimer will be on the accounts for at least 3 years, and we will seek to rebuild assurance as quickly as possible, this is likely to take more than three years

-       The CHAS sale has been looked at in detail as part of the Value For Money report, EY were kept involved during the sale and are satisfied that all governance was in place and was properly supported, the accounting was complete and the funds have been placed correctly

-       The vast majority of EY council accounts remain unaudited, and it is expected that other firms will apply disclaimers to 23/24 accounts

-       There is an amount of £1.8million which presents as if it is owed by SLWP, but they don’t, there are ongioing discussions with SLWP and until those complete, there isn’t sufficient data to show that the debt exists.

-       This amount may not have been part of a previous sample set and would not necessarily have been audited previously

-       The report does show that the Council has fulfilled its obligations

-       Expect to meet both deadlines for reports and sign offs and will summarise the work completed in November

It was RESOLVED that the Committee noted and commented on the report

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report, noting that no complaints had progressed to investigation or public hearing and therefore had been kept confidential.  There is no requirement for further training for members at this time, but this will be kept under review.

In response to questions it was confirmed that

-       ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ is a criminal standard, beyond reasonable probabilities is appropriate at a civil level.  The key thing is that complaints are only investigated where appropriate, given the time and cost involved.

-       An example of something serious might include bullying of an officer.

-       Sometimes it’s possible to do some bridge building, without proceeding to a full investigation, this is an important step because it allows for an informal resolution

-       Suggestions of criminal offences would be referred to the police

-       The next programme of induction training will be after the 2026 election and planning for that will commence over the next year, but there are no areas of specific concern or patterns to complaints that need specific attention in respect of training for members

-       Members involved in complaints have been cooperative and the process has been constructive

-       The system in place does not allow for sanctions such as disqualification or suspension, the Committee For Standards in Public Life was clear that Local Authorities did not have sufficient powers for such a step.  Members can be reassured that the Monitoring Officer had not found themselves in such position in this year, and did not need more powers to deal with complaints or members involved

-       There has not been a full investigation within the corporate memory

-       The bar for instigating an investigation has been at the same level for a long time and is not considered too high

It was RESOLVED that the committee noted and commented on the report

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report, in response to questions it was confirmed that there are no limitations in terms of geography of candidates, but a connection to Merton was desirable.  The position will be advertised on the council website and in publications within the borough. 

It was RESOLVED that the Committee noted the report

The report was introduced by the Monitoring Officer, in response to questions it was confirmed that the uptake in Wimbledon tickets had been low, and members were provided with specific phrasing to use when registering accepting tickets from the ballot

It was RESOLVED that the committee noted the report.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report.  In response to questions it was confirmed that the timing of the officer’s acceptance of the Wimbledon tickets didnnot require advice to not accept them, this might have bene different at other times, such as had been the advice for those involved in the Planning Committee.

It was RESOLVED that the Committee noted the report.

It was RESOLVED that the Committee noted the Work Programme for 24/25