Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a report from the Council’s new Internal Auditors (Southern Internal Audit Partnership) on the proposed Internal Audit Charter, which was a formal document that defined the internal audit activity’s purpose, authority and responsibility consistent with the Definition of Internal Auditing, the Code of Ethics and the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards.  Those Standards required the Charter to be reviewed and approved annually.

The Standards (attribute standard 1000) also required that all internal audit activities maintain an ‘internal audit charter’. The internal audit charter established internal audit’s position within the organisation including:

·       Recognising the mandatory nature of the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards

·       Defining the scope of internal audit responsibilities.

·       Establishing the organisational independence of internal audit.

·       Establishing accountability and reporting lines (functional and administrative).

·       Arrangements that exist with regard to anti-fraud and anti-corruption.

·       Establishing internal audit rights of access.

·       Defining the terms ‘board’ and ‘senior management’ for the purpose of internal audit.

A draft copy of the Internal Audit Charter 2023-24 was appended to the report for review and comment.

The Committee

RESOLVED: That the Internal Audit Charter for 2023-24, attached as Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Committee, be approved

Reason:

The Committee has a responsibility to approve the Internal Audit Charter in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards.