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Audit and Risk Committee - Monday, 18th November, 2024 7.00 pm

November 18, 2024 View on council website Watch video of meeting
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Summary

The committee noted reports on the financial status of the council, the integration of health and social care services, and a risk assessment of the council's value for money. The committee also reviewed and approved changes to the council's Financial Regulations and Procurement Rules.

Risk Deep Dive - Health and Social Care Integration

The committee discussed a report on the integration of health and social care services in Islington, presented by Jodi Pilling. The report indicated that despite challenges, such as staff reductions and uncertainty about funding, the council is working closely with the North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB) to maintain integrated arrangements for residents. Councillor Wayne commented that:

I suppose it would be remiss not to note that the NHS 10-year plan is now out for consultation as well and is an opportunity for us both as an organisation and as individuals to further our cause of trying to preserve integration.

Councillor Ward raised concerns about the potential risk of resources being diverted from Islington to other boroughs within the ICB's jurisdiction. In response, Pilling highlighted that the council is working to demonstrate the specific needs of Islington and the importance of maintaining local funding.

Councillor Convery expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and public scrutiny in the ICB's decision-making process, contrasting it with the council's accountability mechanisms.

Councillor Russell questioned the use of assistive technology as a potential substitute for human care, seeking assurance that it would not lead to reduced human contact and social isolation for service users. Pilling reassured the committee that the council's Care Act assessments are thorough and take a holistic approach, addressing the need for social contact alongside other needs.

Constitution Review - Financial Regulations and Procurement Rules

The committee reviewed and approved a report on proposed changes to the Council's Financial Regulations) and Procurement Rules. These updates were deemed necessary to align with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024, which are set to come into force on 24 February 2025. The updated regulations also aimed to clarify financial protocols and decision-making responsibilities within the council.

Councillor Convery, reflecting on the complexity of the financial regulations, stated:

I've lived my entire adult life fearing auditors and reports, and in particular having qualified accounts. It's a reputational death knell. It takes a lot of hard work.

Discussions focused on clarifying the language and ensuring that the regulations reflected the council's existing practices. Notably, there was discussion about the level of authority given to executive members in relation to financial decisions. The committee agreed that the phrase with the agreement of should be used to indicate that executive member agreement was required for certain delegated decisions. This change was deemed necessary to ensure clear accountability and prevent potential misuse of delegated authority.

Councillor Russell raised a concern regarding the language used to describe one of the council's missions in the report, pointing out that the term A Healthy Start was outdated and should be replaced with the current term, A Fair Start. This highlighted the need for meticulous attention to detail in ensuring that the council's language is consistent across all its documents.

Urgent non-exempt items

Councillor Russell raised a concern about unregistered vehicles in Islington, particularly the potential for these vehicles to be involved in road traffic collisions and the loss of parking revenue they represent. The committee agreed to investigate the matter further, with Councillor Convery commenting:

It's really worrying how many unregistered vehicles there are because very often the people who are driving around in unregistered vehicles also have no insurance obviously and create a huge risk to people, particularly to people walking and cycling in the borough. So I just wonder if it's possible to find out how many of these unregistered vehicles against whom there are many PCNs have also potentially been involved in collisions because it just sort of feels like we need to be getting on top of this.

Councillor Convery suggested an increase in Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) vehicle checks by the police could help to address this issue.

Attendees

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