This meeting is scheduled to include the presentation of the council’s draft Statement of Accounts for 2023/24 for approval and discussion. There are a number of items for noting and discussion on the Work Programme and Action Monitoring Log. It is important to remember that this is just a summary of what is scheduled to be discussed in the meeting, based on the information available in the meeting pack. We do not know for certain whether all of these topics will actually be discussed, what will be said or what decisions will be made.

2023/24 Draft Statement of Accounts

The Statement of Accounts for 2023/24 will be presented to the Corporate Committee for approval. They show a net overspend of £49.5m. Included in the report is information about the Public Inspection Period for the accounts, during which members of the public can inspect the council's accounting records and make representations about them.

The report acknowledges that because the council has to publish its accounts by a strict deadline set by central government, there has not been time for the auditors to complete a full audit of the council. Instead, the auditors are only able to issue a disclaimer of opinion, which means they are unable to offer any assurance about the accounts. The report states that “When an opinion is disclaimed, the auditors do not express an opinion on the financial statements and, consequently, no assurance can be provided”.

Because this is a national issue that has affected the majority of local councils, the committee is still asked to approve the accounts for publication.

The accounts include a section on the council’s reserves, which are funds that the council has set aside for specific purposes, like emergencies or future projects. Some of the reserves are set aside to cover specific risks the council is facing, such as “the risk of non-identification of empty homes”. The overall value of the council’s reserves has decreased in the past year, due to a number of factors, including the cost of living crisis and pressures in social housing.

The draft accounts also include information about the council’s capital expenditure, which is the money spent on large, long-term projects, such as new buildings or infrastructure. In 2023/24 the capital budget was £266.2m. However, only £189.3m was spent and £77.2m will be carried forward into future years.

The report states that the main sources of capital funding in future years will be Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions from developers, grant funding, and prudential borrowing.¹ It is anticipated that these will continue to be used in future years to fund projects like Sudbourne School, the new Adult Day Centre, and the Lambeth Archives.

Work Programme and Action Monitoring Log

The Work Programme and Action Monitoring Log will be presented to the committee for discussion. It provides an update on the status of the committee’s work. The committee are scheduled to discuss the next risk spotlight, and are considering “the failure of a major contractor or suppliers in housing and waste”. In particular, they may consider holding a private session to discuss the risk of a cyber attack in the future.

The committee is scheduled to receive a number of reports in the coming months, including an update on the Empty Homes and Voids Action Plan.²

The Action Monitoring Log details actions that were agreed at previous meetings. The committee is scheduled to discuss an action related to the Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Annual Report from July 2024. The action requested that “The Assistant Director of Internal Audit and Counter Fraud, to follow up implementation of audit recommendations for Purchase Cards and Kingswood Primary School and report outcome to the Committee”.

There are three actions scheduled to be discussed related to the Council Tax Base calculations that were presented to the committee in January 2025, including requests for data on the council tax collection rates in neighbouring boroughs, information about the number of second homes in Lambeth, and a request for more information about the arrangements for second homes in the borough.

The committee is scheduled to discuss an action related to the Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Progress that was reported to the committee in January 2025. The action was for officers to “provide further analysis on the reasons for the slower implementation of high-priority audit recommendations and measures to improve the process”.

The committee is scheduled to discuss a request for data on the number of times the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)³ has intervened on FOI requests.

The committee is scheduled to discuss a request for information on the number of Right-to-Buy⁴ applications the council has received and their outcomes.

The committee is scheduled to discuss a request for comparative data on how the ratio between the lowest paid employee and the Chief Executive’s salary compares to similar organisations.

The committee is scheduled to discuss two actions relating to Procurement and Contracts. One requests performance information about the proportion of contracts going through a competitive process versus the use of waivers, “particularly in the ‘global family’ category”⁵ The other is for officers to explain how they will review the procurement process to identify risks and issues.

The report also includes a list of actions that have already been completed. These include requests for updates on:

• the case of a former council worker who continued to use their council purchase card after leaving the council
• the number of bailiffs that were used to recover debts owed to the council in 2023/24
• an empty homes data report
• projected interest rates for council borrowing, and for bids made to Homes for Lambeth (HfL)⁶