The Audit and Governance Committee of Newham Council met on Wednesday 25 February 2026 to discuss the revised terms of reference for the committee and to consider the Annual Governance Statement for 2024/2025. The committee was also scheduled to review the final statement of accounts for 2024/25 and the external auditor's report.

Audit and Governance Committee Terms of Reference

The committee was invited to consider and approve revised terms of reference for the Audit and Governance Committee. These revised terms of reference would then be recommended to the Council for adoption into the Council's constitution. The report indicated that the proposed terms of reference would include the scope of the committee to review the Council's policies and procedures to support its procurement activity, including the Contract Standing Orders, and to oversee arrangements for the review of the Council's Constitution.

Annual Governance Statement 2024/2025

The committee was scheduled to consider the revised final Annual Governance Statement for 2024/2025. This statement is an annual self-assessment that appraises the effectiveness of the Council's governance arrangements during the year. It identifies progress in managing significant issues and looks ahead to future governance priorities and improvements for 2025/2026. The statement explains how Newham Council meets its statutory and regulatory requirements and achieves consistency with good governance principles.

Final Statement of Accounts 2024/2025 and External Audit Report

The committee was also scheduled to review the final Statement of Accounts for the financial year 2024/25. These accounts are prepared in accordance with the CIPFA Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom and are subject to external audit by Ernst & Young LLP. The committee was to consider the Audit Results Report and the Annual Audit Report from the external auditors, which would set out the findings from their audit work. The report indicated that the audit opinions for the 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25 statements of accounts had received a disclaimer of opinion due to national capacity issues affecting the audit of local authority accounts. The Value for Money report accompanying the disclaimed opinion for 2023/24 and 2024/25 was also noted to highlight governance weaknesses in Housing Services and in the preparation of working papers. The committee was invited to approve the Letter of Representation for both the London Borough of Newham Accounts and the Newham Pension Fund Accounts for 2024/25.