The Audit and Governance Committee of North West Leicestershire Council's meeting, scheduled for 10 June 2026, was to address a range of financial and governance matters. The agenda included the annual audit plan, treasury management, and updates on key financial systems, as well as reports on information risk, member conduct, and the draft annual governance statement.

2025/26 Annual Audit Plan

The committee was to consider the 2025/26 Annual Audit Plan presented by the external auditors, Azets. This plan outlines the strategy and scope for the statutory external audit of the Council for the year ending 31 March 2026. The audit work will encompass the Statement of Accounts and an assessment of value for money. The report details the audit approach, timeline, materiality considerations, and identified risks, including significant risks such as management override of controls, the prior year's disclaimer of opinion on the financial statements, and the implementation of the Unit 4 financial system. The plan also addresses other key areas like IT audit strategy and the approach to building back assurance over previously disclaimed financial years.

Senior Information Risk Officer (SIRO) Annual Report

Rochelle Tapping, Interim Head of Legal and Support Services and Monitoring Officer, was scheduled to present the SIRO's annual report for 2025/26. This report provides an overview of the Council's compliance with regulatory requirements concerning information governance and risk management. It details how information risk has been managed throughout the year, including compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The report was expected to cover key achievements, performance metrics, management of information security incidents, and training initiatives.

Member Code of Conduct Annual Report

Also presented by Rochelle Tapping, this report details complaints made to the Monitoring Officer under the Code of Conduct for Councillors during 2025/26. It outlines the procedures for dealing with such complaints and provides a summary of the complaints received, their status, and any referrals made to sub-committees. The report also covers the maintenance of the Members' Register of Interests, advice and training provided to councillors, and the review of relevant policies and procedures.

Treasury Management Stewardship Report 2025/26

Anna Crouch, Head of Finance and Interim Section 151 Officer, was scheduled to present the draft Treasury Management Stewardship Report for 2025/26. This report summarises the Council's treasury management activities for the financial year, detailing borrowing and investment strategies and performance. It includes an overview of the external economic context provided by treasury advisors Arlingclose, the Council's local treasury management position, borrowing and investment activity, and compliance with prudential indicators. The report also covers non-treasury investments and treasury performance against benchmarks.

Key Judgements and Estimates in the Statement of Accounts

Anna Crouch was also due to present a report on the key judgements and estimates applied in preparing the Council's 2025/26 Statement of Accounts. This report outlines critical accounting judgements, key sources of estimation uncertainty, and the going concern assessment. It highlights areas such as Property, Plant and Equipment valuations, the Pensions Liability, and Business Rates Appeals, where assumptions about the future could lead to material adjustments. The report confirms that the Council continues to adopt the going concern basis for preparing its financial statements.

Draft Annual Governance Statement 2025-26

This report, also presented by Anna Crouch, details the Council's draft Annual Governance Statement for 2025/26. It explains how the Council has reviewed the effectiveness of its governance arrangements and provides an overall opinion on their suitability. The statement outlines the Council's governance framework, its adherence to the CIPFA/SOLACE Delivering Good Governance in Local Government framework, and identifies areas for improvement. Key themes for improvement include financial reporting, the Unit 4 finance system, and the delivery of internal audit recommendations.

Unit 4 Update

Anna Crouch was scheduled to provide an update on the progress of the Council's Unit 4 finance system. The report acknowledges the challenges encountered since the system went live in April 2023, including system bugs, integration issues, and impacts on financial processes and reporting timelines. It details improvements made over the past six months with the support of Vision ERP, such as the implementation of a duplicate payments report, automated housing works orders, and the integration of the Proactis invoice capture system. The report also outlines next steps for 2026/27, focusing on statement of accounts completion, audit preparation, system stabilisation, and further automation.

Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report

Kerry Beavis, Audit Manager, was scheduled to present the Audit and Governance Committee's Annual Report for 2025/26. This report summarises the committee's activities throughout the financial year, highlighting its work on external and internal audit, anti-fraud and corruption, risk management, corporate governance, and finance. It details the committee's achievements, training undertaken, and its forward look for the 2026/27 financial year. The report is intended to inform Full Council of the committee's performance and effectiveness.