The Audit and Corporate Governance Committee of Camden Council met on Tuesday 7 July 2026 to review the external audit strategy for 2025/26, the annual treasury management outturn report for 2025/26, and the internal audit annual report for 2025/26. The committee was also scheduled to discuss proposed amendments to the council's constitution regarding the national scheme of delegation for planning functions, review the committee's own effectiveness, and consider the work plan and training for the upcoming year. Additionally, an annual counter-fraud report was presented.

External Audit Strategy 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to consider the external audit strategy for the 2025/26 accounts, as presented by the external auditor, Forvis Mazars. This strategy outlines the plans for conducting the audit of the council's and the Pension Fund's accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2026. The report detailed the audit scope, approach, and timeline, identifying five areas of significant risk for the council's audit: management override of controls, valuation of property, plant and equipment, valuation of investment property, valuation of pension liability, and accounting for leases and the implementation of IFRS 16. For the Pension Fund, the significant risks identified were management override of controls and the fair value assessment of investments. The strategy also addressed plans for rebuilding assurance following previous disclaimed audit opinions and outlined materiality thresholds.

Annual Treasury Management Outturn Report 2025/26

This report presented the council's treasury outturn position and activities for the 2025/26 financial year. It detailed how the council had complied with regulatory requirements and treasury indicators, and provided an update on the economic context that influenced treasury decisions and performance. Key highlights included the council's maintenance of a consistent risk profile and prudent investment and borrowing strategies, avoiding high-risk commercial investments. No new external borrowing was undertaken in 2025/26, with the internal borrowing policy remaining sound and delivering annual savings. The council operated fully within its treasury and prudential indicators. The report also noted the North London Waste Authority's borrowing for the North London Heat & Power Project, with co-invested balances included in the report.

Internal Audit Annual Report 2025/26

The committee was provided with an update on the work undertaken by Internal Audit during the 2025/26 financial year, from April 2025 to June 2026. The report aimed to assure the committee that the council had a sound framework of governance, risk management, and internal control. It detailed the delivery of the 2025/26 Internal Audit Plan, highlighted areas where high-priority recommendations were made, and commented on the implementation of these recommendations. The Head of Internal Audit's overall opinion for 2025/26 was Moderate Assurance, indicating that the adequacy and effectiveness of the council's systems of internal control, risk management, and governance were adequate, with some improvement required.

Amendments to the Constitution Arising from the National Scheme of Delegation of Planning Functions

This report sought approval for amendments to the council's Constitution to align with the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026, which were due to come into force on 31 October 2026. These regulations introduce a national scheme of delegation for planning functions, restricting the size of planning committees and outlining which applications must be delegated to officers and which can be referred to a planning committee based on a gateway test. The proposed amendments related to Part 3 (Responsibility for Functions) and Part 5 (Planning Protocol) of the Constitution. A supplementary agenda item clarified that if a Schedule 2 application met the gateway test for referral to the Planning Committee, but was subsequently recommended for refusal by officers, it would not be referred to the committee except in exceptional circumstances.

Annual Review of the Committee's Effectiveness

The report provided an outcome of the annual review of the committee's effectiveness in 2025-26. This review involved a streamlined approach, including a short survey to members. Key themes from the survey indicated that all respondents found the committee effective in discharging its responsibilities, with particular strengths identified in the Chair's facilitation of discussion, the clarity of reports, members' scrutiny, and risk deep dives. Suggested enhancements included addressing overly dense agendas and improving new member inductions and collaboration with other committees.

Work and Training Plan and Action Tracker

This report summarised the plans for the committee's work programme and training for the remainder of the 2026/27 municipal year. It also provided an action tracker detailing progress on actions arising from previous meetings. The committee was asked to note and agree any amendments to the work plan, consider the member induction programme and ongoing training, and indicate any additional training areas. The report also referenced the nine elements of CIPFA's guidance on evaluating the effectiveness of an audit committee.

2025-26 Annual Counter Fraud Report

This report provided a summary of anti-fraud activities undertaken by the council during the 2025-26 year, covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. It detailed the work of the Anti-Fraud and Investigations Team (AFIT) and the Housing Investigations Team (HIT). AFIT received 101 referrals of suspected fraud, theft, or irregularity, with 43 substantiated cases, a significant portion of which related to Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) fraud. The Housing Investigations Team recovered 55 properties through tackling tenancy fraud. The report also included updates on Blue Badge enforcement, whistleblowing referrals, the use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), proactive anti-fraud initiatives using data analytics, and updated policies and procedures related to anti-fraud and corruption.

The meeting also included an election of a Vice-Chair, noting the committee's terms of reference, and an announcement regarding the broadcast of the meeting. There were no deputations or urgent items of business notified. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 26th March 2026 were scheduled for approval. Part of item 15, the 2025-26 Annual Counter Fraud Report, was noted as potentially being exempt from publication due to the disclosure of sensitive information.