The Governance and Audit Committee were scheduled to meet on 23 June 2025 to discuss contract procedure rules, the external audit plan, and to review the action tracker. The committee was also expected to note the membership and meeting dates for 2025/26, and the terms of reference.

Contract Procedure Rules

The committee were scheduled to consider a report from the Head of Procurement regarding revisions to the council's Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs). These rules, which form Part 4G of the Constitution, needed updating to reflect the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023, which came into effect on 24 February 2025. The council was asked to approve the revised rules.

The Procurement Act 2023 replaces and combines:

• the Public Contracts Regulations 2015,
• the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016,
• the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016,
• the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.

The revised rules also address the introduction of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, which apply to procurements of relevant health care services.

Key changes under the Act include:

• Greater transparency, with an increased number of procurement notices to be published on the Central Digital Platform.
• Greater review of potential conflicts of interest, requiring a Conflicts of Interest Assessment to be carried out and maintained at all stages of the procurement process.
• New procurement processes, replacing some multi-stage procedures with a single Competitive Flexible Procedure (CFP).
• More focus on contract management, including reporting requirements for contracts over £5m.
• Introduction of a Supplier Exclusion and Debarment List.
• Greater oversight by a new national Procurement Review Unit (PRU).
• Changes to terminology used.

The report notes that the City Barrister may amend the rules to correct errors, reflect changes in management structure or working practices, or to reflect changes in the law. The Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer, and the City Barrister, may amend the thresholds in Table 1 in Rule 11.

External Audit Plan and Risk Assessment

The Director of Finance was scheduled to present the External Audit Plan Report 2024-25 to the Governance and Audit Committee. The Audit Plan provides an overview of the planned scope and timing of the statutory audit of Leicester City Council. Grant Thornton are responsible for forming and expressing an opinion on the Council's financial statements and for considering whether there are sufficient arrangements in place at the Council for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in their use of resources.

The significant risks identified in the plan were:

• Management override of control
• Valuation of land and buildings, and surplus assets
• Valuation of the pension fund net asset / liability

The audit fee for the council was proposed as £425,513.

Action Tracker

The committee was scheduled to note progress on actions agreed at the previous meeting and not reported elsewhere on the agenda. The action tracker included updates on minutes from previous meetings, third party relationships and governance, thematic and qualitative analysis in reports, financial sustainability, publication of minutes, student discount, and the internal audit plan.