The Audit, Governance and Standards Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council was scheduled to discuss the external audit of the Council's 2024/25 accounts. The meeting agenda also included the receipt of auditor's Year End Reports from KPMG for both the Statement of Accounts and the Pension Fund Accounts. Additionally, the committee was to consider approving the delegation of authority to the Chair of the Committee and the Council's Executive Director of Corporate Services to approve the final versions of these accounts.

2024/25 External Audit of Accounts

The committee was scheduled to receive the auditor's Year End Reports for the 2024/25 Statement of Accounts and Pension Fund Accounts from KPMG. These reports provide an independent assessment of the Council's financial position and the pension fund's performance. The agenda indicated that the committee was asked to note the updated statement of accounts, including the draft audit opinion from KPMG, and the findings from the external audit of both the Council's and the Pension Fund's accounts.

A key item for discussion was the proposed delegation of authority. The committee was asked to resolve that authority be given to the Chair of the Audit, Governance & Standards Committee and the Council's Executive Director of Corporate Services (S151 officer) to approve the final audited accounts for both the Council and the Pension Fund. This delegation would allow for the finalisation and approval of these significant financial documents once completed by the auditors. The committee was also asked to agree the Letters of Representation, which are formal statements from the Council to the auditors confirming the accuracy and completeness of the information provided for the audit.

The report highlighted that an independent audit of the Council's financial position provides assurance that public money is being used effectively. It also noted that the audit of the financial statements for 2024/25 was nearing conclusion, with testing complete, and that draft papers would be finalised with a further verbal update provided at the committee meeting. The statutory backstop date for the publication of approved audited financial statements was noted as 27 February 2026.

The report also detailed the context and progress of the audit, noting that the external audit of the previous financial year's accounts (2023/24) resulted in an unqualified audit opinion. The audit of the 2024/25 accounts began in July 2025, with testing undertaken throughout the year. The report confirmed that the 30-day public inspection period for the 2024/25 Statement of Accounts had run between 30 June and 8 August 2025, with no stakeholder engagement required in relation to this specific report.

The report also touched upon resource implications, noting that proposed audit fees for the 2024/25 audit were set out within the external audit plan. Legal implications were referenced, stating that the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation set out a duty for the Council to make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs. Finally, an equalities implications test indicated no impact, and therefore no equalities impact assessment was undertaken.

The report was authored by Jez Simans, Head of Financial Reporting and Control.

Public Question Time

A period of up to 15 minutes was scheduled for public question time, allowing residents or representatives of organisations within the Borough to ask questions on matters relevant to the Committee. Questions were required to be submitted in writing by 23 January 2026.

Declarations of Interest

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other registrable or non-registrable interests relevant to the agenda items. Advice on declarations of interest was available from Democratic Services Officers in advance of the meeting.

Minutes

The committee was scheduled to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 13 November 2025 as a correct record.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

A standard item was included on the agenda to exclude the press and public if any exempt matter was to be considered. This would only be relevant if the committee resolved to exclude the press and public under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, on the grounds that exempt information was likely to be disclosed and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Urgent Items Authorised by the Chair

A slot was reserved for any urgent items that may have been authorised by the Chair.