Stephen Warren

Audit and Risk Committee Advisor

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 25 March 2026 7:00 pm

Audit and Risk Committee Advisor

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 18 February 2026 7:00 pm

The Audit and Risk Committee meeting on 18 February 2026 focused on the external audits of the Council's and Pension Fund's accounts for the 2024/25 and 2023/24 financial years. Grant Thornton, the external auditor, presented their findings, highlighting a disclaimer of opinion for both the Council and the Pension Fund for the 2023/24 financial year due to significant limitations in obtaining sufficient audit evidence, particularly concerning opening balances and historic issues. For the 2024/25 accounts, while audit fieldwork was substantially completed, a disclaimer of opinion is still anticipated for the Council due to outstanding procedures and historic issues, but a more positive outlook is noted for the Pension Fund, with the possibility of moving away from a disclaimer opinion in the next financial year.

Audit and Risk Committee Advisor

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 14 January 2026 7:00 pm

The Audit and Risk Committee of Barking and Dagenham Council met on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, to review the 2024-25 Draft Annual Governance Statement, the Internal Audit Q2 report, and the Counter Fraud 2024-25 Q1/2 Review. Key decisions included noting the reports and agreeing to a revised work programme for the upcoming year.

Audit and Risk Committee Advisor

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 26 November 2025 7:00 pm

The Audit and Risk Committee met to discuss external audit reports from BDO and Grant Thornton (GT), consider management responses, and review the committee's work programme. The committee approved the audited Statement of Accounts for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the Pension Fund for the financial years 2019/20 to 2022/23, delegating authority to the Strategic Director of Resources to finalise the accounts with BDO for publication.

Audit and Risk Committee Advisor

Audit and Risk Committee - Monday, 15 September 2025 7:00 pm

The Audit and Risk Committee met to discuss external and internal audits, the annual governance statement, and customer feedback. The committee raised concerns about the quality and timeliness of financial reporting, contract management, and the need for improved risk management and governance across the council.