Decisions and Recommendations

The Council received recommendations arising from the meeting of the Executive held on 19 September 2019 in relation to the Capital Investment Strategy 2019/20 and the Adoption of the Reigate and Banstead Development Management Plan (2019-2027). It was noted that these recommendations had been set out via an addendum to the agenda.

RESOLVED that:

(i)            the Recommendation from the Executive meeting held on 19 September 2019 (Minute 41) concerning the Capital Investment Strategy 2019/20 be adopted.

(ii)          the Recommendations from the Executive meeting held on 19 September 2019 (Minute 42) concerning Adoption of the Reigate and Banstead Development Management Plan (2019-2027) be adopted.

The minutes of the Executive meeting on 18 July 2019 (Agenda Item: Statement of Accounts 2018/19) noted that:

“..Once all final amendments, agreed with the external auditor, had been implemented and when the external auditor had issued their audit opinion, the Leader of the Council and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance, be authorised to sign the Statement of Accounts for 2018/19 by the 31 July 2019 statutory deadline*.

Reason for decision: The Code of Practice of Local Government Accounting recommends that the Statement of Accounts should be endorsed by the body within the Council that is responsible for overall corporate governance. Under the Council’s Constitution this function has been delegated to the Executive….”

*NOTE: The reference to the 31st July ‘statutory deadline’ relates to the ‘target’ date as defined in the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015.

Audit Outcome

The audit was concluded and the accounts were published on 30 September 2019; later than originally expected due to delays in obtaining the audit certificate from Deloitte. There are a number of reasons for this delay.

2018/19 was the first audit undertaken within the new contract with Deloitte LLP. This presented new challenges, for example: establishing an effective working relationship and communication channels.

Challenges for Deloitte included working to the new audit specification defined by Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) at a time of nationwide shortfalls in appropriately skilled and experienced public sector auditors.

We understand that Reigate & Banstead’s experience has been very similar to that of authorities across Surrey and beyond. At the time of writing a number of councils have not yet received their audit opinion or published their accounts.

The final version of the auditor report (ISA260) and statement of accounts are being reported to Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 17 October.

Delegated Decision

The Leader and the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance signed the Statement of Accounts 2018/19 on 30 September 2019. The Statement of Accounts were published on the Councils website on that date.

The decision being sought is approval of the signing of the Statement of Accounts 2018/19, which was a delegated authority granted at the Executive meeting of 18 July 2019.

The appointment of representatives to the organisations listed below, for the period 2019/20 as follows:
• Councillor S. McKenna (substitute) for the Surrey Hills AONB Board; and
• Councillors V. Lewanski, J. Philpott, G. Knight, T. Schofield, and R. Turner for the Discretionary Rate Relief Panel.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 19 September 2019 be approved as a correct record and signed.  

There was no exempt business to be considered under this agenda item.

None.

None.

None.

Executive Members: Councillor T. Archer, Councillor R. Biggs and Councillor T. Schofield.

Non-Executive Members: Councillor N. Harrison and Councillor S. Sinden.

This report introduces an updated Management Plan for the Surrey Hills AONB area which has been prepared by the AONB Board to cover the period 2020-2025.

The report seeks Executive approval for the Council (as a constituent member of the AONB area) to adopt the updated Management Plan in accordance with the statutory duties under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000).

RESOLVED that:

(i)            The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan for the period 2020-2025, set out in Annex 1 of the report presented, be adopted.

(ii)          The Head of Planning Policy be authorised, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning Policy, to make any necessary additional minor changes to the Management Plan before final publication.