Report to:                    Audit Committee

Date:                           18 November 2022

By:                               Chief Finance Officer

Title of report:              Review of the Grant Thornton (GT) report to those charged with governance for 2021/22

Purpose of report:       For the Committee to note the Independent Auditor’s (GT) report to those charged with governance.

RECOMMENDATIONS:   The Committee is recommended to:

1) note the report and appendix.

1.         Background

1.1       This report summarises the key findings arising from GT’s audit work in relation to the East Sussex Pension Fund, in compliance with the requirement for administering authorities to deliver an audit of the Pension Fund separate from the Council’s accounts.

1.2       The accounts for the Pension Fund are incorporated within the authority’s Statement of Accounts from page 124 of Item 5 Appendix A, with the East Sussex Pension Fund Annual Report 2021/22 having been presented to the Pension Board on 15 November 2022 and due to be presented to the Pension Committee on 30 November 2022.

2.         Supporting Information      

2.1       Under its terms of reference, it is the role of this Committee to “Review the annual statement of accounts and the external auditor’s report to those charged with governance.”

2.2       It is the role of the Pension Committee to approve the Pension Fund annual report/accounts having considered whether appropriate accounting policies have been followed and any issues raised by GT from the audit.

2.3       The GT report to those charged with governance is attached at Appendix A.

2.4       The audit of the 2021/22 Pension Fund accounts is substantially complete. Whilst there remain a few outstanding items to finalise the audit, GT are anticipating being able to issue an unqualified audit opinion. 

2.5       The report on pages 20 to 21 (Appendix A) sets out the Audit Adjustments identified. A small number of presentational adjustments arising from normal audit work have been noted, discussed, and resolved as stated in the reports to those charged with governance. There were also items for which the decision was made not to adjust the accounts as the items where not material. Any decision to adjust the accounts considers whether the adjustment improves the reader’s understanding of the accounts.

2.6       At this stage, no specific management actions arising from the 2021/22 audit have been notified. Page 19 (Appendix A) provides an update on management actions arising from prior year audits, confirming that from the audit undertaken to date the agreed management actions have been delivered.

3.         Conclusion and reasons for recommendations

3.1       In carrying out their responsibility for review, the Committee should consider:

· The findings made by the external auditors as a result of audit of the 2021/22 accounts

IAN GUTSELL

Chief Finance Officer

Contact Officer:          Ian Gutsell, Chief Finance Officer

Tel. No.                       01273 481399

Email:                          Ian.Gutsell@eastsussex.gov.uk

Local Member(s): All