The Governance & Assurance Committee of Redbridge Council met on Monday 7 September 2026 to review the Annual Report of the Monitoring Officer for 2025/26, discuss the Annual Audit Results Report for 2024/25, and consider an update to the Council's Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy and Policies.

Annual Report of the Monitoring Officer 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to receive the Annual Report of the Monitoring Officer for the municipal year 2025/26. This report, presented by Pervinder Sandhu, Director of Assurance and Monitoring Officer, was intended to provide an overview of the discharge of the Monitoring Officer's statutory responsibilities, as well as the operation of ethical standards and governance arrangements within the Council. The report was designed to support the Governance & Assurance Committee's role in overseeing the Council's governance framework, maintaining high standards of conduct, and ensuring robust arrangements for lawful, transparent, and accountable decision-making. It was also intended to summarise key activities from 2025/26 and identify areas of focus for the forthcoming year.

Annual Audit Results Report 2024/25 - Action Plan Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the action plan related to the Annual Audit Results Report for 2024/25. This report, from the Director of Finance, Ian Ambrose, followed up on recommendations made by EY, the Council's external auditor, concerning the 2024/25 Statement of Accounts. Some of these recommendations had been converted into statutory recommendations by EY and were considered by Full Council on 18 June 2026, with monitoring delegated to the Governance and Assurance Committee. The report was expected to detail progress on these recommendations, noting that efforts had concentrated on publishing the draft Statement of Accounts for 2025/26, with limited further progress to report at that time. The report also highlighted challenges with the Council's existing finance system and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing issues, while outlining plans for a new finance system due to go live in April 2027.

Review of Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy and Policies 2026

The committee was scheduled to review the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy and Policies for 2026. This report, from Greg Mortimer, Head of Internal Audit and Counter Fraud, indicated that an interim review had found the strategy and most supporting policies to be appropriate. However, updates were proposed for the Whistleblowing Policy to clarify aspects, provide more detail, and enhance supporting activities. The review also assessed the Council's arrangements in response to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, specifically the new offence of failure to prevent fraud, which came into force on 1 September 2025. The report aimed to assure the committee that the Council's current counter-fraud arrangements align with the Act's requirements for reasonable prevention measures. The key messages of the strategy, including zero tolerance for fraud and strong redress actions, were to be reiterated. The updated Whistleblowing Policy, attached as Appendix A, was to be reviewed and recommended for acceptance by Cabinet.