To elect a Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

That Councillor Price (Herefordshire) be elected Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Price (Herefordshire) be elected Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

To appoint a Vice-Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

That Councillor A Blagg (Worcestershire) be appointed Vice-Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor A Blagg (Worcestershire) be appointed Vice-Chairman of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee for the ensuing year.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Lee Carter (Telford & Wrekin), Steve Charmley (Shropshire) and Graham Powell (Herefordshire).

To receive details of any Member nominated to attend the meeting in place of another Member.

There were no substitutes in attendance.

Members are reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

Members were reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

To receive the minutes of the Joint Committee meeting held on 28^th September 2015.

Copy attached marked 6.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee held on 28^th September 2015 be approved as a correct record.

The Director of WME will provide a verbal update in line with the WME Standing Orders

That the update on supplier contracts by the Director of West Mercia Energy be noted.

In accordance with Standing Orders, Mr N. Evans, Director of West Mercia Energy provided a update on Supplier Contracts.

The Director reported that there were no entries to make the Joint Committee aware of on this occasion.

RESOLVED:

That the update on supplier contracts by the Director of West Mercia Energy be noted.

Report of the External Auditor is attached, marked 8.

Contact: Richard Percival/James McLarnon (0121 212 4000)

That the External Audit Annual Audit Letter 2014/15 be endorsed. 

The Chairman introduced Mr Richard Percival and Mr James McLarnon of Grant Thornton to the Joint Committee. Mr Richard Percival (External Auditor – Grant Thornton) presented the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee Annual Audit Letter 2014/15 (copy attached to the signed minutes). 

Mr Percival explained that there was only one recommendation that had been identified during the 2014/15 Audit and this had arisen from the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 which no longer included a statutory obligation to have an external audit.  Mr Percival added that he was pleased to report that Grant Thornton had been approached to continue with the external audit process to ensure a level of independent assurance.

RESOLVED:

That the External Audit Annual Audit Letter 2014/15 be endorsed. 

Report of the External Auditor is attached, marked 9.

Contact: Richard Percival/James McLarnon (0121 212 4000)

That the External Audit Audit Plan 2015/16 be endorsed.

Mr Richard Percival (Grant Thornton) introduced the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee External Audit Plan 2015/16 (copy attached to the signed minutes).

Mr Nigel Evans (Director) reported that in late 2016 Shropshire Council would undertake a procurement exercise to appoint auditors from 1^st April 2017 and it was expected that the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee would form part of this exercise.

The reduction in the audit fee reflected the fact that there was no longer a requirement to undertake a value for money exercise. 

Mr Richard Percival proceeded to outline the key points and dates contained within the Audit Plan.

Councillor Price asked for clarification of the table on page 28 “Our Communication Plan”.  In response Mr Percival explained that the table showed where issues would be reported, but it was not anticipated that there would be anything to report.

RESOLVED:

That the External Audit Plan 2015/16 be endorsed.

Report of the External Auditor is attached, marked 10.

Contact: Richard Percival/James McLarnon (0121 212 4000)

That the External Audit Informing the Audit Risk 2015/16 be noted and the management responses contained within the report are consistent with the understanding of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee with no further comments to make.

Mr Richard Percival (Grant Thornton) presented the Informing the Audit Risk 2015/16 (copy attached to the signed minutes).  Mr Percival reported that there were no issues to raise and that they were happy with the management response. 

RESOLVED:

That the External Audit Informing the Audit Risk 2015/16 be noted and the management responses contained within the report are consistent with the understanding of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee with no further comments to make.

The reports of the Audit Services Manager are attached, marked 11.

11a – Payroll

11b – Creditors

11c – Risk Management and Insurance

11d – IT 

Contact: Ceri Pilawski (01743 257739)

That the performance to date against the 2015/16 Audit Plan be endorsed.

The Audit Services Manager presented the Internal Audit Performance Report to February 2016 (copy attached to the signed minutes).

RESOLVED:

That the performance to date against the 2015/16 Audit Plan be endorsed.

Report of the Audit Services Manager is attached, marked 12.

Contact: Ceri Pilawski (01743 257739)

That the proposed programme of audits for 2016/17 be endorsed. 

The Audit Services Manager presented the Internal Audit, Audit Plan 2016/17 (copy attached to the signed minutes).

RESOLVED:

That the proposed programme of audits for 2016/17 be endorsed. 

Report of the Director of West Mercia Energy is attached, marked 13

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101) 

1.    That the work conducted to date and the requirement for the existing governance documents to be updated be noted; and

2.    The Director of West Mercia Energy be authorised to undertake further work, in conjunction with the Monitoring Officers of the Member Authorities, to review and revise the existing governance documents where required in order to bring any revised documents to the September 2016 Joint Committee for approval.

The Director of West Mercia Energy introduced the Governance Update report (copy attached to the signed minutes). 

RESOLVED:

1.    That the work conducted to date and the requirement for the existing governance documents to be updated be noted; and

2.    The Director of West Mercia Energy be authorised to undertake further work, in conjunction with the Monitoring Officers of the Member Authorities, to review and revise the existing governance documents where required in order to bring any revised documents to the September 2016 Joint Committee for approval.

Report of the Director of West Mercia Energy is attached, marked 14

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101)  

1.    That the Terms of Reference detailed in paragraph 5.5 be approved; and

2.    That the Flexible Energy Management Panel changes its name to the Flexible Energy Advisory Panel.  

The Director of West Mercia Energy introduced the report which outlined the updated terms of reference for the Flexible Energy Management Panel. 

A Member questioned whether there should be an elected member representative on the Panel and what the arrangements were for the Advisory Panel feeding back to the Joint Committee.  In response, the Director put the Advisory Committee into context and reassured the Joint Committee that the Panel was an advisory panel only and no decisions were made and that systems were in place to report any issues back to Members.

In response to the concerns expressed, the suggestion was put forward that minutes of the Flexible Energy Advisory Panel should be circulated to Joint Committee Members as soon as they were finalised, rather than being sent out with the agenda for the next Joint Committee meeting.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Terms of Reference detailed in paragraph 5.5 be approved; and

2.    That the Flexible Energy Management Panel changes its name to the Flexible Energy Advisory Panel. 

To consider a resolution under Section 100 (A) of the Local Government Act 1972 that the proceedings in relation to the following items shall not be conducted in public on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by the provisions of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED:

That under Section 100(A)(A4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded during the consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they might involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12(A) of the Act.

To receive the Exempt Minutes of the meeting held on 28^th September 2015 attached, marked 16.

Contact: Emily Marshall (01743 257717)

RESOLVED: 

That the Exempt Minutes of the meeting held on 28^th September 2015 be approved as a correct record.

Exempt report of the Director of West Mercia Energy is attached, marked 17

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101) 

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The Director presented an exempt report (copy attached to the signed exempt minutes), which outlined the current trading performance for 2015/16 and the forecasted full year result for 2015/16.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

Exempt report of the Director of West Mercia Energy is attached, marked 18

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101) 

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The Director of West Mercia Energy presented an exempt report (copy attached to the signed exempt minutes), which detailed the Business Plan and Trading Performance to date for 2016/17 together with the current predicted final result for the year.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The Exempt minutes of the Flexible Energy Management Panel Meetings are attached, marked 19

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101) 

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The Director of West Mercia Energy presented an exempt report (copy attached to the signed exempt minutes), which presented the Minutes of the Flexible Energy Management Panel meetings held on 24^th August and 10^th November 2015.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

Exempt report of the Director of West Mercia Energy is attached, marked 20

Contact: Nigel Evans (01743 231101) 

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The Director of West Mercia Energy presented the exempt report (copy attached to the signed minutes) which provided and update on Risk Management.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendation contained within the exempt report be approved.

The next meeting of the West Mercia Energy Joint Committee will be held on Monday 26^th September 2016 at 10.00 a.m. in the Shrewsbury Room, Shirehall.

It was noted that the next meeting would take place on Monday, 26^th September at 10.00 a.m. in the Shrewsbury Room, Shirehall, Shrewsbury