Brentwood Borough Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. It may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.
Internal audit service
The overall role of the Internal Audit Service is to provide assurance to members and management that there are arrangements for the proper administration of the financial affairs of the Council.
The responsibilities of Internal Audit are to:
- Review the effectiveness of internal controls throughout the Authority by carrying out a programme of regular reviews using systems audit, probity audit and value for money techniques;
- Promote the effectiveness of internal controls by providing advice and support for projects and new developments; and
- Provide advice, support, and where requested undertake investigations, into all frauds and irregularities that are brought to our attention.
Performance management
Performance management is a process that sits at the heart of the Council’s operations to enable its customers to receive high quality services throughout the Borough.
The objective of performance management is to ensure a co-ordinate corporate approach that links the corporate aims and objectives to each service. As a result, formal processes have been integrated as part of the organisations normal working day to ensure performance improvement is driven forward.
It is essential that monitoring of performance indicators is continually undertaken to ensure that the Council is on course to achieve its priorities. Not only does performance monitoring identify areas that are performing well, but highlights those that are under achieving. By introducing a robust reporting procedure to services and management the Council is able to identify any areas of concern and, more importantly, identify how these problems can be resolved.
Key performance indicators
The Council's key performance indicators are reported to Members at the meeting of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis and are available to view and download from the Council's information database, DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act.