Antrim & Newtownabbey Audit and Risk Committee Meeting Highlights September 2025

Council meetings can feel a bit dry from the outside, but they often cover decisions that quietly affect how well services run, how money is spent, and how issues are handled when things go wrong.

Here’s a straightforward breakdown of what was discussed at the Audit and Risk Committee meeting held on Tuesday 16 September 2025 at Antrim Civic Centre — and why locals might want to know about it.

One of the biggest items on the agenda was the Council’s Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2025.

The key takeaway?

👉 External auditors found no problems.

The Northern Ireland Audit Office completed its audit and issued an unqualified audit opinion, meaning they were satisfied with how the Council’s finances are managed. Importantly, the audit did not change the Council’s financial position.

Councillors approved the final accounts, which will now be published.

For residents, this is reassurance that:

The Committee also approved the Annual Governance Statement for 2024/25.

This document explains:

Minor wording changes were suggested by auditors for clarity, but no major issues were identified.

In short, the Council confirmed it is operating within proper governance standards — and signed off on it formally.

Members reviewed the Annual Self-Assessment Report on Performance for 2024/25.

This report looks at:

Some targets weren’t fully achieved, and officers explained why. While the details sit in the full report, the key point is that performance is being measured, challenged, and reviewed, rather than ignored.

The Committee noted the report and no major concerns were raised.

Councillors were also given a Quarter 1 performance update for 2025/26.

This included:

Officers confirmed they are continuing to look at better ways of measuring performance and keeping an eye on staff absence as a potential risk.

The Committee reviewed how well the Council is responding to previous audit recommendations.

Most actions are either:

One specific issue around leisure software contracts will receive further clarification.

In a confidential session, members were updated on the Council’s cyber security position.

While specific details aren’t public for obvious reasons, councillors were told that:

Given the rise in cyber attacks on public bodies, this was treated as a high-priority area.

Good news on the fraud front.

The Council took part in the National Fraud Initiative 2024–25, which cross-checks data across public bodies to identify potential fraud.

The result?

👉 No fraud was identified.

Some payroll checks are still being finalised with other organisations, but nothing concerning has been found so far. An update will be provided if anything changes.

An earlier audit raised concerns about how equality screening and rural impact assessments were being handled.

The update confirmed that:

A further compliance review will take place in future to ensure standards remain high.

Members noted a Northern Ireland Audit Office report into major IT projects across Northern Ireland, including the Planning Portal system.

Some headline figures from that report:

One project alone — the Planning Portal — was delayed for years and ended up costing £43.1 million, significantly more than first planned.

While these projects sit mainly at central government level, the Committee agreed there are important lessons for how councils plan and manage large IT projects locally.

One of the more notable confidential items involved a Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) investigation into how the Council handled a complaint about odour nuisance.

Key points:

However, NIPSO found maladministration in how the case was handled, including:

The Council has:

Importantly, the resident confirmed the issue has since been resolved.

The meeting concluded at 7:33 pm, with no additional business raised.

While there were no headline-grabbing decisions, this meeting focused on the nuts and bolts of how the Council is run — finances, audits, risk management, performance, and learning from mistakes.

For residents, the key messages are:

Source: Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

Read the full minutes of the September meeting on the NBC website.