At the start of the year, the Audit and Risk Committee discussed
theīCompanyās risk management process and, on behalf of the
Board,īconsidered the Groupās principal risks which had been
reviewed byītheīindividual risk owners and, where applicable,
theīmitigating actions and controls had been updated and the risk
ratingīupdated. Any significant changes to risks were discussed
inīeach subsequent Audit and Risk Committee meeting.
During the year, a selection of key risks were presented to either
theīAudit and Risk Committee or the Board. This has included risks
around increasing focus on sustainability issues, including climate
change risk, and IT security and cyber security.
The Group maintains business continuity plans and normally tests
the resilience of these plans on an annual basis. During the year
aīcrisis management test of all emergency communication groups
was completed to ensure that call tree procedures work. In addition,
a scenario planning exercise was undertaken to test the actions
should an announced or unannounced power blackout occur.
TheīBoard and Audit and Risk Committee consider the thorough
responses byīthe Executive Team and the broader management
teams to significant challenges they have faced during the year ā
including theīmajor fire at the Admiralty in July 2022, supply chain
issues, theīchallenging trading environment due to inflation and the
UK economic uncertainty, and the repeated disruption to trading due
toītube and rail strike action ā as solid evidence of the effectiveness
of existing disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
The Finance team is responsible for theīappropriate maintenance of
financial records and processes that ensure all financial information
is relevant, reliable, in accordance with the applicable laws and
regulations, and distributed both internally and externally inīa
timelyīmanner.
The new finance system, launched in November 2021, has simplified
the accounting process and control framework. It has improved
controls on expenditure and has enabled more insightful reporting
toībe used by both finance and operational management, as well
asīincreasing the quality of our budgeting process. The Investment
Committee and Approvals Committee, two sub-committees of
theīExecutive Committee, further strengthen controlīand scrutiny
ofīcosts across the business below Board level authority. The
Investment Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving
capital related projects and investments and for completing
post-investment appraisals. The Approvals Committee isīresponsible
for reviewing and approving central costs, support centre staffing
changes and material procurement contracts. TheīFinance Director
chairs both committees and provides regular updates to the
Executive Committee, and to the Audit and Risk Committee
andītheīBoard as required.
Throughout the period, the Executive Directors provided relevant and
timely financial commentary to supplement the financial reporting,
ensuring the Audit and Risk Committee and the Board were informed
of the financial position and results of the Group.
The Audit and Risk Committee and the Board have considered the
effectiveness of the Groupās system of internal controls. Key elements
of the system of internal control designed to address significant risks
and uncertainties, as documented on pages 34 toī35, include:
⢠clearly defined levels of responsibility and delegation throughout
the Group, together with well-structured reporting lines up to
theīBoard
⢠the preparation of annual budgets for each division, including
commentary on key business opportunities and risks
⢠the reviews by the Executive Team of actual monthly results
against budget, together with commentary on significant variances
and updates of both profit and cash flow expectations for the year
⢠a detailed investment approval process requiring Board
authorisation for all major projects
⢠post-implementation appraisals of major capital
expenditureīprojects as requested by the Board
⢠regular reporting of legal and accounting developments to
theīBoard
⢠regular review of the Groupās risk register and discussion of
significant risks by the Audit and Risk Committee and the Board,
whichīamong other things take account of the significance of
environmental, social and governance matters to the business
⢠regular reporting of compliance with, dataīprotection and health
and safety, and the monitoring of accident statistics and the
results of health and safety audits.
Internal Audit
The Group does not have a dedicated internal audit function but uses
its own Finance team and Retail Audit team, augmented with external
specialists as required, to provide assurance regarding the strength
of the control environment and risk management.
The team of retail business auditors monitor, in particular,
theīcontrols over stock and cash in the Managed Pub estate,
Belī&īThe Dragon sites, and Cotswold Inns & Hotels. The function
reports into the Head of Risk who attends all meetings of the Audit
and Risk Committee to provide an update on the activities of the
Retail Audit team.
External resource is used when specialist advice is required on
anyīareas of risk or controls where the Audit and Risk Committee
considers the business may be exposed. The Audit and Risk
Committee received regular reports covering third party audits
onīhealth and safety and food safety matters.
For FY2024, the Audit and Risk Committee confirmed that the
existingīarrangements of internal audit remained appropriate.
Climate Risk and TCFD Disclosure
The Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for overseeing that
theīeffects and consequences of climate change are adequately
reflected in our financial statements. Climate-related risks are
presented to the Audit and Risk Committee on an annual basis,
whichīis a key element of the new approach to TCFD that has
beenīimplemented this year. In addition a training session on
theīevolving requirements around climate risk has been added
toītheīannual meeting planner.
The Audit and Risk Committee reviewed and agreed that the TCFD
disclosures set out on pages 54 to 61 were appropriate and that
theīassumptions used in the financial statements are consistent
withīthese disclosures.
Whistleblowing
The Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for reviewing
theīadequacy and security of the Companyās arrangements for
employees and contractors to raise concerns about any suspected
wrongdoing, as set out in the Companyās Whistleblowing Policy.
TheīCompany has in place mechanisms for concerns to be raised
inīconfidence internally andīanonymously through the appointment
ofīan independent whistleblowing service operated by Safecall.
Audit and Risk Committee Report Continued
84 Annual Report and Accounts 2023 Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.