Members of Argyll and Bute Council’s audit committee have visited their opposite numbers on East Renfrewshire’s committee to swap experiences and to learn from one another.

East Renfrewshire’s audit committee regularly receives visitors from other councils keen to learn from its work which provides scrutiny of cabinet and council decisions as well as putting services under the microscope.

Argyll and Bute’s own audit committee appoints external ‘non-executives’ to the positions of chair and vice-chair to improve external challenge and scrutiny of the council’s governance and performance – a fact which was viewed by the Accounts Commission as a positive improvement in its own recent audit report.

Ian Ross, chair of Argyll and Bute Council’s audit committee said: ‘Our visit was most useful and we exchanged experiences of what it’s like to run audit committees in two very different council areas with very different political make-ups. My thanks go to Councillor Wallace, his committee members and council officers who made us most welcome’.

East Renfrewshire Council audit committee chair, Councillor Gordon Wallace said: ‘The visit was very successful and both we and our visitors learned a great deal from one another. We are always very pleased to share our expertise with other councils’.

Pictured, left to right are: Bruce West, head of strategic finance, Argyll and Bute Council; Dr Christopher Valentine, Argyll and Bute audit committee vice-chair; Michelle Blair, East Renfrewshire chief auditor; Councillor Charlie Gilbert, East Renfrewshire audit committee member; Ian Ross, Argyll and Bute audit committee chair being welcomed by Councillor Gordon Wallace, East Renfrewshire audit committee chair; Ian Nisbet, Argyle and Bute internal audit manager; Linda Hutchison, clerk to the East Renfrewshire committee, Councillor Jim Swift, East Renfrewshire audit committee vice-chair and Councillor Andrew Nisbet, Argyll and Bute audit committee member.