Newham Council's Audit and Governance Committee has been informed of EY's decision to withdraw from the Housing Benefit Assurance Process (HBAP). The report, detailed in the meeting agenda as EY (External Auditors) Report - External audit of Housing Benefit Assurance Process, was presented at the committee's meeting on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, alongside updates on various other council matters.
Other council matters discussed at the meeting included the Best Value Response, Internal Audit Update, Transformation and Improvement Board, Counter Fraud Progress, Risk Management and Risk Register, Human Resources Update, Treasury Management, Savings Delivery Programme, Annual Complaints Report, Contract Waivers, and Year Ahead Forward Plan.
Notably, the Counter Fraud Progress report touched on housing tenancy fraud. While this is related to housing benefits, the provided information does not explicitly link it to EY's withdrawal from the HBAP.
The meeting, held at Newham Town Hall, included attendees such as Councillor Carleene Lee-Phakoe, Councillor Aktharul Alam, Councillor Melanie Onovo, Councillor Thelma Odoi, Councillor Anthony McAlmont, Councillor Anamul Islam, Councillor Terence Paul, Councillor Areeq Chowdhury, Pauline Egan, Conrad Hall, Meinir Hall, Nicole Metivier, Nick Sharp, and Andrew Ward. The Agenda detailed the items for discussion.
