Kingston upon Thames' Audit, Governance and Standards Committee heard on Wednesday that fire safety lapses at Kingston Cemetery, initially identified in a September 2023 fire risk assessment, remain unresolved.
The issue came to light during a review of the Annual Internal Audit Report, presented at the committee's meeting on Wednesday 25 June 2025. The report highlighted several audits that received limited assurance opinions, including the Cemeteries and Crematoria service. The audit found failings in the management of fire safety and health and safety, and noted that a memorial safety survey, which should have been conducted in 2021, had not taken place.
The Annual Internal Audit Report stated that the Chief Audit Executive was satisfied that sufficient internal audit work had been undertaken to allow a reasonable conclusion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the council's control environment. However, it also noted that assurance can never be absolute, and only reasonable assurance can be provided. The report is available on the council's Modern.gov website.
Other audits receiving limited assurance included Homes for Ukraine, Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), Building Safety, Health and Safety, and Supported Living, Service Users with Appointeeships. According to the Public reports pack, the Health and Safety audit identified high priority Fire Risk Assessment actions and lower priority Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) actions that had not been completed within required timescales.
As of the end of 2024/25, there was one priority 1 recommendation outstanding relating to an audit of street lighting, with issues around the computer system used to support the service.