Head of Finance
Yvonne Woodward
Yvonne Woodward is the current Head of Finance
and has been in post since June 2006. Yvonne is the Council’s
Chief Finance Officer, which is a position that the Council is
legally required to have and which is also known as the Section 151
Officer. She is responsible for maintaining a sound system of
internal control throughout the Council, ensuring that there are
robust financial management arrangements in place and that the
Council has a solid approach to managing its risks and delivering
value for money. Yvonne provides advice to Councillors on a
range of financial matters including setting the annual budget,
level of council tax and the Council’s 5 year Medium Term Financial
Strategy.
Yvonne is responsible for managing the
Financial Services, Internal Audit and Performance Management
teams.
Internal Audit – this team carries out audits
and checks on a range of Council services and reports into the
Audit Committee. They provide managers with reports on the
effectiveness of the controls in their services and recommend
improvements around efficient working.
Performance Management - working closely with
the internal auditors, this team is responsible for supporting
managers in managing performance. They also check that
performance indicators are correctly collected and challenge the
targets set by managers. The Performance Improvement Officers
carry out value for money reviews and co-ordinate the risk
management and value for money work of the Authority.
Financial Services – this team consists of
Accountancy, Payments & Income and Cashiers and is responsible
for paying invoices and staff, collecting miscellaneous debts,
setting and monitoring budgets, closing the accounts of the
Council, providing financial information, analysis and advice to
officers and members, responding to enquiries from the public on
financial issues, managing the Council’s insurances, treasury
management of the Council’s investments and processing monies
received.
Email: yvonne.woodward@rochford.gov.uk
Tel: 01702 318029