Arun financial audit will not be delivered on time as deadline looms

An important Arun District Council financial report is expected to be delayed this autumn Each local authority has a yearly audit which is carried out by an independent body.
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An important Arun District Council financial report is expected to be delayed this autumn Each local authority has a yearly audit which is carried out by an independent body.

These audits seek to determine if financial statements give an accurate reflection of a local authority’s financial position, expenditure and income and ensures they are legally compliant.

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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says that a ‘robust local audit system’ is key to giving tax payers value for money as well as maintaining public confidence in local authorities.

Arun District Council's headquartersArun District Council's headquarters
Arun District Council's headquarters

Central government extended the audit deadline until September 30 this year due to the impact of the coronavirus but officers warned that Arun District Council will miss this new deadline.

ADC’s audit is not expected until November due to delays out of the authority’s control and the council’s accounts for 2020/21 will go before its audit and governance committee in December 2021 or January 2022.

Council officers said they are ‘concerned’ about the delay and added that auditors Ernst and Young ‘have accepted responsibility’.

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The authority’s accounts for 2020/21 are available online but remain unaudited.

ADC is not alone in experiencing delays and, according to a National Audit Office report, only 45 per cent of local authorities met the 2019/20 deadline for publishing audited accounts.

The government recently commissioned an independent inquiry into the issue which was published last year.

The Redmond Review highlighted ‘serious concerns’ about local authority audits and recommended that a new body is set up to oversee the process.

Sir Tony Redmond also said that accounting firms should be able to increase their fees for public sector audits to ensure they are of good quality and delivered on time.