Audit
Audit firms look overseas amid shortage
Audit firms are having to resort to recruiting overseas to fill public sector vacancies because of low levels of interest within the UK.
Call for new audit board
An independent review has been urged to back the creation of a board to oversee the local audit system.
Jenrick comes under pressure to extend audit deadline
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick is coming under pressure to extend the deadline for council audits to be completed.
Chief executive criticised by cross-party working group
One of Norfolk’s longest serving chief executives should have had a stronger hold over a project to build an innovation centre, a cross-party working group has found.
Glasgow praised for delivering £500m equal pay claims
Scotland’s local authority watchdog has praised Glasgow City Council for successfully delivering a project to finance £500m in equal pay claims.
Northamptonshire commissioners warn of financial risks
The funding of children’s services poses a ‘significant risk’ to Northamptonshire CC and the viability of its successors, commissioners have warned.
Auditors in fees increase warning
Auditors have warned a number of councils that their audit fees for 2019/20 could be more than one-fifth higher than they were expecting.
Council acts after planning 'collusion'
‘Swift action’ has been taken by Northumberland Council’s senior management after ‘several persons in positions of authority and control’ appeared to ‘collude’ with a developer.
Watchdog concerns over sustainability and services at Highland Council
The Accounts Commission expects the council to ‘demonstrate improvement in the next 12 months’ by implementing a series of recommendations made by Audit Scotland.
Shining a strong light
The Local Government Association is about to launch a review of its peer challenge process. Paul Marinko asks whether the approach is robust enough to meet the demands of a tough financial climate.
'One-fifth of audit contracts should be put back out to tender'
The organisation responsible for appointing auditors should take away up to 20% of current contracts from existing suppliers and put them back out to tender, a top accountancy body has said.
Time for a ‘grown-up’ chat about audit
Serious questions have been raised about the level of failure to complete council audits just one year into the new procurement regime, says Chris Buss. What is going wrong?
‘It’s a near perfect storm’
Tony Crawley of Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) addresses the key issues raised in Chris Buss’s critique and agrees; there are no easy solutions and a need for collaboration from all parties.
CIPFA calls for new regulatory body
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) today called for the formation of an independent regulatory body to oversee local audit.
The future of audit and the Redmond Review
Simone Hines is looking forward to seeing the outcomes of the Redmond Review into the future of local public audit - and she's cautious about suggestions that accounts completion and audit deadlines may be pushed back again.
Treasurer concern at isolation of audit reviews
Council treasurers have expressed concerns that two consultations on the future of audit are being carried out in isolation, The MJ understands.
Peer review proposal for pensions
The Local Government Association peer review programme could be expanded to include council pension schemes, a new report has suggested.
Delayed audit council names kept under wraps
The 150 councils where auditors were unable to issue an opinion by the end of September are expected to escape being named and shamed.
EXCLUSIVE: Failure to improve reporting and audit could prompt legislation
Whitehall officials have warned ministers ‘could seek to legislate’ if the transparency and quality of local authority financial reporting and external audit fails to improve.
LGA fears over audit delays
Problems with completing a large number of audits on time could lead to councils being penalised, the Local Government Association (LGA) fears.