To receive a verbal update on the progress to complete the audit of the Council’s Final Accounts.

Mark Sanders, Chief Accountant, provided a verbal update on closing the financial accounts.  He explained that three sets of accounts (2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22) were being worked on concurrently.  The Committee was advised that sign-off of the 2019/20 accounts was now imminent and assuming there were no last-minute alterations, it was anticipated that the audit opinion would be ‘unqualified’.  This outcome would be hugely beneficial for budget planning and the speed of conducting audits in future years, as confidence in the data increased.  The focus of work had now transferred to the 2020/21 accounts and preparatory work was underway on 2021/22 accounts with the draft accounts expected to be submitted to Committee on 20 July 2023.

Resolved:    

(1)          That the imminent sign-off of the audit of the accounts for 2019/20 be welcomed and the continuing work on the accounts for 2020/21 and 2021/22 accounts be noted;

(2)          That Finance & Accountancy Teams be thanked and recognised for the considerable volume of work that had been necessary to reach the current position in relation to the three sets of outstanding accounts and in particular the likely achievement of an ‘unqualified’ opinion in relation to the 2019/20 accounts.