This report updates the Committee with progress on completion of the audit of the Council’s Final Accounts for 2019/20, 2020/21 and preparation for the 2021/22 accounts.

The Committee received a report on the completion of the audit of the Council’s Final Accounts for 2019/20, and the audit progress on the 2020/21 accounts. The report also gave a progress update on the 2021/22 accounts. 

Since the last meeting, the Council’s 2019/20 audit of accounts had been signed off and the Notice of Conclusion of Audit had been published on the Council’s website.  This was a significant milestone for the Council as an “unqualified opinion” had been received on the financial statements for the first time since 2015/16, which showed EY, the Council’s external auditors, had formally recognised the improvements in financial reporting.  The External Auditor had begun the process to confirm their audit fees for 2019/20 which would involve further discussion with Public Sector Audit Appointments and subsequently with the Council.  The Committee would be advised of the final costs when they were confirmed.  The focus of the work would now turn to the conclusion of the 2020/21 audit, which had been progressing well and the production of the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Accounts.

Resolved:   

(1)           That the completion of the 2019/20 audit of accounts, the progress made on the audit of the accounts for 2020/21 and production of the 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 achievement of completing the 2019/20 accounts with an ‘unqualified’ opinion from the external auditors;

(3)           That the Director of Finance be asked to convey the Committee’s disappointment at the absence of the external auditors at the meeting as the Committee members valued EY’s representatives’ contributions and it would have been particularly interesting to hear their views on the significant progress that had been made in completing the 2019/20 accounts and the audit of the accounts for 2020/21 and production of the 2021/22 accounts.