A representative from the Council’s External Auditor EY will present their draft Audit Results Report for the 2020/21 financial statements and provide an update with regard to planning for the audit of the following year’s statements.

The Committee received a covering report on EY’s draft 2020/21 Audit Results Report, which was attached as an Appendix to the report.

Adrian Balmer, EY, presented the draft Audit Report for 2020/21 summarising the assessment of the key risks driving the development of an effective audit for the Council and outlining EY’s planned audit strategy in response to those risks.  The Committee was advised that the audit of accounts was substantially complete and it was anticipated that the final accounts for 2020/21 should be signed off before the Committee’s next meeting in January 2024.

The Committee sought clarification of the summary of adjusted differences described in Section 4 of the Audit Results Report, Audit Differences, as ‘unsubstantiated and unsupported’, which totalled £1.186m.

Resolved:      

(1)        That the External Auditors, draft Audit Results Report for 2020/21 be noted;

(2)        That the Director of Finance and Chief Accountant be asked to circulate a briefing note explaining the Audit Differences, described as ‘unsubstantiated and unsupported’ in the Audit Results Report for the Committee’s information.