This report updates the Committee on progress with the completion of the

Council’s Final Accounts for 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Peter Robinson, interim Assistant Director of Finance, submitted a report providing an update on the completion of the Council’s Final Accounts for 2018/19 and 2019/20.  The report stated that the Audit of the 2017/18 Accounts had been completed and signed off by EY at the end of October 2020.  Additionally, the draft 2018/19 Accounts were complete and had been handed over to the Auditors in mid-February 2020.  These Accounts had been updated in November 2020 as a result of the revised brought forward 2017/18 balances, although despite this the Audit of these Accounts had commenced in September 2020.  Officers had almost completed the 2019/20 accounts but had agreed with EY to focus on prioritising resolving the 2018/19 outstanding queries and getting these signed off before passing them over to EY.  This would also enable transformation work to be completed to assist with the 2020/21 accounts and mean that brought forward balances from 2018/19 could be updated to save more audit time.

Resolved:    

(1)           That the progress made in relation to the Audit of the 2018/19 Accounts be noted;

(2)           That the progress being made in closing the 2019/20 Accounts be noted.