To receive a verbal update from the Director of Finance on the progress made with the completion of the Council’s Final Accounts for 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Darren Carter, Director of Finance, reported that the Council’s Final Accounts for 2018/19 had formally been completed on 29 September 2021 and had been published on the website.  The final checks on the 2019/20 Accounts were being undertaken and once completed would be passed over to the external auditors EY for review.  There was also good progress being made on the parallel work being undertaken to prepare the Accounts for 2020/21.  At this stage, the focus was on quality assurance assessment prior to handing over the Accounts to EY.  It was anticipated that this would reduce ongoing risk to the Authority and assist aligning publication of the Statement of Accounts to the proper timetable in future years.

Resolved:    

(1)           That the publication of the Final Accounts for 2018/19 be noted and the Finance Service and external auditors be thanked and congratulated for the work that they had done to achieve this outcome;

(2)      That the good progress being made to close the Accounts for 2019/20 and 2020/21 be noted.