Tags: Audit
External Audit Webinar - Coming Soon!
PKF Littlejohn have informed us that their webinar (designed to assist councils complete the audit process smoothly) will be available on line shortly (March 11th). We will make the link available via this webpage, round robin, and other channels as soon as it is available.
Posted: Wed, 04 Mar 2020 17:33 by Jake Atkinson
Common External Audit Errors - New SAAA Guidance
The Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments (SAAA) has distributed common errors with the public rights period and completion of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return form (AGAR) compiled by PKF Littlejohn, our External Auditor for Leicestershire and Rutland. This will assist councils in ensuring their documentation is correctly completed and submitted.
Please download the documents highlighting... Read More »
Posted: Mon, 02 Mar 2020 19:58 by Jake Atkinson
Close of Audit 2018-19
As always at this time of year we are publishing information to assist our member councils in ensuring that they are compliant and are fulfilling legal requirments placed upon them with regards to the annual audit process for all councils.
Councils which were eligible to certify as exempt from external audit (ie below £25k turnover), and did so, will receive nothing further from their external... Read More »
Posted: Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:01 by Jake Atkinson
External Audit submission deadline - 1st July 2019
A reminder that the submission deadline of 1st July is approaching. By this date councils should have submitted to PKF Littlejohn either:
- A completed & approved AGAR and all applicable supporting documents; or
- An Exemption Certificate .
Wherever possible, all documents should be submitted by email to sba@pkf-littlejohn.com. Hard copies should be sent by post to: SBA Team PKF Littlejohn LLP 1 Westferry... Read More »
Posted: Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:01 by Frances Webster
Redaction of AGAR Signatures
Since our round robin on Friday 11th May 2018 we have had further correspondence from PFK Littlejohn on the issue of the redaction of signatures on published AGAR forms. The issue is due to be discussed further by PFK Littlejohn in the light of GDPR implementation.
See below for a copy of the correspondence.
Thank you for your email. Our expectation is that signatures are not redacted. This was raised... Read More »
Posted: Mon, 14 May 2018 20:08 by Jake Atkinson
New guidance on local government investments
The Government has published a new edition of its statutory guidance on local government investments. The new edition applies in England only, for accounting periods starting on or after 1st April 2018. The guidance can be found by clicking here.
The main change is that the guidance is now mandatory for parish and town councils where investments exceed or are expected to exceed £100,000 in the... Read More »
Posted: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 22:49 by Jake Atkinson
Are you at risk of being a "Rothbury" Parish Council?
In the 7+ years I have been delivering training and providing advice on behalf of LRALC as its Chief Officer/Executive there have been many many occasions where it has been made clear to me that some of those receiving LRALC's guidance have been a little cynical as to the importance of applying some of the legal and procedural requirements to their councils. This is often the case when those councils... Read More »
Posted: Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:16 by Jake Atkinson
Journalists and inspection of parish and town council accounts
Grant Thornton - Limited Assurance 2016/17 - Bulletin 3 – New rights of inspection
Journalists now have the right to inspect the accounts (but it's still only electors who can raise questions and objections with the external auditor).
The Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Act 2017 (the Act) received royal assent on 27 April 2017. The Act extends rights of inspection under section 26 of the... Read More »
Posted: Tue, 16 May 2017 09:00 by Jake Atkinson
Grant Thornton Annual Return and External Audit 2016-17 Briefing
Last week at the LRALC External Audit briefing Grant Thornton announced that the Annual Return and associated information will be sent out later than usual this year (end of March/early April) due to responsibility for issuing the Annual Return nationally shifting to SAAA (Smaller Authorities' Audit Appointments Limited).
Please see the slides below for the full session content.
UPDATE FROM GRANT THORNTON... Read More »
Posted: Mon, 13 Mar 2017 10:04 by Jake Atkinson