18-12-2024
In response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s ‘Local audit reform: a strategy for overhauling the local audit system in England’ consultation, CIPFA Director of Public Financial Management Iain Murray, said:
"CIPFA welcomes the government's commitment to reform local audit, a crucial part of public sector governance. Ongoing delays in local authority audits, coupled with the current situation where some authorities are without an external auditor, highlight that the system is failing. Effective local audit ensures transparency and accountability and is essential for establishing and maintaining trust in our local public bodies.
"The proposed creation of the Local Audit Office is a positive first step, and it is vital that this body provides system leadership to restore trust in local audit. The planned reforms in the Devolution White Paper and Local Government Policy Statement, which focus on restructuring and funding local government, depend on the integrity of local audits to ensure public money is spent effectively.
"The government’s plans to overhaul local audit must be viewed as part of broader reforms to create a more transparent and accountable local government system. Only with strong accountability processes in place can we ensure the success of public service reforms."
Notes to editor
- For more information or to speak to a CIPFA spokesperson, please contact the CIPFA Press Office press@cipfa.org.