The Head of Financial Services has submitted a report setting out proposals for appointing the external auditor to the Council for the five-year period from 2023/24 and seeking authority for the Head of Financial Services to opt in to the national scheme for auditor appointments on behalf of the Council in accordance with the recommendation from Audit and Governance Committee.

This report and a covering report was submitted to the Audit & Governance Committee on 20 October 2021. The Committee decisions are set out in the minutes of that meeting.

The Chair of the Audit & Governance Committee Cllr Fry will present the report and propose the recommendations.

Recommendation:

The Audit & Governance Committee recommends that Council resolves to

1.    accept Public Sector Audit Appointments’ invitation to opt into the sector-led option for the appointment of external auditors to principal local government and police bodies for five financial years from 1 April 2023;

2.    authorise the Head of Financial Services to opt in to the national scheme for auditor appointments for the provision of external audit services starting with the audit of the 2023/24 accounts.

Council considered the report of the Head of Financial Services setting out proposals for appointing the external auditor to the Council for the five-year period from 2023/24 and seeking authority for the Head of Financial Services to opt in to the national scheme for auditor appointments on behalf of the Council in accordance with the recommendation from Audit and Governance Committee.

The Chair of the Audit & Governance Committee Cllr Fry, introduced the report, proposed the recommendations and answered questions.

The recommendations were agreed on being seconded and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.     accept Public Sector Audit Appointments’ invitation to opt into the sector-led option for the appointment of external auditors to principal local government and police bodies for five financial years from 1 April 2023;

2.     authorise the Head of Financial Services to opt in to the national scheme for auditor appointments for the provision of external audit services starting with the audit of the 2023/24 accounts.

Report of: the Head of Financial Services

Purpose of report: to consider the process to appointment external auditors for the next procurement period.

Recommendation: the Committee is asked to

1.     consider the report to Council (Appendix 1) and

2.     recommend to Council that the Council opt in to the national procurement of external auditors.

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Financial Service asking them to consider the process to appoint external auditors for the next procurement period covering the audits of financial years 2023-24 to 2027-28, and recommending opting into the national procurement scheme run by PSAA (Public Sector Audit Appointment).

The Committee resolved to recommend that Council:

1.    Accepts Public Sector Audit Appointment’s invitation to opt into the sector-led option for the appointment of external auditors to principal local government and police bodies for five financial years from 1 April 2023;

2.    Authorises the Head of Financial Services to opt in to the national scheme for auditor appointments for the provision of external audit services starting with the audit of the 2023/24 accounts.