A quarter of English councils could deplete their reserves to levels that threaten their financial sustainability in the next two years amid soaring service demand, Grant Thornton has warned.
The reliance on reserves to balance budgets and an “ambitious” medium-term savings strategy are significant risks to Brighton and Hove City Council’s financial viability, its external auditors have...
The potential for an auditor intervention over the accounting for a £70m loan has forced Plymouth City Council to apply for exceptional government support.
A reliance on a faltering “high-risk alternative funding strategy” to balance budgets in the medium term has put Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s financial stability at risk, its...
Historical governance and financial management issues have led external auditors for the London Borough of Croydon to outline significant weaknesses in previous years’ accounts.
Low capacity in council finance teams and the failure to deal with historic accounting issues mean the current September audit deadline is unlikely to be met, local auditors Grant Thornton have...
Significant concerns over governance have led external auditors for the London Borough of Croydon to issue statutory recommendations, including that the authority shows how its 15% council tax rise...
The failure to provide adequate records and working papers in Slough Borough Council’s 2018-19 statement of accounts has prompted its external auditors to issue an unprecedented opinion.
Historic under-resourcing of Nottingham City Council’s finance department has weakened the authority’s finance function and led to significant inconsistencies in budget forecasts, external auditors...
A rare public interest report into historic governance issues at Cheshire East Council highlights the declining standards of public officials in recent years, the external auditors who published the...
External auditors for Redditch Borough Council have issued a statutory recommendation over the authority’s failure to submit its statement of accounts on time.
External auditors have told Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council it needs to work out how it will balance its future budgets, warning that it lacks “appropriate arrangements” to run its...
The soaring cost of living combined with a decade of austerity could see up to a sixth of English councils fully deplete their reserves in 2023-24 without substantial spending cuts, experts have...
Local authorities have been urged by an external auditor to apply effective risk management to their subsidiary companies and other commercial activities to safeguard against financial risks.
Low investment and a reliance on interim staff in council finance teams will make it difficult to find “the next generation of section 151 officers”, experts at Grant Thornton have said.
External auditors for South Somerset District Council have issued a statutory recommendation after officers failed to seek legal action and make the finance director aware of an exit settlement.
The government has appointed commissioners to Sandwell Borough Council following a critical external audit review which found a “lack of clear contract responsibility”.
The London Borough of Croydon has launched an internal fraud probe into a major council-run regeneration project, and has handed a critical public interest report from its auditors to the...
London Borough of Croydon failed to ensure it was acting lawfully over an agreement with its housing subsidiary Brick by Brick on a major regeneration project, auditors have found.
