Smaller Commission is returning to its regulatory roots says new Controller of Audit
The Audit Commission is returning to its roots, becoming once again the public audit regulator it was always intended to be, says Marcine Waterman as she takes up the post of Controller of Audit.
Marcine will now oversee the continued downsizing of the organisation. Across its near three decades the Commission peaked at more than 2,000 employees across around 200 offices nationwide. But it will shrink to around 70 people, mostly based at a single London site.
Marcine Waterman steps up this week to the Commissions top job from her current role as Director of Audit Policy and Regulation.
Marcine says:
It is symbolic that the Chief Executive post is reverting to the original title of Controller of Audit, as envisaged when the Audit Commission was founded 29 years ago. This organisation will be focusing on its original purpose _ returning to its roots, becoming once again the public audit regulator it was always intended to be.
With the current squeeze on public spending there has never been a greater need to maximise quality and minimise costs across public audit. The Commission will continue to appoint the auditors and oversee the contracts for public audit. Even in a wholly privatised market this watchdog will still have teeth as a regulator, reporting publicly on the quality of the firms auditing. The significant fee reductions we have delivered will free up cash that can be used for front line services.
But, alongside this, we will carry on with other worthwhile roles that support public bodies. The Commission will continue its forensic data matching to bear down on fraud. It will also arrange vital data quality assurance for the NHS, and use its unique national perspective to publish helpful briefings based on data from auditors findings.
Marcine also sees another key role for the Commission:
We have already started making a constructive contribution to the governments Draft Bill on the Future of Public Audit. A smooth transition to new public audit arrangements is essential, and the Commission is uniquely placed to help guide this process.
The smaller Commission, working alongside new and former colleagues in the auditing firms will be focused on keeping public services efficient and effective.
Marcine Waterman is becoming Controller of Audit just ahead of new Chairman Jeremy Newman succeeding Michael O’Higgins on 1 October. The Audit Practice then closes its doors on 31 October as around 700 auditors transfer across to the audit firms, heralding the move towards a more compact Audit Commission in 2013.
Notes to editors
- Marcine Waterman joined the Commission in 1993 and has been involved in most of its key change programmes including data quality, fire modernisation verification, Best Value, and market testing. As Director of Audit Policy and Regulation she recently led the largest and most complex outsourcing procurement the Commission has been engaged in.
- Before joining the Audit Commission Marcine worked at Ernst & Young, and was a Confidential Assistant in the US Presidents Office of Management and Budget, Legislative Affairs. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California and a Masters Degree in Public Finance & Administration from Washingtons American University.
- The Audit Commission is a public corporation set up in 1983 to protect the public purse. The Commission appoints auditors to councils, NHS bodies (excluding NHS Foundation trusts), local police bodies authorities and other local public services in England, and oversees their work. The auditors we currently appoint are either Audit Commission employees (our in-house Audit Practice) or one of the private audit firms. Our Audit Practice also audits NHS foundation trusts under separate arrangements. We also help public bodies manage the financial challenges they face by providing authoritative, unbiased, evidence-based analysis and advice.
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