Frequently asked questions
About us
1. What does the Audit Commission do?
The Audit Commission’s role is to protect the public purse. We do this by appointing auditors, publishing analysis and comparing data.
Our remit covers local public services in England. Wales (external link), Scotland (external link) and Northern Ireland (external link) have their own national audit organisations.
Our responsibilities are set out in the Audit Commission Act 1998 (external link). We appoint external auditors. We do not audit private companies. More about us.
2. What is the National Audit Office and how does it differ from the Audit Commission?
The National Audit Office (NAO) scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament. It is independent of government. It audits the accounts of all central government departments and agencies, as well as a wide range of other public bodies, and reports to Parliament.
3. Who audits the Audit Commission?
We are audited by the National Audit Office (external link), which also audits central government departments.
4. How can I get a copy of the Audit Commission act?
Acts of Parliament (external link) are available from the Office of Public Sector Information.
The Accounts and Audit Regulations (external link) are developed to support the Audit Commission Act 1998 (external link). Both are available from the Office of Public Sector Information. These contain important information for electors and interested persons.
Telephone: 0870 600 5222
Website: www.opsi.gov.uk (external link)
5. How long will it take you to respond to a written enquiry?
Our standard is to provide an acknowledgement within five working days of receipt and a full response within 20 working days. This applies to correspondence received by letter, fax and email.
Complaints
1. How do I make a complaint about my local authority or council?
In the first instance you should direct your complaint towards the local authority involved. All local authorities will have a complaints department that you can contact.
If your complaint refers to something your council has done that you feel is unfair (that is, you feel you have suffered as a result of inefficient management or maladministration), please contact your Local Government Ombudsman (external link).
Our leaflet: Routemap, Your guide to complaining about local public services in England provides contact details and links of other agencies you can contact who can deal with complaints about public services in England.
If your complaint refers to corruption, fraud or misuse of public money at an authority please contact the appointed auditor for that authority.
You can also contact our confidential whistleblowing line on 0303 444 8346. Our policy regarding whistleblowing will provide you with information on what will happen with your information.
2. How do I make a complaint about the conduct of my councillor or a council member?
Every authority is required to adopt a Code of Conduct that sets out rules governing the behaviour of its members. All elected, co-opted and independent members of local authorities, including parish councils, fire, police and national parks authorities, are covered by the code. If you wish to complain about a member’s failure to comply with the code of conduct, you should complain directly to the relevant authority.
3. What are the types of complaint that the Audit Commission cannot investigate?
- The policies or decisions made by a local authority (for example, your local council or housing association) about what services they provide and the quality of the services. These are a matter for the organisation’s own complaints procedures and you should contact the relevant organisation direct.
- Bad or inefficient management by a local council (maladministration), which is a matter for the Local Government Ombudsman.
- Services provided by the NHS, which is a matter for the Health Service Commissioner.
- Because auditors work independently, you cannot complain to us about the decisions and judgements of auditors as the correct place to challenge these is through the courts. Our leaflet Councils’ Accounts Your Rights: England explains the powers and duties of auditors and your rights.
- Employment matters, including complaints from staff or former staff. Complaints from applicants for jobs should be sent to our Human Resources Directorate, 2nd Floor, 2 Rivergate, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6EH , where they will be dealt with under a separate process.
Where we cannot consider your complaint we will tell you why and advise which, if any, other organisations may be able to help you. Our leaflet Routemap Your guide to complaining about local public services in England provides details of the organisations to contact to complain about your local services, a copy can be obtained from us at the address above or from our website.
4. What are the types of complaint which the Audit Commission can investigate?
We will deal with complaints about poor service on the part of the Audit Commission, its appointed auditors and staff, provided the complaint is made within six months of the event in question. A failure to deal with matters properly or fairly may involve:
- failure to follow proper procedures;
- discourtesy and rudeness;
- discrimination;
- delay;
- not informing an individual of their of rights and entitlements;
- not providing answers to reasonable questions where they fall within auditor’s or the Audit Commission’s remit;
- not responding to phone calls, emails or letters;
- not answering complaints fully and promptly; or
- failure to apologise for mistakes.
This is not an exhaustive list – if you have any queries about whether we can or cannot deal with a specific complaint, please contact the Complaints Unit on 0303 444 8330.
5. How do I make a complaint about the Audit Commission?
You can complain by phone, email or letter.
Telephone: 0303 444 8330
Email: complaints@audit-commission.gsi.gov.uk
Post:
Audit Commission
3rd Floor, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
We aim to achieve the highest standards so we need to know if you are concerned or dissatisfied with any part of our work, or that of our appointed auditors.
Your complaints give us the chance to put things right when mistakes have been made and to improve the quality of our services. We treat all complaints seriously, investigate them thoroughly and respond as quickly as possible.
For more information on our complaints procedure, please read our page on how to complain.
Fraud
1. How do I report a suspected fraud as a member of the public?
Fraud is a criminal offence. If you suspect fraudulent activity within any public body, you should report it to the police. You can also copy your concerns to the auditor of the organisation concerned. To find out who their appointed auditor is you can use our auditors directory.
2. How do I report a suspected fraud at the authority I work for?
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) (external link) is popularly known as a ‘whistleblowers’ protection act. It protects employees who make disclosures about a range of subjects from recriminations.
Whistleblowers can claim Public Interest Disclosure Act protection by disclosing their concerns either to their employer or, if they prefer, to another organisation authorised to receive disclosures (a prescribed person’). The Audit Commission is a ‘prescribed person’ under the Act and provides a confidential public interest disclosure line for employees of councils and NHS bodies where they are unable, or unwilling, to report internally.
You can contact our whistleblowers’ hotline on 0303 444 8346.
Freedom of Information and corporate data enquiries
1. How do I make a freedom of information request?
Please visit the Freedom of Information section of our website for information on our information policy and principles as well as guidance how to make a request.
2. Can I have my name added to your reports mailing list?
We do not hold a standard mailing list. We create unique lists for each mailing we organise, depending on who the report applies to.
3. Can I get a mailing list of all local authorities/ NHS trusts etc?
We do not provide details of other organisations. Mailing lists can be obtained from brokers.
Reports
1. How do I find a report on your website?
All national Audit Commission reports from 2000-2012 and inspection reports from 2001 onwards are available on the National Archives copy of our website. National studies published since 2010 are available on the current website.
2. How do I get a report that is now out of print?
You can contact the British Library, which stores copies of all of our reports, to get a reference copy.
3. I want to get a hold of a copy of one of your reports in large print, Braille or audio format.
We can supply copies of these formats on request. Please telephone 0303 444 8330.
4. Does the Audit Commission have a library where I can look at or borrow copies of reports?
The Audit Commission does not have a public library. Our reports can be viewed from our website or borrowed from the British Library.
5. How do I get permission to reproduce something from an Audit Commission publication in something I’m publishing?
For guidelines on the use of Audit Commission material, please refer to our terms and conditions of use.
All requests for copyright permissions must be made in writing and sent to:
Communications
Audit Commission
3rd Floor, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
Please specify the following in your request:
- Exactly what information or exhibits you wish to use;
- The name of the publication in which you found it, and the relevant page numbers; and
- Where and how you wish to use the information or exhibits (for example, the title of the publication, publisher, print run, and whether the publication will be priced or free).