3 February 2011
The Communities and Local Government Select Committee has published the written evidence it has received for its inquiry into the audit and inspection of local authorities.
The Audit Commission responded to the inquiry and you can read our submission on the Committee's website (external link).
Our response focuses on three of the Commission's main functions: audit, inspection and assessment, and value for money (VFM) studies. In our submission we recommend that:
- Public bodies that have tax-raising powers or which spend large sums of public money should not be able to appoint their external auditors;
- There should continue to be integrated oversight of the new audit framework; and
- There should be more consideration of the local impact of the Commission's abolition and the loss of its expertise in areas like VFM, data and governance at a time of severe financial pressures.