Written question WQ96577
- Asked by
- Janet Finch-SaundersConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the impact of the cost of full audits of community council accounts on the financial viability of those bodies?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
The cost of audit can vary due to the size of community council and complexity of a council’s accounts. Community councils, as independent bodies, must budget for the costs of audit as part of their financial planning, using the published Audit Wales Fee Scheme as a guide. The latest fee scales reflect the three-year cyclical audit programme of basic and full audits introduced by Audit Wales for the sector in the 2020-21 financial year. In part, this was to help ensure audits were cost effective.
By way of illustration, a council with income of between £10k and £25k can expect to pay audit fees of around £700 for a full transaction audit. The council should, therefore budget for that fee.
Fees may rise in the event of additional complexity or incomplete work by the council. Councils may reduce the risk of this through its own good governance, using the Finance and Governance Toolkit and completing internal audit successfully.