Statement of Accounts 2022-23
The Council has been unable to commence the period of public inspection for the statement of accounts for the 2022/23 financial year by the first working day in June 2023. Following on from this, there is also a delay in the commencement of the audit and the publication of the audited accounts of the year ended 31 March 2023.
Due partly to the global Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant delay in the conclusion of the audit of the annual accounts for 2019/20, primarily related to uncertainties over the valuation of the authority’s property assets and a sector-wide consultation on infrastructure asset reporting. This delay has in turn impacted on the ability of officers to draft and finalise the accounts for subsequent financial years.
As of 22 September 2023, the Council is awaiting the final audit completion reports for 2019/20 and 2020/21 statements of accounts. The 2021/22 statement of accounts is currently being prepared with a view to draft accounts being published for public inspection in autumn 2023. Work will then commence on preparation of the 2022/23 statement of accounts.
As soon as the draft 2022/23 statement of accounts are available, these will be published with revised inspection dates. The audited statement of accounts will follow as soon possible. The external auditor will issue the 2022/23 Auditor's Annual Report following the opinion on the 2022/23 accounts.