Issue - meetings

2023-24 Final Audit Results Report

Report of Assistant Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer)

Purpose of report

To ask the Committee to note the final 2023/24 Statement of Accounts and the changes that have been made since the draft version which was brought to the Committee at its July 2024 meeting.

Recommendations

The Accounts Audit and Risk Committee resolves to:

1.1 Note the final 2023/24 Statement of Accounts (Appendix 1) and the associated changes between draft and final version.

1.2 Note the final letter of representation for 2023/24 (Appendix 2).

1.3 Note the final Auditor’s Annual Report (Appendix 3) and Audit Completion Report (Appendix 4) from the council’s external auditors, Bishop Fleming.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

(1) That the final 2023/24 Statement of Accounts and the associated changes between the draft and final versions be noted.

(2) That the final letter of representation for 2023/24 be noted.

(3) That the final Auditor’s Annual Report and Audit Completion Report from the council’s external auditors, Bishop Fleming, be noted.

Minutes:

The Assistant Director of Finance (S151 Officer) submitted a report to ask the Committee to note the final audit results and annual report of the council’s external auditors in relation to the 2023/24 statement of accounts.

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Property and Regeneration advised the Committee that the 2023/24 statement of accounts had been published by the statutory deadline of the 28 February 2025 with a disclaimer opinion. The Committee was advised that there had been some changes from the draft accounts that had been presented at their 15 January meeting, these included a change in the pension liability which had increased by £7.65M to reflect the asset ceiling effect. The Committee was advised that none of the changes impacted on the general fund.