Year End & Audit - Councils over £25,000

For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council’s Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This session is aimed at councils that spend between £25,000 and £200,000 a year and prepare simple accounts on a receipts and payments basis. It is also relevant for councils under £25,000 that choose not to exempt themselves from external audit, as well as for and councils that regularly spend over £200,000 and are already comfortable with preparing income and expenditure accounts.

There are alternative sessions in our programme for:
Councils under £25,000 that intend to exempt themselves from audit
Councils that need to understand how to prepare Income and Expenditure accounts

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly and at the right time.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Assets and borrowing
• Reviewing internal control
• Internal audit
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Audit
• Publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the audit process
• Understand how to close the council’s accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors’ rights
• Recognise the need to review internal controls

Session leader: Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP
Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years’ experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.