All councils have to publish a Statement of Accounts covering specified matters. It shows how we have used public money, and that we have been honest and responsible. We try to make this document meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders, but to see how well the council delivers individual services you may also want to look at the performance indicators on the linked Corporate Plan and Financial Plan page. For our EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) statement, please see our environmental policies.
After being approved by our Corporate Governance and Audit Committee, draft accounts are placed "on deposit" in the Civic Hall and here online for twenty working days. This is so that local electors can inspect them, and ask questions about them or challenge them (see the attached document Councils' accounts - your rights). The draft 2007/08 accounts were on deposit from Tuesday 1 July to Monday 28 July. On Monday 29th September the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee received a report on the extensive and detailed examination of the draft accounts by our external auditors and as a result we are now able to publish final accounts with an audit certificate (final figures edition 30th September, final edition to follow).
The illustrated interactive final editions of the last two sets of accounts, with audit certificates, are available from this page. The smaller final figures files are more suitable for printing and for people with slower connections. Both these editions are by their nature very complex and wide-ranging, so in 2005 we introduced a new feature: the compact accounts have no formal legal standing, but by stripping out a lot of technicalities they give a clear if simplified view of our financial position.
The Accounts and Audit Regulations say that a council committee must consider the auditors' opinions on the accounts – the Annual Accounts Audit letters. The auditors also give a more strategic view of issues arising from their work for the year, including performance and governance matters, in the Audit and Inspection letter which appears on the Corporate Governance documents page.
In addition to your statutory rights, we welcome your feedback on whether the Statement of Accounts is clear, informative and useful. Please use the e-mail link on this page to send your comments or requests; we are particularly interested in hearing about whether you think the new compact edition strikes the right balance between simplicity and completeness.