Some inaccurate information has been circulating about the council’s accounts and we’d like to clarify the issue.
It is untrue that the council’s accounts were not signed off because of concerns about the Governance and Audit Committee’s ability to properly scrutinise spending. In fact, the council’s independent auditors gave a positive judgement on councillors on the Governance and Audit Committee.
While previously reporting a risk that committee members may not be able to hold management to account, the external auditor (KMPG) confirmed their view that this risk had been effectively mitigated and they had nothing adverse to report.
We can confirm that the council’s accounts for 2022 to 2023 were not signed off because of a well-documented national issue. There has been a complete breakdown in the external audit system for local government, which has impacted the majority of councils across the country, not just Bracknell Forest. You can find more information on GOV.UK - Local audit reform.