SLCC News & Events

Changes to the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations

Published 1st July 2010

In March 2010, the Welsh Assembly Government made changes to the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations 2005. These changes will affect how the annual accounts and audit process is carried out. One Voice Wales and SLCC have published an addendum to the Practitioners’ Guide to help councils to meet the new requirements of the Regulations.

The key changes for councils for the 2009-10 accounts are:

• The responsible financial officer (RFO) must certify the accounts by 30 September 2010 before the annual return is sent to the external auditor;
• At the end of the audit, the auditor will send the council a report setting out the findings and conclusions from the audit;
• The RFO must then re-certify the accounts before submitting the annual return to the council for approval;
• The council must then approve the annual return by 31 December but only after it has received the auditor’s report and the accounts have been re-certified by the RFO.

A copy of the Practitioners’ Guide addendum can be found here. Councils should ensure that they understand and comply with the new requirements. If you have any questions, please contact One Voice Wales or SLCC.