Governance and Accountability for Local Councils - Practitioners' Guide 2014

A revised edition of the Practitioners' Guide is now available on line on both the NALC and SLCC websites.

This edition supersedes the 2010 edition. It should be regarded as proper practices for local council accounting statements relating to accounting periods beginning on or after 1st April 2014. 

The main changes:

• are consequential to the repeal of Sec. 150 (5), Local Government Act 1972 and the issue of 'safeguarding public money' guidance
• update guidance on investments
• reflect changes to guidance to auditors by the Audit Commission
• reflect necessary changes to the Annual Return
• introduce the 'declaration of no accounts' to assist smaller bodies with no financial transactions
• update references to statute and links to key documents.

A major review of how future guidance will be delivered in future is currently underway, anticipating the closure of the Audit Commission in March 2015 and the subsequent full transfer of the Joint Practitioners' Advisory Groups functions to the sector. JPAG (Chairman Steve Parkinson townclerk@alton.gov.uk) would appreciate practitioners views.