Audit Commission

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For the Hong Kong agency of the same name, see Audit Commission (Hong Kong).
Audit Commission
Audit Commission Logo.png
Logo of the Audit Commission
Agency overview
Formed 1 April 1983
Headquarters 1st Floor Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4HQ
Employees 2000
Annual budget £213m (2009-10)[1]
Website
www.audit-commission.gov.uk

The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom. The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money studies.

On 13 August 2010, it was leaked to the media, ahead of an official announcement, that the Commission is to be scrapped, with its functions being transferred to the voluntary, not-for-profit or private sector.[2] In 2009-10 the Commission cost the central government £28m to run, with the remainder of its income coming from audit fees charged to local public bodies.

Contents

[edit] History

The Audit Commission was established under the Local Government Finance Act 1982, to appoint auditors to all local authorities in England and Wales and it became operational on 1 April 1983.[3] The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 extended the remit of the Commission to cover health service bodies. Legislation covering the Commission’s activities was consolidated into the Audit Commission Act 1998. In 1985-86 the commission led the investigation of the rate-capping rebellion which resulted in 32 Lambeth councillors and 47 Liverpool councillors being surcharged and banned from office.

The Commission gained responsibility for auditing the National Health Service in 1990, and fire and rescue services in 2004.[2] In 1996 the Commission began joint reviews of social services (with the Social Services Inspectorate of the Department of Health), and in 1997, reviews of local education authorities (LEAs) jointly with OFSTED.[4]

On 1 April 2005 the Commission's remit in Wales transferred to the Auditor General for Wales.

[edit] Westminster Council 'homes-for-votes'

The gerrymandering scandal at Westminster Council was uncovered by the Audit Commission's District Auditor, John Magill, who found that between 1987 and 1989, council houses were sold at below market value to families likely to vote Conservative.[5]

Mr Magill found the former leader of the council, Dame Shirley Porter and five other council officials 'jointly and severally' liable for repaying £36.1 million to the council.[6] Mr Magill's verdict was upheld in the House of Lords in 2001.[7] Dame Shirley Porter eventually settled in 2004, paying £12.3 million to Westminster Council.[8]

[edit] National Fraud Initiative

Since 1996 the Audit Commission has run the National Fraud Initiative,[9] a UK-wide anti-fraud programme. Between 1996 and 2009 it traced £664m in fraud, including £215m in 2008-9, as more councils provided data.[10]

[edit] Closure

On 13 August 2010, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, announced that the Commission is to be scrapped, with its functions being transferred to the voluntary, not-for-profit or private sector.[2] The government aims to save £50m annually, with the Commission's function transferred to local council ombudsmen and private accounting firms.[2] Options for the future include forming a mutual organisation for local authority audit and a new consultancy for housing inspection.[11] Accounting body ACCA expressed doubt that the private sector would match the commission’s experience and consistency.[12]

The Financial Reporting Council suggested to a House of Lords committee that Government should not sell the Audit Commission's practice to any of the Big Four auditors, otherwise their dominance of the audit market would be further enhanced.[13]

[edit] Function

  • Audit: Auditors appointed by the Audit Commission are responsible for auditing local government in England, National Health Service Trusts and other local agencies in England, covering local government, health, housing, fire and rescue and community safety.
  • Assessment: The Commission produces performance assessments for councils, fire and rescue services, and housing organisations. In July 2009, they launched a new Comprehensive Area Assessment- a new way to assess local public services.
  • Research: The Audit Commission publish studies which analyse and comment upon wide ranging social and financial issues in the UK.
  • Data-matching: The National Fraud Initiative compares data from a wide range of sources (including data from UKBA, Local Government, Central Government Departments and the NHS) to help the participating organisations discover cases of fraud, overpayment and error.

The Audit Commission works in partnership with, but operates independently of, a number of Government Departments including the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Home Office, and the Department of Health.

[edit] Funding

Between 1983 and 1998 the Commission was self-funding, operating purely on income from audit fees. In 1998 the central government began providing grants to the Commission due to its new responsibilities under "Best Value" legislation, and for the cost of setting up the Best Value and Housing Inspectorates.[4]

In 2009-10 the Commission had operating income of £213.1m. 86% of this came from fees charged to bodies audited; just 13% (£28.0m) came from central government grants.[1] Around 70% of the Commission's income in 2009-10 came from the local government sector, with the remainder coming from the health sector.[1] Before the Coalition government announced further cuts, the Commission had planned to cut spending by £32.1m by March 2013.[1]

Thirty percent of the Commission's audits are carried out by five private audit firms.[1]

[edit] Structure

[edit] Chairman and commissioners

The governing board of the Audit Commission is made up of Commissioners appointed by the Department of Communities and Local Government. Since October 2006 their chairman has been Michael O'Higgins, who had for 10 years previously been managing partner of PA Consulting.

[edit] Chief Executive

The Chief Executive of the Audit Commission is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation. The Commission is in the process of selecting a new Chief Executive following the departure of Steve Bundred (now of Monitor) in March 2010. He has been succeeded on an interim basis by Eugene Sullivan, managing director of corporate services at the Commission.[14]

Previous Heads have included Sir John Banham (later of the CBI), Sir Howard Davies (later of the CBI), Bank of England, FSA (Financial Services Authority) and LSE (London School of Economics), and Sir Andrew Foster.

[edit] Criticism and controversy

  • The Commission has been criticised for its methods, particularly how it rates councils and health organisations. Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable described the process organisations go through to earn stars as "disrespectful and utterly perverse".[15]
  • Management consultant John Seddon called for the Commission to be scrapped,[16] which led to what The Times described as a "caustic personal attack" on Seddon from the Commission.[17]
  • In 2009, the Commission caused controversy when it published a report[18] into the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis which accused seven local authorities of acting negligently by depositing £33 million into Icelandic banks a few days before they collapsed in October 2008.[19] The Audit Commission had already stated that it too had deposited £10 million in Icelandic banks in the months leading up to the collapse.[20]
  • In 2010, Eric Pickles and Bob Neill accused the Commission of "shocking excess" in its expenditure, such as hiring external venues for staff training. Michael O'Higgins, the Commission's chairman, defended the expenditure on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.[21]
  • One of the features of the criticism of the Audit Commission has been an apparent campaign carried out in the press. On 3 November, newspapers carried articles about alleged extravagant spending by the Audit Commission, after its abolition was announced.[22]
  • One of the enduring myths promulgated in the press is that the Audit Commission sent staff on a "jolly" to the races whereas the reason for the event was to provide guidance to local government finance officers on issues that might arise during audit. Indeed a key aim was to reduce audit costs. It is, in fact, common practice for public sector bodies to make use of conference facilities at sporting venues when no sporting events are taking place as these often provide excellent value for money compared to city centre locations.[23]
  • The claims in the press had already been refuted by the Chair of the Audit Commission in the same paper months earlier.[24]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Audit Commission (2010), Annual Report and Accounts 2009-10, pp17-19
  2. ^ a b c d "Audit Commission to be scrapped". BBC News. 13 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-10970008. Retrieved 13 August 2010. 
  3. ^ Annual report and accounts 2008/09 Audit Commission. 16 July 2009
  4. ^ a b Kelly, Josie (2003), "The Audit Commission guiding, steering and regulating local government", Public Administration 81 (3), pp. 459-476, p466
  5. ^ Fresh controversy over 'homes for votes' scandal The Guardian. 8 February 2002
  6. ^ Q&A: Dame Shirley's downfall BBC news. 24 April 2004
  7. ^ Dame Shirley Porter back in Westminster The Guardian. 7 August 2006
  8. ^ Porter pays £12.3m in homes for votes case The Telegraph. 6 July 2004
  9. ^ Audit Commission, National Fraud Initiative
  10. ^ The Guardian, 20 May 2010, Fraud crackdown saves £215m in UK
  11. ^ Shocked inspectors mount rescue mission, Inside Housing, 20 August 2010
  12. ^ Landlords seek answers, Inside Housing, 20 August 2010
  13. ^ Mario Christodoulou, PwC slates FRC idea to create Big Five, Accountancy Age, 22 Oct 2010
  14. ^ Holding the fort: Sullivan steps into Bundred's shoes Public Finance. 8 April 2010
  15. ^ Vince Cable: concerned NHS 'going against' joint working with local government Health Service Journal. 2 July 2009
  16. ^ Cut the Audit Commission, not public services Local Government Chronicle. 16 July 2009
  17. ^ ‘New way’ thinker John Seddon aims at council targets The Times. 31 July 2009
  18. ^ Risk and return: English local authorities and the Icelandic banks Audit Commission. 23 March 2009
  19. ^ Councils were negligent in making Icelandic deposits, rules watchdog The Guardian. 26 March 2009
  20. ^ Government watchdog invested £10m in Iceland The Guardian. 16 October 2008
  21. ^ Audit Commission chief hits back at government claims of excessive spending, Guardian, 23 August 2010
  22. ^ Beckford, Martin (3 November 2010). "Audit Commission spent �5,000 on lavish dinner after abolition announced". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8105920/Audit-Commission-spent-5000-on-lavish-dinner-after-abolition-announced.html. 
  23. ^ Doughty, Steve (3 November 2010). "Spending watchdog ran up £4.8m bill for hotels and used taxpayers' cash to fund gay rights workshop for staff". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326010/Public-spending-watchdog-ran-4-8m-hotel-bill.html. 
  24. ^ "Boss of axed Audit Commission hits back over profligacy claims". Daily Mail (London). 23 August 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1305367/Boss-axed-Audit-Commission-hits-profligacy-claims.html. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Roper, I., Higgins, P., James, P. (2007), "Shaping the bargaining agenda. The Audit Commission and public service reform in British local government", International Journal of Human Resource Management 18 (9), pp. 1589–1607
  • Kelly, J. (2003), "The Audit Commission guiding, steering and regulating local government", Public Administration 81 (3), pp. 459–476
  • Humphrey, J.C. (2002), "A scientific approach to politics? On the trail of the Audit Commission", Critical Perspectives on Accounting 13 (1), pp. 39–62
  • Boyne, G. (1997), "Comparing the performance of local authorities: An evaluation of the audit commission indicators", Local Government Studies 23 (4), pp. 17–43

[edit] External links

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