|
|
15 Jul 2011
THOUSANDS OF POUNDS of Audit Commission chiefs' expenses went unpublished due to a policy that only allowed for out-of-pocket expenditure such as coffee to be made public.
A Freedom of Information request by Accountancy Age revealed that almost £20,000 was spent on travel and subsistence by the chief executive, chairman and head of audit between October 2009 and March 2010, yet just £2,350 was published on the body's expenses page.
Further reading
The public auditors have now decided to change the system, saying that, following a recent review, "the commission's management team agreed that the 'hospitality and expenses' pages will now include all centrally purchased travel and accommodation costs".
Cabinet Office guidance for civil servants' outgoings said published expenses "should include all expenditure incurred under each category irrespective of method of payment".
The Audit Commission was earmarked for closure in August 2010 after the minister for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, accused them of wasteful spending.
You may also like
Search thousands of financial jobs:
Search thousands of financial jobs:
Careers
Search for jobs
Click to search our database of all the latest accountancy roles
Create a profile
Click to set up your profile and let the best recruiters find you
Jobs by email
Sign up to receive regular updates with the latest roles suitable for you
Briefings
By looking at the reasons supplier statements became unfashionable, and the reasons why it is different today, this paper delves into the many benefits that can be obtained by automating the process.
Having a real and true view of your organisation’s current financial position, and having the right systems and processes in place, will ensure that you can make strong choices and are ready to capitalise on opportunities
AccountancyAgeInsight is a frequently updated resource centre for finance professionals, offering a free and easy-to-use digital library of briefings, white papers and other information resources. 
Visitor comments Add your comment
Audit Commission
Your article on the missing Audit Commission expenses does not surprise me. Following my study into the effectiveness of the Audit Commission in “protecting the public purse (their slogan) at the lowest level of local authorities covering parish and town councils, they have proved to be totally useless. They appoint local accountants (who may not even be qualified or even accountants) and abdicate any responsibility. The sooner they are closed to save public money the better. However this should not be a licence to give the business to large accounting practices.
Posted by: Roger Lewis, 18 Jul 2011 | 14:30
Parishes : Audit Commission
Roger Lewis is quite incorrect to say that the Audit Commission appoint local accountants who may not be qualified.
The AC appoint firms as external auditors to Parishes (BDO and Mazars might not like being accused of not being accountants)
Parishes themselves appoint Internal Auditors - governed by the White File, LGA1972, the purple book and Charles Arnold Baker.
If you have an issue with how that legislation was written, take it up with the staff members who will be moving across to the National Audit Office - THEY will not lose their jobs or expense accounts.
Posted by: Eleanor, 19 Jul 2011 | 12:40