LDA accounting risks 2012 legacy

LDA accounting risks 2012 legacy

Concerns raised over London Development Agency's ability to file its next accounts on time

London 2012 legacy at risk

The government agency charged with ensuring a legacy from the London Olympics
has major short and long-term financial management problems, raising doubts
about its ability to achieve its mission.

The stark warning comes after problems highlighted by the London Development
Agency’s (LDA) auditors, audit committee and its new finance director.

In the LDA’s audit, risk and performance committee meeting last week,
concerns were raised about its ability to file its next accounts on time, having
been criticised by the Audit Commission for the last two years for the poor
quality of its accounts.

It is struggling to reach the finishing line in time to close its books for
the March 2010 year-end accounts, is lacking technical accounting ability, and
needs deeper financial understanding embedded within its business, according to
new FD Ian Grattidge.

“Getting people across the organisation… This is critical, otherwise
the central [finance] team will chase its tail.
“I want to see financially literate people across the business,” said Grattidge.

Committee members warned that previous promises by the LDA’s finance function
to improve its accounting procedures produced little headway in the last year.

“We’ve only got a couple of months to get on top of this,” committee chairman
Ian Barlow told Grattidge.

The new finance director told the committee that the finance function would
be able to make “substantial improvement” in some areas, particularly around the
year-end processes.

However, committee member Ann Humphries responded: “If you sense suspicion
it’s because we were here a year before.”

Tory shadow minister for sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson, said of the
financial management problems at the LDA: “I do think the legacy has been put at
risk.”

The Olympic Park Legacy Company, headed by chief executive Andrew Altman and
Labour peer Baroness Ford, was formed last year to handle the long-term
management of the park – a move that had taken some of the games’ legacy
responsibilities from the LDA.

“[Some of the legacy] has moved on to the new body. It’s a good thing that
this has been taken away,” Robertson said.

Tom Brake, Lib Dem shadow minister of London and the Olympics, urged the LDA,
as an important body in the games’ legacy, to better manage its finances.

“The LDA is a major player. I want assurances that the new FD will be able to
put the house in order. We don’t want the legacy jeopardised as a result of an
inability of the LDA to control its finances,” said Brake.

The LDA’s ongoing issues were initially highlighted last year when a
root-and-branch review by new management, and further investigations by KPMG,
found a £160m overspend in its finances for procuring land for the Olympics.

It immediately took action to improve the quality of its data, introduced a
finance function forum to review the work of those in the department, plus peer
reviews of its financial performance against other bodies. The Audit Commission
has also noted recent improvements.

A spokesman for the LDA strongly refuted the possibility of the LDA putting
the games’ legacy at risk.

“There are internal issues to make sure finance gets its structures [in
place], but the legacy isn’t in doubt,” said the spokesman.

“We’re setting things up for a stronger focus on legacy.”

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource