The audit commission has reported that Bromsgrove district council still has unsatisfactory arrangements for its corporate governance, following a reinspection of the council's practices. The commission said it does not have a clear focus on what is important to local people, overall priorities are unclear, and corporate planning is not aligned to financial planning.
The culture among senior management was also of concern, with too much central control of decisions inhibiting innovation. The report did, however, recognise that senior members were more open to recognising weaknesses.
In other audit news the finance director of Philips Electronics, Jan Hommen, is to chair the audit committee at Dutch retailer Ahold. The appointment of Hommen, who is already a member of the group’s supervisory board, is the latest in a series of management changes after the discovery of gaps in the company’s accounts totalling up to £525m. The third-largest retail group in the world, Ahold is already the subject of a criminal investigation by Dutch police.
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