Governance and accountability 'weak' in public audit
Heads of local government audit said public audit committees are weak at accountability and good governance
LOCAL GOVERNMENT audit committees are weak in terms of public accountability and promoting good governance, a new survey has found.
Public finance institute CIPFA questioned heads of local government audit and found their confidence was lacking in these areas, with only 15% describing their public accountability as “very effective”.
This compares to more than 50% who said they perform strongly in supporting internal and external audit processes.
CIPFA said the survey shows that committees should focus on developing interactions with partner organisations as well as good governance leadership and public accountability.
Assistant director Paul Mason said it “highlights those areas where audit committees are performing well, as well as those areas where improvement is needed”.
The institute is holding its 2011 audit conference, ‘Audit in a new era of change’, in Brighton on 11 and 12 May.