Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR)
The Local Audit & Accountability Act 2014 and the Accounts & Audit Regulations 2015 set out the responsibilities of all local councils in respect of their accounting and auditing procedures.
Each year, the Council’s financial accounts and statements must be examined by an independent internal auditor appointed by the Council. For the year 2023-24 this was Mark Mulberry and Co.
The Council is also required to complete an Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) which includes the findings of the internal auditor, together with Governance Statements and Financial Statements. The AGAR is then submitted to the independent external auditor appointed by the Audit Commission for examination.
A summary of this year’s audit process is detailed below, together with copies of the relevant documents.
Year Ending 31st March 2024
The Council’s Financial Statements and Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) submission for the year-ending 31st March 2024 have been checked by Mark Mulberry and Co and subsequently approved by the Full Council at its meeting held on Thursday 20th June 2024.
The completed AGAR, together with the relevant supporting documentation, was submitted to the external auditor, PKF Littlejohn LLP who are required to complete their review by 30th September 2024.
Following this submission, Seaford Town Council are publishing the Notice of Public Rights & Publications of the Unaudited AGAR along with Sections 1 and 2 of the AGAR: Annual Governance Statements (Section 1) and Annual Statements (Section 2) together with the Summary of Your Rights stating that any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the accounting records for the 2023-24 Financial Year. This will run for a period of six weeks between Monday 1st July and Friday 9th August 2024. Any persons who wish to review the documentation is advised to contact the Responsible Finance Officer to make an appointment.
PKF Littlejohn are due to complete their audit of the AGAR for 2023-24 by 30th September 2024. The report will be published soon after with the audited AGAR being available for public access for a period of not less than 5 years from the date of publication stated above.
Previous returns dating back to 2014 can be found below:
*The name changed from the Annual Return to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) in 2017.
