NAO to consult on draft code of practice for local public audit

摘要

Spending watchdog the National Audit Office has launched a consultation on the code of practice for localised audit arrangements. Formal moves to canvass opinion follow on from the 2010 decision by communities secretary Eric Pickles to disband the Audit Commission - a move he has since claimed could save the public purse £1.2bn over a decade. Under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, control over preparing and updating the code of practice for local audit - which sets out the framework for local auditors - has transferred to the head of the National Audit Office, Sir Amyas Morse. The NAO will not itself appoint auditors, a statutory function which has been transferred from the Commission to a private company set up under the aegis of the Local Government Association (LGA). But the remit of the code, which is scheduled - subject to Parliamentary approval - to take effect from next April, will also embrace the inspection of NHS foundation trusts.