Written evidence submitted by Mrs J Kissel
1. The Audit Commission should be fit for purpose
but because of restrictions and method of delegation it is not.
It has expertise.
2. £500,000 million of tax payer's money is
demanded annually by Parish and Town Councils (parish councils)
which cannot be questioned by District Councils who must tax and
collect the sum demanded and pass on to Parish councils as the
Precept.
3. I am an elector who did scrutinise Parish Council
accounts and who was successful after many years of objections
in the publication on the Chipping Campden Town Council on 14
March 2007 of REPORT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST UNDER SECTION 8 OF
THE AUDIT COMMISSION ACT 1998 ON DEFICIENCIES IN THE FINANCIAL
GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE COUNCIL. (see Audit Commission
website).
4. RESTRICTIONS
4(i) Can only make "recommendations".
No enforcement powers.
4(ii) Too often Council and clerk seem to do
their utmost by delay or intimidaten to avoid scrutiny by electors
and the Audit Commission has no power to step in early leaving
an elector on his own.
5. DELEGATION
5(i) The private commercial accounting firms
under contract to Audit Commission oversight is too lax;
5(ii) Private commercial accounting firms prefer
to rubber stamp.
5(iii) Private commercial accounting firms are
not keen to scrutinise unless pushed i.e. by an objection
5(iv) Private commercial accounting firms rely
too heavily on clerk and councillors of the Parish Council for
response without investigating themselves.
6. CONCLUSION/SUGGESTION
6(i) Proper scrutiny of the spending of £500
million by 70,000 councillors is required
6(ii) Safeguarding taxpayer's money cannot be
undertaken without the power to enforce.
6(iii) Electors should not have to stand up
in place of the auditor.
6(iv) Private commercial accountancy firms are
not the answer.
6(v) MP's expenses have been resolved. Perhaps
similar steps could be utilised and duplicated for councillors
spending or an all party investigation of the underlying council
procedures in order to clarify the rules required to be administered
by the Audit Commission to safe guard tax payers money.
Mrs J Kissel
January 2011
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