Agenda Item No. 18

Briefing note for Audit Committee

Use of Resources Financial Reporting - information requested at a previous meeting

Three councils scored 4 in the 2005/06 assessment. These were Worcestershire City Council, St Helens Council and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Worcestershire City Council produced an Annual Report for the first time in 2006. This replaced their Best Value Performance Plan and is seen to be a more accessible and user friendly document. Worcestershire also produce a four page Summary of Accounts (also incorporated into the Annual Report) and a summary of the Financial Statements designed specifically for elected members. All documents are available on the Council's web site.

St Helens Council also produce a glossy Annual Report incorporating a Summary of Accounts, which is also published separately. For 2006/07 the Best Value Performance Plan remained a separate document. All documents are available on the Council's web site.

In 2005/06 the East Riding of Yorkshire did not publish an Annual Report. A Summary of Accounts is published on their web site (by following an “Annual Report” link.) This is a two page summary of the Council's year end financial position also published in the East Riding News. East Riding maintain that this, along with their Council Business Plan 2005 - 2008 which also incorporates their Best Value Performance Plan, contains all the information usually found in an Annual Report. Both documents are available on the Council's web site.

BCC has chosen not to produce an Annual Report. Following consideration of “best practice” examples from other authorities, a Summary of Accounts was produced in 2005/06. This is on the Council's web site and is clearly linked to the Annual Performance Plan. The Summary of Accounts for 2006/07 will also be published in the Bristol News.

Director of Central Support Services