EAST DORSET DISTRICT COUNCIL - INSPECTING THE ACCOUNTS 2013/14

EAST DORSET DISTRICT COUNCIL
INSPECTING THE ACCOUNTS 2013/14
Audit Commission Act 1998, Sections 15 - 16 Accounts and Audit (England) Regulations 2011, Regs 9, 10, 21, 22 & 24
The Council's accounts for the year ending 31 March 2014 will be placed on deposit from 7th July to 1st August 2014 to allow any persons the opportunity to exercise their rights to examine the Council's financial performance for the year. Any persons interested may inspect the accounts to be audited and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them and make copies of all or any part of the accounts and those other documents. You do not have the right to inspect and copy documents that contain personal information about a member of staff as these are confidential. The accounts will be on deposit at the Council Offices in Furzehill, Wimborne, BH21 4HN and will be available between the hours of 8.45am and 4.45pm.
The Council's auditor is Grant Thornton UK LLP, Hartwell House, 55-61 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6FT. The engagement lead for the audit is Peter Barber.
People who are entitled to vote in local council elections for the area may ask the auditor questions about the accounts. Questions may be asked of the auditor from 9am on Monday 4th August 2014. Please contact the auditor at the address given above to make arrangements to ask any questions.
Your right to ask the auditor questions is limited. You have the right to ask questions about the accounts, but you cannot ask questions about the Council's policies, finances or procedures that are not about the accounts. Your questions should be about facts and not opinions. The auditor must also work independently, so you cannot ask him questions about how he is carrying out, or has carried out, his work.
If you are entitled to vote in local council elections for the area you may object to the accounts if you think that an item in the accounts is unlawful. The auditor can apply to the High Court to confirm that an item in the accounts is unlawful. If the High Court agrees then the Council will have to rectify the position. In reaching a decision whether to apply to the courts the auditor will take account of a number of factors, including cost. Written notice of a proposed objection and the grounds on which it is made must be sent to the auditor at the address given above and a copy sent to the Council Offices.
You can also ask the auditor to make a report in the public interest on a matter that you think the Council should consider or tell the public about. A report in the public interest will only be made where the auditor considers the matter to be sufficiently important to be brought to the notice of the Council or the public. However, it is not the function of the auditor to express an opinion as to the wisdom of particular decisions taken by the Council in the lawful exercise of its discretion.
You can find more information on the Council's website at www.dorsetforyou.com