Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 13
69th Report - Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24
Published 4 Mar 2026
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We challenged MHCLG on progress in addressing the local audit backlog.22 MHCLG explained that the statutory backstop is operating as intended and that rising audit fees are bringing more money into the system – fees are up 150% on the last procurement that the public sector audit authority has done.23 It noted that accounts have already been simplified for 2025–26, with further simplifications planned by CIPFA for 2026–27. MHCLG also highlighted that forthcoming legislation would remove the requirement for accounts to be signed off by a key audit partner—a role held by only around 100 people nationwide—which it argued has contributed to the backlog, and said that removing this requirement should help reduce delays.24
From: Public Accounts Committee, 69th Report - Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24 (HC 1243), 4 March 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 1 June 2026 (deadline 4 May 2026).