Local Audit Reform

Published On: 17th June 2026

In December 2025 a policy paper on Local Audit Reform was published following a significant backlog of outstanding unaudited local authority accounts. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill established the Local Audit Office (LAO) to oversee and improve the system requiring local public bodies to publish independently audited accounts on time annually.

Bill Butler has been announced as preferred candidate for chair of the Local Audit Office, subject to a Parliamentary hearing.

A new consultation on preventing financial mismanagement in local government runs from May 28 to August 6.

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