Annual report and statement of accounts

Middlesbrough Council
Audit of accounts year ended 31 March 2020

Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, sections 25 to 27
Accounts and Audit (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulations 14 & 15

The Council’s accounts are subject to external audit by Ernst & Young LLP of City Gate, St. James’ Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JD. Members of the public and local government electors have certain rights in the audit process:

1. From Monday 27 July 2020 to Monday 7 September 2020 between 9am and 4pm, any persons interested may inspect the accounts of the Council for the year ended 31 March 2020 and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records at the address given below.

Please inform the Council of your intention to exercise your rights by emailing statementofaccounts@middlesbrough.gov.uk. The unaudited accounts, which include the Narrative Report and the Annual Governance Statement, are available to view below.

This is a departure from normal practice in which the unaudited accounts are published on 31 May each year. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, changed the reporting dates from 31 May 2020 to 31 August 2020. However, Middlesbrough Council has elected to publish the unaudited accounts earlier than the statutory timescales.

2. From Monday 27 July 2020 to Monday 7 September 2020, a local government elector for any area to which the accounts relate, or any representative of the elector, has the opportunity to question the auditor about the accounting records. The auditor can be contacted at the address given above.

3. From Monday 27 July 2020 to Monday 7 September 2020, a local government elector for an area to which the accounts relate, may make an objection to the local auditor concerning a matter in respect of which:

the auditor could make a public interest report or
if the auditor considers an item of account is contrary to the law, the auditor may under section 28 of the Act, apply to the court for a declaration to that effect.

The objection must be made in writing to the auditor and copied to me at the address below.

Dated: 13 July 2020

Ian Wright
Director of Finance
Middlesbrough Council,
3rd Floor,
Civic Centre,
Middlesbrough,
TS1 9FT