Welcome to Policy Review TV - to access more content or redeem your conference voucher.

Help
Home
The Future of Local Government Audit
03 Nov 2011
Westminster Studio, London SW1

Headline Speakers

Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has announced plans to disband the Audit Commission. The intention is to have new arrangements in place for auditing England's local public bodies by 2012/13. What will this mean for councils and accountability? What will it mean for local government audit? How will the landscape change? Sector leaders and audit experts at this conference explored best practice and provided vital solutions to those working within local government finance and audit.

Programme
09:50
Heather Jameson, Editor, The MJ
Welcome and introduction from conference chair

10:00
Michael O'Higgins Chairman, Audit Commission
Opening Keynote Address: the abolition of the audit and inspection regime - what next?

10:15
Terry Willows, Future of Local Audit, Policy Development and Programme Manager, Department for Communities and Local Government
Government guidance: feedback from the consultation

10:30
Trevor Smith, Regional Director, Quality Assurance, Professional Standards Department, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Regulating the future of local public audit

10:45
Panel Discussion: Session 1
How can value be secured from outsourcing audit functions? Featuring speakers from the first session

11:15
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
11:45
Clive Betts MP Chair of the Department for Communities and Local Government Select Committee
Keynote address: Findings from the Select Committee: the scope of audit, competition and standards

12:05
Tim Gilling, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for Public Scrutiny
Accountability and self-regulation: linking financial audit with wider “scrutiny” processes

12:25
Steve Freer, Chief Executive, CIPFA
Meeting the needs of local government: procuring external audit

12:45
Panel Discussion: Session 2
How can we ensure that the skills and experience of the current audit staff are not lost? How can councils’ offset some of the external audit costs by internal audit? Should central government facilitate external audit procurement by creating a select list? Speakers joined by Nigel Johnson, Lead Public Sector Audit Partner, Deloitte LLP

13:10
Buffet lunch, networking and exhibition
14:00
Tony Travers Director of Research at the Greater London Group, London School of Economics
Welcome and introduction by afternoon Chair

14:10
Michael Whitehouse Chief Operating Officer, National Audit Office
Afternoon Keynote

14:35
Panel Discussion: Session 3
Can the new proposed structure work? The session speakers are joined by Jon Roberts Public Sector Assurance Partner, Grant Thornton UK LLP

15:10
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
15:40
Discussion group 1: How might changing the extent and focus of audits impact on local government?
Ian Carruthers, Policy and Technical Director, CIPFA

15:40
Discussion Group 2 Eradicating duplicate payments
Geoff Bail, Director, BK Data limited

16:30
Close of Conference