Join us, and Guy Clifton from the auditor Grant Thornton, to share views and experiences on financial scrutiny – and to hear from Guy about the lessons for scrutiny that can be learned from recent experiences of councils being under financial pressure and stress, as revealed through “public interest reports” which auditors draft when they have significant concerns about a council’s financial position.

Now is the time of year when minds will be turning to the scrutiny of the budget for 2023/24. Plans and proposals will be under development and, in October, November or December, set-piece scrutiny events will be planned to work through savings, and growth, proposals – and expectations of income and expenditure in general for the next financial year.

It’s also a time of year when – as we are just over halfway through – there’s an opportunity to reflect on ongoing financial performance. Are we spending what we expected? How are inflationary pressures hitting the bottom line? Ultimately, what is the impact of all of this on our residents? How do we work with the council’s audit committee to keep these issues visible?

This session will help you to tackle these, and other, issues.