External auditors give Telford & Wrekin Council best possible rating

Auditor KPMG is ‘anticipating’ giving the council an “unqualified” audit report and officials told a scrutiny committee that its budget is a “really positive place to be”.

The council’s audit committee was told that technical amendments to property and pension valuations have had no effect on the final budget for 2024-25.

Officials described the auditor’s rating for its £158 million revenue budget and its £87.2 million capital spend as “the best they can give”.

An official from KPMG told Wednesday’s (January 28) audit committee: “It is a really positive place to be, not a place that every local authority us in at the moment.”

KPMG has billed the council £357,287 for its services, a £10,000 increase on the previous year.

It also reported that it has identified “no risk of a significant weakness in the council’s arrangements to secure value for money".

It found the same for financial sustainability, governance, improving the economy, and efficiency and effectiveness.

Council officers in their report to the committee wrote that it also received an unqualified audit opinion for 2023-24.

“We also anticipate an unmodified audit report along with an unqualified audit opinion for the 2024/25 statement of accounts which is the best possible outcome, meaning the auditor has obtained sufficient evidence to support a view that the financial statements are materially accurate and fairly represent the audited body’s financial situation.”

Councillor Bill Tomlinson (Liberal Democrat group leader, Shawbirch & Dothill) said the council’s year-end report showed “how robust as a local authority we are”.

There was no Conservative councillor to take the one seat allocated to the group on the committee.

Councillor Giles Luter (Labour, Ercall) said it gave him and could give residents the confidence to know that the council is “ensuring that public funds are being handled appropriately”.