Top Performance

In its Annual Audit and Inspection letter to the Amber Valley Borough Council, the Audit Commission has commended the Council on its improvement to services during the last year. It states that Amber Valley Borough Council is outperforming other local authorities, has improved all its key services, and is delivering value for money.

The report provides an overall summary of the Audit Commissions assessment of the Council. It draws on the findings and conclusions from the audit of the Council and from any inspections undertaken in the last year. The letter includes a review of how well the Council has progressed and the auditor’s assessment of how well the Council has managed its finances.

The main messages of the report are:

• The Council has improved its performance as measured by national performance indicators, compared with other councils.

• The Council has improved services in all its priority areas.

• The Council performs well and has improved the delivery of Value for Money.

The District Auditor will present the letter to the Full Council meeting to be held on Wednesday, 11 April 2007.

Ends

News release issued by the Council’s Policy and Change Unit (01773 841655)

Note to Editors

External audit is an essential element in the process of accountability for public money and makes an important contribution to the stewardship of public resources and the corporate governance of public services.

Audit in the public sector is underpinned by three fundamental principles:

• auditors are appointed independently from the bodies being audited;

• the scope of auditors' work is extended to cover not only the audit of financial statements but also value for money and the conduct of public business; and

• auditors may report aspects of their work widely to the public and other key stakeholders.

Link to Annual Audit and Inspection Letter