We’re here to Assure, Explain and Inspire.
The Auditor General is the statutory external auditor of most of the Welsh public sector.
Our key strength is our wide range of skills and knowledge that has arisen from our position as the the statutory external auditor
See our current and previous consultations
This section sets out how you may request information from us and provides some direct links to information of wider public interest.
Governance and oversight at Audit Wales
Our accounts are audited by an independent firm appointed by the Welsh Parliament.
Our Executive Leadership Team is responsible for directing the organisation
The Auditor General is responsible for auditing most of the public money spent in Wales.
Audit Services has a reach of over 800 public bodies across Wales covering financial and performance audit
Our programme of shared learning events focusses on topics that are common across public services
Having a strategic, dynamic and high quality audit programme is a key focus of our strategy
The NFI matches data across organisations and systems to help public bodies identify fraud and overpayments.
We work with others from across the Welsh public sector and beyond
See our latest news, blogs, events and more
Find out the latest news
See our blogs on many different topics
Access our data tools and useful data sources
View our videos on our YouTube channel
Our events bring together individuals from across the Welsh public sector
Access all the resources from our shared learning events
We have installed ReadSpeaker’s webReader, which allows visitors to instantly convert online content to audio on our website.
Click on the icon above to try this out, and take advantage of the full range of useful webReader features by clicking the link below.
Readspeaker website
This accessibility statement applies to www.audit.wales. This website is run by Audit Wales. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.
View accessibility statement
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:
info@audit.wales
Unlawful expenditure and inadequate governance arrangements found at St Harmon, Magor with Undy, Llanmpumsaint and Sully Lavernock Community Councils in Wales
Significant breakdowns in financial management and internal governance arrangements at four councils resulting in unlawful expenditure at one of the councils, of over £86,000, and increased costs for audit, according to reports in the public interest issued today by the Auditor General for Wales.
There are systemic weaknesses in governance and internal control at St Harmon Community Council. Our audit found that the Council had acted unlawfully when appointing its Clerk/RFO, co-opting members, awarding grants and contracting for the supply of services. We also noted that the Council has failed to comply with various legislative requirements including those related to the preparation, approval and submission for the audit of its annual accounts.
During 2018, broken relationships within the Magor with Undy Community Council adversely affected how it conducted its business, in areas of decision making, financial management and internal control. The Council failed to follow its own internal procurement services rules resulting in unlawful expenditure of over £62,793, and its processes for the appointment of staff are poor incurring an unlawful expenditure of £22,337.
Notwithstanding that the requirements for the annual accounts and audit are the same for all community councils across Wales, Llanpumsaint Community Council has failed to submit annual accounts for audit. This non-compliance includes the refusal of the Council’s Clerk to discharge his responsibilities and his obstruction of the audit process. Consequently, the cost of the audit has increased significantly.
Sully and Lavernock Community Council has a long-standing history of conflict between members and appears to have become dysfunctional. During 2018-19, the Council failed to take sufficient steps to satisfy itself that its governance arrangements are effective.
The reports make a number of recommendations to the councils, including the review of:
Significant deficiencies in governance, financial management, audit transparency and inadequate arrangements to secure value for money are just some of the matters at four community councils that I’ve found. These issues highlight serious weaknesses in the Community Councils, undermines public trust and has led to a waste of public money. I call on all Town and Community councils to take heed and learn from the important lessons within these reports so that communities in Wales get the services and the assurance they rightly deserve.