Middlewich, lessons to learn for other burial authorities The Middlewich Cemetery case is a significant example of why burial authorities must maintain strong governance, statutory compliance, and transparent audit processes. When Safia Kauser joined Middlewich Town Council in July 2024 as Locum Town Clerk & RFO, the cemetery had already been separated from…
What is wrong with Internal Audit in 2026? Let us start with the name. Most will either cringe or descend into fear just on hearing the term audit. And with some justification. I recall working for US multinationals when the announcement of an IA visit was an 80/20 career ending call. And of course, audit is just the description of our work method. It is not the output of the…
Yesterday (Tuesday 3rd February) 18 members of the IAF gathered in a room and 18 more watched online as we discussed ideas plans and options for the IAF going forwards PIALC – Turning Principles into Practice Mentoring and subcontracting Training and CPD How to help new members of the IAF feel more involved and able…
IAF NALC Blog No 5-1The IAF has lots on its plate for 2024 – read about our work here
Hello, I’m Tim Light, Chairman and Convenor of the Internal Auditors Forum, with 20 years of experience in auditing hundreds of parish councils. My journey in this field has not only been about enhancing the efficiency of financial management in local government but also about fostering a community of excellence through the Internal Audit…
In the November 2023 Cabinet Reshuffle, Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset was appointed the minister for local Government. Simon is a former Parish and District Councillor It is hoped that he will work with stakeholders including the IAF to bring forward much needed improvements https://members.parliament.uk/member/4494/contact
As part of the update of the model Financial Regulations, NALC are running another online consultation session. Internal Auditors are welcome to listen in and get an even better understanding of the issues around the document and the understanding of Clerks about the whole Governance framework. Free tickets are here https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-events/online-events
Due to a diary clash, the full meeting of the Internal Audit meeting will now be held on Zoom on 20th October (rather than at the end of September) All members are welcome to join in to listen or just to enjoy listening to 40 other people who care about Parish Internal Audit swap ideas.…
The current Model Financial regulations are getting rather long in the tooth. JPAG have commissioned Steve Parkinson – nationally recognised VAT expert to coordinate the rewrite. It will be done in a similar manner to the PG updates that the IAF grew around Please take the time to give your feedback https://www.nalc.gov.uk/news/entry/2612-nalc-launches-consultation-to-update-the-model-financial-regulations
A new post, “Future Councils: We’re gathering feedback from the sector” has just been published on the DLUHC Digital blog. In this blog post, we share an update on the progress of our Future Councils pilot and invite the sector to feed back on what we’ve learnt. Read the new post: https://dluhcdigital.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/07/future-councils-gathering-feedback-from-the-sector/
Essential reading for those who want to understand the national picture for Parish Audits https://saaa.co.uk/comms/Report_on_results_of_auditors_work_2021-22.pdf
IAF member Safia Kauser of Internal Audit Yorkshire had to resort to court action to be paid for work carried out. Her press release is here. Press Statement from Internal Audit Yorkshire
The IAF team have met with representatives of the IIA and been invited to give feedback on the new rules consultation. Have your say here https://www.iia.org.uk/resources/technical-blog/new-standards-the-ippf-evolution-2023/
https://internalauditforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IAF-Partnership-StatementI.pdf
For auditors – the interim visits at large councils are starting and diary planning for small councils is underway For CALCs – training and supporting councils as they start to prepare budgets in a very uncertain economic climate For Councils – making contact with their Internal Auditor to make sure that they are on the…
Last year the Internal Audit Forum (IAF) — at that time comprised about 30 of us from across England and Wales — revamped section four of the Practitioners’ Guide to make it more usable for all internal auditors. In late 2021, JPAG asked the forum (which now numbers nearly 50 of us) to have a…
Summer holidays are coming close, and the external auditors are getting through even the most complicated AGAR forms. Internal auditors are planning their calendars for the 2021/22 season. Clerks are getting set up for the start of budget setting and face-to-face meetings. And in the middle of all that, an essential consultation about the future of Local…
At this time of year, every clerk is focused on getting their internal audit done and convening a full council meeting at which the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) will be signed. Still, with the right advice, an internal audit is a year-round, positive process. Local (parish and town) councils have been required to…