Why it matters: The audit, which reviews how the council manages income from its housing stock, is a mandatory requirement that must be completed by December 2024.
The big picture: The decision to appoint Grant Thornton was made through an officer decision on 20 November.
Key details:
The contract is worth £10,000.
Grant Thornton will review the council's housing pooled capital receipts return for 2023/24.
The firm has previously provided this service to the council.
The work must be submitted to DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities).
The council has exempted the contract from its usual market testing requirements.
Council's position: In its decision notice, the council cited several reasons for directly appointing Grant Thornton:
The firm's existing familiarity with council processes.
What it describes as a "very limited supply" of available audit firms, as most audit firms are currently focused on clearing backlogs of other local authority work.
Concerns about missing mandatory deadlines if a new auditor needed to be appointed.
The bottom line: The council reports that the £10,000 cost is similar to previous years and that funding is already allocated within its external audit budget.
