Grant Thornton awarded £10,000 Council housing audit contract

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.