UK audit committees are generally effective at
supporting internal and external audit processes but less effective
in other important areas, according to a survey from the Chartered
Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
More than half of the UK heads of local
government audit surveyed felt they were very effective at
supporting audit processes, but only 15 per cent said their public
accountability was very effective. Even fewer audit committees felt
they promoted good governance.
Audit heads also said that audit reports
should be challenged more and be used to call senior directors to
account.
The survey highlights areas of improvement for
audit committees, particularly in developing interactions with
partner organisations, providing leadership on good governance and
accountability and providing public accountability.
According to the survey results, the two main
barriers to audit committees working effectively are limited
knowledge and experience and turnover of members.
