Publication of statement of accounts, annual governance statement and narrative statement for Category 1 authorities
10.—(1) A Category 1 authority must, after approving the statement of accounts in accordance with regulation 9(2) but not later than 31st July of the financial year immediately following the end of the financial year to which the statement relates, publish (which must include publication on the authority’s website)—
(a)the statement of accounts together with any certificate or opinion, entered by the local auditor in accordance with section 20(2) of the Act;
(b)the annual governance statement approved in accordance with regulation 6(2); and
(c)the narrative statement prepared in accordance with regulation 8.
(2) Where an audit of accounts has not been concluded before the date specified in paragraph (1) an authority must—
(a)publish (which must include publication on the authority’s website) as soon as reasonably practicable on or after that date a notice stating that it has not been able to publish the statement of accounts and its reasons for this; and
(b)comply with paragraph (1) as if for “but not later than 31st July of the financial year immediately following the end of the financial year to which the statement relates” there were substituted “as soon as reasonably practicable after the receipt of any report from the auditor which contains the auditor’s final findings from the audit which is issued before the conclusion of the audit”.
(3) Where documents are published under paragraph (1) an authority must—
(a)keep copies of those documents for purchase by any person on payment of a reasonable sum; and
(b)ensure that those documents remain available for public access for a period of not less than five years beginning with the date on which those documents were first published in accordance with that paragraph.