The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003

Signing and approval of statement of accounts etc

10.—(1) A relevant body shall ensure that—

(a) the statement of accounts, or

(b) where no statement of accounts is required to be prepared, the income and expenditure account and the statement of balances, or

(c) where no income and expenditure account and statement of balances are required to be prepared, the record of receipts and payments of the body,

is prepared in accordance with these Regulations.

(2) Before the approval referred to in paragraphs (3) and (4) is given, the responsible financial officer of a relevant body shall sign and date the statement of accounts, income and expenditure account and statement of balances, or record of receipts and payments, as the case may be, and shall certify that it presents fairly the financial position of the body at the end of the year to which it relates and its income and expenditure or that it properly presents receipts and payments, as the case may be, for that year.

(3) Subject to paragraph (5), in respect of all relevant bodies referred to in regulations 7(1) and 7(6)—

(a) the statement of accounts as required by regulation 7(1) or regulation 7(6), as the case may be, shall be approved by a resolution of a committee of the relevant body or otherwise by a resolution of the members of the body meeting as a whole, such approval to take place as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event before the 30th June immediately following the end of a year, and

(b) following approval in accordance with sub-paragraph (a), the statement of accounts shall be signed and dated by the person presiding at the committee or meeting at which that approval was given.

(4) In respect of all relevant bodies referred to in regulation 9(2) and (3)—

(a) the income and expenditure account and balance sheet as required by regulation 9(1), the record of receipts and payments or income and expenditure account and statement of balances as required by regulation 9(3)(a) or the income and expenditure account and statement of balances as required by regulation 9(3)(b), as the case may be, shall be approved by a resolution of a committee of the relevant body or otherwise by a resolution of the members of the body meeting as a whole, such approval to take place as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event before the 30th September immediately following the end of a year, and

(b) following approval in accordance with sub-paragraph (a), the record of receipts and payments or the income and expenditure account and statement of balances, as the case may be, shall be signed and dated by the person presiding at the committee or meeting at which the approval was given.

(5) The reference in paragraph (3)(a) above to “the 30th June” shall be read in respect of the year ending with—

(a) 31st March 2003 as a reference to “the 30th September”

(b) 31st March 2004 as a reference to “the 31st August”; and

(c) 31st March 2005 as a reference to “the 31st July”.