Whitehall has called on the sector to feed into a review on the quality of the financial reporting of local authorities in England. 

The review, launched in July, is looking into the effectiveness of local authority financial reporting and the audit regime, and will examine whether the information provided by councils helps scrutiny by taxpayers and the press.

Review leader, Sir Tony Redmond, a former president of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance, said: ‘This call for evidence is a key part of my review of the effectiveness of audit in local authorities and the transparency of their financial reporting.

‘I will look to test the assurance processes in place with regard to value for money arrangements together with the financial resilience in local councils.'

Local government minister Luke Hall added: ‘It's important that local authorities are held financially accountable to reinforce public confidence and deliver value for money for taxpayers.

‘That's why the independent review being carried out by Sir Tony Redmond, to ensure a robust local audit system, is so vital.'