Audits of six lower tier authorities in Northamptonshire will be delayed because of staffing difficulties at EY, according to a report.
The Northamptonshire Telegraph said the accountancy firm has written to councils of Corby, Daventry, East Northants, Kettering, South Northamptonshire and Wellingborough.
According to the paper, the letter said: “Unfortunately we are experiencing staff turnover challenges in recruiting new staff, which affect the audit timetable.”
A statement from Wellingborough Council said: “The council is currently in the process of agreeing revised audit dates during August and September to conclude the audit as early after the end of July as possible.
“The council will still issue their accounts at the end of July, meeting their statutory obligations, but with the audit opinion to follow, stating this was due to the external auditor’s lack of staff capacity to deliver the audit by this date and through no fault of the council.
“The council opted into the Public Sector Audit Appointments central procurement process and the 2018/19 audit is the start of the new five-year contract for which EY were awarded a considerable number of audits across the UK.”
