Announcements

EAST DORSET DISTRICT COUNCIL INSPECTING THE ACCOUNTS 2015/16
Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, Regs 14 & 15
The Council's accounts for the year ending 31 March 2016 will be placed on deposit from Friday 1st July to Thursday 11th August 2016 to allow any persons the opportunity to exercise their rights to examine the Council's financial performance for the year. Any persons interested may inspect the accounts to be audited and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them and make copies of all or any part of the accounts and those other documents. You do not have the right to inspect and copy documents that contain personal information about a member of staff as these are confidential. The accounts will be on deposit at the Council Offices at Furzehill, Wimborne, BH21 4HN and will be available between the hours of 8.45am and 4.45pm.
The Council's auditor is Grant Thornton UK LLP, Colmore Plaza, 20 Colmore Circus, Birmingham, B4 6AT. The engagement lead for the audit is James Cook.
People who are entitled to vote in local council elections for the area may ask the auditor questions about the accounts. Questions may be asked of the auditor during the inspection period. Please contact the auditor at the address given above to make arrangements to ask any questions. Questions submitted after the 11th August 2016 will not be considered by the external auditor.
Your right to ask the auditor questions is limited. You have the right to ask questions about the accounts, but you cannot ask questions about the Council's policies, finances or procedures that are not about the accounts. Your questions should be about facts and not opinions. The auditor must also work independently, so you cannot ask him questions about how he is carrying out, or has carried out, his work.
If you are entitled to vote in local council elections for the area you may object to the accounts if you think that an item in the accounts is unlawful. The auditor can apply to the High Court to confirm that an item in the accounts is unlawful. If the High Court agrees then the Council will have to rectify the position. In reaching a decision whether to apply to the courts the auditor will take account of a number of factors, including cost. Written notice of a proposed objection and the grounds on which it is made must be sent to the auditor at the address given above and a copy sent to the Council Offices.
You can also ask the auditor to make a report in the public interest on a matter that you think the Council should consider or tell the public about. A report in the public interest will only be made where the auditor considers the matter to be sufficiently important to be brought to the notice of the Council or the public. However, it is not the function of the auditor to express an opinion as to the wisdom of particular decisions taken by the Council in the lawful exercise of its discretion.
You can find more information on the Council's website at www.dorsetforyou.com