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Section 08 — Audit Archive

The People's Audit:
Quarterly Reports

Each quarter we publish a Plan vs Actual vs Variance analysis of what was spent in your name. Reports require a Voter Mandate before formal submission to government.

Why our reports reference data from prior years — and why that is itself a scandal

You may notice our audit data references periods that feel like ancient history. This is not our oversight. It is the government's. The UK local audit system has been in systemic failure for years — and Parliament's own committees have confirmed it.

900+
Outstanding audit opinions at peak

At the height of the backlog in 2023, over 900 local authorities had not published audited accounts for prior years. Many councils operated without verified financial data for multiple consecutive years.

2027/28
Government's target to restore audit normality

The government has set a series of statutory backstop dates stretching to 2027/28. Until then, many authorities will publish "disclaimed" accounts — meaning auditors cannot provide full assurance on the figures.

Public Accounts Committee finding — "Flying Blind"

"The lack of timely, audited data means the government is flying blind on the financial health of struggling councils." The same committee has noted that a shortage of skilled auditors continues to delay finalisation of accounts — meaning the data used to set next year's budget is based on unaudited, years-old figures.

The business analogy: Imagine a company trying to set next year's budget while its accounts for the previous two years remain unaudited and legally "disclaimed." No bank would lend to it. No board would accept it. No shareholder would tolerate it. This is how the UK government manages public money on your behalf. The 27 February 2026 backstop for 2024/25 accounts means that even this year's data will carry disclaimers. We publish what we can verify from central government data — ONS, OBR, DHSC, HM Treasury — precisely because local audit data cannot be relied upon. That is the scandal we are here to document.
● Awaiting Voter Mandate
Q4 2024/25
January–March 2025 Outturn

The most recent quarter for which OBR, ONS and DHSC central data is available. Click to review and cast your mandate.

Vote now to approve →
● Pending Publication
Q1 2025/26
April–June 2025 Outturn

ONS Public Sector Finances for this period are scheduled for release April 2026. We publish within 72 hours of official data release.

Coming April 2026
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