2007-2008 - Annual Audit and Inspection Letter - Hampshire CC v1.1

Annual Audit and Inspection Letter Hampshire County Council Audit 2007/08 March 2009 Contents Key messages 3 Purpose, responsibilities and scope 5 How is Hampshire County Council performing? 6 The audit of the accounts and value for money 16 Looking ahead 20 Closing remarks 21 Status of our reports The Statement of Responsibilities of Auditors and Audited Bodies issued by the Audit Commission explains the respective responsibilities of auditors and of the audited body. Reports prepared by appointed auditors are addressed to non-executive directors/members or officers. They are prepared for the sole use of the audited body. Auditors accept no responsibility to: • any director/member or officer in their individual capacity; or • any third party. Key messages Key messages 1 The Council is performing strongly in the way it uses of its resources. The assessment by your auditor recognised further improvement this year in key areas such as external reporting, financial management and financial standing. The Council was also able to demonstrate that it was achieving good value for money in the delivery of its services. 2 Your auditor issued a positive conclusion on the Council's arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources for the year ending 31 March 2008 and an unqualified opinion on the Council's accounts for 2007/08. 3 The Council has accelerated its positive direction of travel this year ...