Growing anger at hold-ups on council accounts

ANSWERS ARE being demanded by Scarborough councillors on why they have not been able to sign off the local authority’s accounts for almost five years.

Scarborough Council’s Audit Committee chairman Andrew Backhouse called the situation unacceptable and challenged the authority’s external auditors to explain the repeated delays.

The council’s 2017/18, 2016/17 and 2015/16 accounts were held up as the authority is locked in a legal challenge with a group of residents over how it classifies income and expenditure from Whitby harbour.

Last year it was confirmed the 2018/19 accounts had also been caught up in the row.

The challenge has come from the Fight4Whitby pressure group, which launched a legal challenge in 2016 citing the 1905 Whitby Urban District Council Act, which states that income from Whitby harbour must be ringfenced for use within the harbour.

The borough council’s external auditor Mazars told the council that a second provisional position had been issued in December, moving them one step closer to making a final decision. But no decision has since been forthcoming.

At an Audit Committee meeting this week, Coun Backhouse said the situation had to be concluded.

The council’s finance director Nick Edwards said council officials had provided the auditors with all the information that had been requested.

Mazars will now be asked to appear in front of the Audit Committee at its next meeting to explain the delay.

Committee member David Chance also spoke of his frustration at the situation.

Scarborough Council has always denied the claims of the Fight4Whitby Group.