Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. Why is the additional fee for the VFM arrangements commentary higher than in previous years?

    Work on VFM arrangements comprises two elements:

    • the core work to consider the arrangements in place included in the scale fee. The auditor needed to do this to be able to come to the binary conclusion that was in place up to 2019/20; and 
    • the additional work required to produce the commentary, which is a Code of Audit Practice requirement from 2020/21 and is included in the scale fee from 2023/24.

    The VFM arrangements commentary fee variation in the statement may be higher than determined for other audit years because it includes the scale fee element for core VFM work.

    For bodies where the auditor has only completed the VFM arrangements work and the work to issue a disclaimer opinion, there is no separate scale fee charge.

  2. Why is there an additional fee for ISA (UK) 315 (2022/23 and 2023/24 audits only)?

    Fees for new recurring audit requirements are only consolidated into the scale fee once we have sufficiently reliable information on the level of ongoing audit work needed. The audit work for ISA (UK) 315 (risks of material misstatement) and linked work on ISA (UK) 240 (fraud) has been included in the 2024/25 scale fees, but we process it as fee variations for 2022/23 and 2023/24 because the Regulations do not allow us to update those scale fees once set, i.e. after 30 November 2022 and 2023 respectively. 

  3. Will an auditor be able to provide my authority with non-audit consultancy services?

    The independence requirements for all auditors in the local public audit regime are the same, whether locally appointed or part of the appointing person regime. These requirements are specified by the Financial Reporting Council in the Ethical Standard and applied to local public audit as determined by the NAO.

    The services that an auditor can provide are the same whether appointed by PSAA or through local arrangements.

    As the Appointing Person, PSAA performs the role otherwise required of an Independent Auditor Panel to advise the body on ensuring the independence of the auditor (Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 section 10(1)).