Council tries to calm fears after damning report

AMMANFORD Town Council has moved to address a damning report by Audit Wales into its finances over the past decade.

- IAN LEWIS

The council has been criticised by Wales' Auditor General for “serious failures in governance and financial management” over a period of 10 years.

The report published last month, was a follow up audit report covering the years 2018/19 to 2023/24.

The audit claimed the council's failure to account for almost £800,000 collected from local taxpayers between 2016-17 to 2020-21 resulted in past officers and members failing to ensure proper standards of management and governance.

It also highlights that the council failed to submit accounts on time in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, while records for 2021-2022 were discovered during the audit, after the auditor had initially not seen evidence of these records.

The council was previously led by Plaid Cymru, but is now under Labour leadership and says its “financial procedures are now robust, transparent, and properly managed.”

Auditor General Adrian Crompton said in his report that “the council has not maintained proper and complete accounting records” and has been “unable to provide contractual documentation or supporting documentation to evidence that it has followed its standing orders and financial regulations.”

He added that “adequate information has not been provided to councillors regarding the approval of payments made” and he has been “unable to confirm whether the payments made were done so under proper authority.”