Practitioners’ Guide 2023

The Practitioners’ Guide is issued by the Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance (JPAG) to support the preparation of statutory annual accounting and governance statements by smaller authorities in England found in the Annual Governance and Accountability Return.

The 2023 edition applies to financial years commencing on or after 1 April 2023. Thus, the proper practices laid down in sections one and two of this edition of the guide must be applied in the financial year ending 31 March 2024, and the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for the year ending 31 March 2024 must be prepared following sections one and two of this edition of the guide. Note that the comparative figures (the figures for the year ending 31 March 2023 included in the 2024 AGAR) must be stated on the same basis as those for the year ending 31 March 2024.

The Practitioners’ Guide 2023 has had the following changes:

Page 6

Emphasis was added to help clarify the applicability of each year’s edition of the Practitioners' Guide to financial years (and attendant AGAR).

Page 12

Paragraph 1.26 related to the management of council email addresses.

Page 17

A sentence was added to paragraph 2.15b: Income should only be accrued where the receipt is reasonably certain, for example, where a principal authority has confirmed in writing its intention to provide a grant.

Page 20

Paragraph 2.30 has been updated to reflect an amendment to the AGAR form, which splits Box 11 into two.

Page 26

Paragraph 4.19. was added: Internal auditors should be aware of the National Audit Office's guidance to external auditors regarding the additional work expected in respect of authorities with income or expenditure in excess of £2,000,000.

Page 32

Row L has been amended to state that authorities should publish information in line with any relevant legislation rather than referring to specific transparency codes.

Page 36

Paragraph 5.23 was amended to read: Reconciliations may alternatively be provided for each individual account while ensuring that the total equates to Box 8.

Page 38

A sentence was added to paragraph 5.35 to emphasise the importance of considering risks when setting reserve levels.

Page 40 and 41

Paragraph 5.45 has additional guidance clarifying how credit notes or refunds can or cannot be netted off.

Page 52

A Paragraph 5.175 has been added: Assets cited on third-party property remain assets of the authority. It is essential that authorities are in possession of documentary evidence of permission to site such assets on third party land. This evidence may consist of a formal lease or simply permission to occupy.’

Page 53

Paragraph 5.178 has an additional sentence to clarify how reinvestments of long-term investments should be treated.