questionText: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Government Finance Statement made on 23 February 2026, what the estimated annual operating cost of the proposed Local Audit Office will be; how it will be funded; how its powers and remit will differ from the existing audit framework; and what timetable has been set for clearing the backlog of outstanding local authority audits prior to its establishment in autumn 2026.
answerText: The Local Audit Office will take on a remit and powers currently fragmented across the existing system with its statutory objectives and functions detailed in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. We will confirm the estimated cost and fu...
heading: Local Audit Office