St Albans City and District Council is offering residents the opportunity to scrutinise and raise questions about the annual accounts.

A first draft of the accounts for the year ended March 31 will be published early next month and can be reviewed on the council website.

This will show the council’s spending over the 2019/20 financial year as well as the income form various services and funding sources.

Residents will be asked to raise questions or objections with external auditors who will be examining the accounts.

A public online meeting on October 15 will then have the council audit committee vote and approve any advice or revisions.

Councillor Daly said: “The Council is a public body which provides a range of important public service across the District, so it is important that its finances are rigorously checked.

“With the Covid-19 pandemic having a severe impact on the Council’s finances, detailed scrutiny of the accounts will be more important than ever.

“This process is conducted in a transparent way to maintain the confidence and trust of our residents.

“I urge anyone with an interest in local affairs to take a look at the draft accounts and also to voice any concerns or issues they may have.”

To meet a Government deadline, the final version of the annual accounts will need to be published by November 30.