Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014

8 Procedure for appointment

(1) A relevant authority must consult and take into account the advice of its auditor panel on the selection and appointment of a local auditor under section 7.

(2) The relevant authority must, within the period of 28 days beginning with the day on which the appointment is made, publish a notice that—

(a) states that it has made the appointment,

(b) identifies the local auditor that has been appointed,

(c) specifies the period for which the local auditor has been appointed,

(d) sets out the advice, or a summary of the advice, of its auditor panel about the selection and appointment of a local auditor, and

(e) if it has not followed that advice, sets out the reasons why it has not done so.

(3) The notice must be published—

(a) if the relevant authority has a website, on its website;

(b) otherwise, in accordance with subsection (4).

(4) A relevant authority publishes a notice in accordance with this subsection if—

(a) in the case of a relevant authority other than a health service body, it publishes the notice in such manner as it thinks is likely to bring the notice to the attention of persons who live in its area;

(b) in the case of a clinical commissioning group, it publishes the notice in such manner as it thinks is likely to bring the notice to the attention of—

(i) persons who live in the area of the group, and

(ii) persons who do not live in the area of the group but for whom the group is responsible;

(c) in the case of special trustees for a hospital, they publish the notice in such manner as they think is likely to bring the notice to the attention of persons to whom services are provided at that hospital.

(5) The relevant authority must exclude from the notice information whose disclosure would prejudice commercial confidentiality, unless there is an overriding public interest in favour of its disclosure.

(6) This section is subject to Schedule 3 (further provision about appointment of local auditors) and provision made under it.