This meeting has now been held and a decision has been made. Information relating to the tenders has now been removed.
The reconvened meeting of levy payers has been scheduled for the 1st December 2022.
The Trust is required by law to have its accounts audited each year by a registered auditor.
The Trust's governing Acts state that those who pay the levy to the Trust may vote to appoint its auditor. This matter came before the Annual Levy Payers' meeting in September, but the meeting had to be adjourned to obtain further information from a firm proposed by a levy payer.
In order to avoid this situation arising again, all levy payers were invited to put forward the name of a suitably qualified firm of Auditors by 28th October 2022 in order that the Trust could ascertain, prior to the resumed meeting, whether that firm wished to tender to audit the Trust's accounts and what they would charge. We thank those who put forward suggestions.
A list of the names of the firms invited to tender and their responses is now available below. For commercial confidentiality reasons absolute figures have been redacted from the tender documentation. To inform levy payers when considering the tenders in detail an index figure of relative cost (as % of lowest price received) has been shown below along with all the tenders received.
Audit tender responses - full list
Tenders received:
Azets
Bishop Fleming
Griffin Stone Moscrop & Co
Haines Watts
Ormerod Rutter
PKF Littlejohn
Cost Index figures
This information is provided in order that levy payers have the opportunity to evaluate the tenders received prior to the meeting on the 1st December at which the auditor will be appointed. Paper copies of the documents are available, free of charge to levy payers, from the Trust office (Manor House, Grange Road, Malvern, WR14 3EY - opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 3pm.). Please bring a copy of your council tax bill with your when collecting the documents.
Levy payers who wish to vote at the meeting on 1st December must provide evidence that they pay the levy by providing a copy of their council tax bill. In order not to delay the start of the meeting, please do this in advance by providing a copy to Mrs L Parish at the Trust's offices (Manor House, Grange Road, Malvern, WR14 3EY - opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 3pm.) or by email to cindy@malvernhills.org.uk
As Covid19 cases remain high, members of the public wishing to attend the meeting are asked to wear a face mask unless exempt.
There will be an online workshop to enable the trustees to go through the tenders before the meeting. This will be held on Zoom at 7pm on Monday 28th November 2022. Levy payers are welcome to be present at the workshop. Please contact Mrs L Parish (using the details above) to book your place. Booking is essential.
