News / Call to see QC report
THE LEGAL opinion on grouping the Shetland Islands Council’s accounts with those of Shetland Charitable Trust should be scrutinised by the authorities audit and standards committee, councillors insisted on Thursday.
Councillor Jonathan Wills received unanimous support from the committee for his move to write to chief executive Alistair Buchan asking to see the final report from QC Roy Martin.
The council’s external auditor Audit Scotland have qualified the council’s accounts for six year running due to the failure to group the accounts.
However the trust, which is currently controlled by councillors acting as trustees, has refused to group the accounts.
Councillors fear that if the accounts are grouped together the local authority will lose some financial support from the Scottish government.
In November 2010 the QC was commissioned to give his legal opinion on the protracted issue, but very few councillors have seen the report since it was completed last year.
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