The FRC said that from its point of view ‘ARGA cannot come in quickly enough.’ In March 2023 it agreed a memorandum of understanding with the Department setting out the ‘shadow’ system leadership responsibilities it will take on in the meantime. The FRC told us it saw this as a convening role, ‘co-ordinating what has been and still is to an extent a fragmented system.’71 It described its initial priorities as understanding the granularity of issues causing audit delays, addressing the backlog...

The FRC said that from its point of view ‘ARGA cannot come in quickly enough.’ In March 2023 it agreed a memorandum of understanding with the Department setting out the ‘shadow’ system leadership responsibilities it will take on in the meantime. The FRC told us it saw this as a convening role, ‘co-ordinating what has been and still is to an extent a fragmented system.’71 It described its initial priorities as understanding the granularity of issues causing audit delays, addressing the backlog and taking forward work on a comprehensive workforce strategy.72 When we pressed on the risks it faces in this new role, the FRC highlighted the need to Type: conclusion | Number: 23 | Response status: accepted Government response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 4.2 The government response to the Local audit framework technical consultation in May 2022 set out that, before the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA) is establish