Audit fees for local public bodies will be cut by £30m from 2015 to 2017.
The Audit Commission made the announcement as it launched its final consultation on fee scales.
It said the latest reductions meant fees were at their lowest level since the Commission took on NHS audit in 1990.
It also announced it would be handing councils and other bodies a £6m rebate as a result of ‘the efficient management of the Commission’s closure’. It comes on top of an £8m rebate earlier this year.
Chair Jeremy Newman said: ‘We have driven down prices for audit services, showing again that bulk procurement is the best way to maintain a competitive market and provide taxpayers with value for money.
‘The resulting savings are part of the legacy the Commission will leave after March 2015, and will be enjoyed by local authorities and NHS bodies for years after our closure.
‘Fees should be preserved at this level for 2016/17 and we hope the government will take the opportunity we have secured to lock in and extend the savings we have achieved up to 2020.’
