The Housing, Communities and Local Government committee has endorsed Bill Butler as the Government's preferred candidate to chair the new Local Audit Office.
The committee has published its report on the appointment, which is subject to parliamentary scrutiny ahead of formal sign-off by ministers.
The Local Audit Office, a new independent body overseeing local audit, is being established under Part 4 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026.
According to last November's transition plan, the office is expected to be fully operational and to have absorbed its core functions by spring 2027.
The announcement follows the National Audit Office’s decision this week to issue a disclaimed opinion on the Whole of Government Accounts for 2024-25 for the third year in a row, citing a continued lack of assurance over English local government accounting data.
