Somerset Council has been given the highest available rating by external auditors for the progress it is making towards getting its financial accounts fully back on track. Grant Thornton has placed the authority in "Category A", reflecting confidence that it can return to a fully unqualified — or clean — audit opinion by 2027/28.

The assessment was reported to Somerset Council's Audit Committee and marks a significant step in tackling historic problems with the authority's accounts. It does not mean the council has already received a clean audit opinion, and the authority acknowledges that substantial financial and governance challenges remain.

The council is also continuing to respond to the Best Value Notice recently issued by the Government. However, it says the latest assessment provides independent assurance that it has the leadership, capacity and plans needed to continue its improvement work.

Somerset, like councils across the country, has been dealing with the effects of a major backlog in local government audits. Locally, the authority says it has completed 11 sets of accounts over an 18-month period while also making changes to financial processes and governance arrangements.

Cllr Liz Leyshon, Somerset Council's Lead Member for Finance, Procurement and Performance, said: "This is an important and encouraging recognition from our external auditors. It reflects the hard work of our finance team, auditors, councillors and officers across the council to strengthen our financial management and governance arrangements.

"We know there is still more to do, particularly as we continue to address the challenges highlighted through the Best Value Notice and our wider improvement programme, but this assessment gives confidence that we are moving in the right direction."

The distinction matters. A Category A recovery assessment is a vote of confidence in the council's route towards reliable, fully audited accounts, rather than a declaration that all of Somerset's wider financial difficulties have disappeared.

The authority has faced sustained pressure over its financial position and is working with auditors, the Government and improvement partners as part of a wider transformation and financial sustainability programme. Progress is due to continue being reported publicly through Audit Committee, Scrutiny and Executive meetings.

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For Somerset Council, there is plainly still some road left to travel. But after years in which local authority accounts nationally have become synonymous with delays and backlogs, the auditors' latest assessment says Somerset is now in the strongest category for getting the job done.

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