Huw
Vaughan Thomas was the Auditor General for Wales from October 2010 until his
retirement on 20 July 2018. His role was independent of government. He was not
a civil servant and was appointed by the Queen.
The
Auditor General is the statutory external auditor of most of the Welsh public
sector. This means that he audits the accounts of county and county borough
councils, police, fire and rescue authorities, national parks and community
councils, as well as the Welsh Government, it’s sponsored and related public
bodies, the Assembly Commission and National Health Service bodies.
The
Auditor General’s role includes examining how public bodies manage and spend
public money, including how they achieve value in the delivery of public
services. The Auditor General publishes reports on that work, some of which are
considered by the National Assembly for Wales’ Public Accounts Committee. He
also reports every year on how well individual local authorities are planning
for improvement.
The
Office of Auditor General for Wales was created in 2005 and the post can be
held by an individual for a maximum of eight years.
The
Auditor General for Wales attends the Public
Accounts Committee meetings and sits next to the Chair during Committee
meetings. This arrangement emphasises and has brought clarity to the role of
the Auditor General as principal advisor to the Committee. It also helps to
facilitate opportunities for the Auditor General to make appropriate
contributions more readily during Committee meetings.
