Annual accounts and audit
Oxfordshire County Council statement of accounts.
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Statement of accounts 2025/26
Under the Accounts and Audit (England) Regulations 2015, we were originally required to publish its unaudited Statement of Accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2026 by 31 May 2026.
However, due to the ongoing impact of the national local audit backlog, Section 9A of the Regulations amended the deadline for publishing the accounts to 30 June 2025. Accordingly, the unaudited Statement of Accounts was published on 30 June 2026.
The Statement of Accounts (PDF format, 4.6 MB) outlines our financial position as at 31 March 2026 and includes the Narrative Report and the Annual Governance Statement. These accounts are unaudited and may be subject to change.
Requesting a public inspection of the accounts and related documents.
The external audit of the draft Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2026, conducted by our external auditors EY LLP, has commenced. The main phases of the audit are scheduled to begin in July 2026.
Previous years
The law requires that our statement of accounts is signed as approved by certain members and officers of the council and that the audit report is signed by the council's external auditor. A number of frauds have been carried out against bodies that publish signatures on the internet and, for this reason, the signatures of members and officers in our accounts have been removed.
Statement of accounts 2025/26 public inspection notice
Notice of the commencement of the period for the exercise of public rights
The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Regulation 15 (1A) of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015
The council is required to make the accounting records and related documents of the County Council and Oxfordshire Pension Fund available for inspection each year in the exercise of the rights of interested persons under section 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and section 15 of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015.
The period for the exercise of public rights commences at 9am on 1 July 2026 and will conclude at 4pm on 12 August 2026.
Reports available
- The Narrative Report (from page 2)
- The Statement of Accounts (from page 15)
- The Annual Governance Statement (from page 149)
The Narrative Report is included within the Statement of Accounts document.
The Statement of Accounts is draft and is subject to an audit. Until the conclusion of the audit the Statement of Accounts may be subject to change.
External audit
The Council’s accounts are subject to external audit by Simon Mathers of Ernst & Young LLP, R+, 2 Blagrave Street, Reading RG1 1AZ.
Public rights
- From 9am on 1 July 2026 to 4pm on 12 August 2026 any person may inspect the accounting records of the Council for the financial year to 31 March 2025, and certain related documents (comprising books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts) by sending a request to the email address given below. They may also request copies of the accounts and documents.
- From 9am on 1 July 2026 to 4pm on 12 August 2026 at the request of a local government elector, the local auditor must give the elector, or any representative of the elector, an opportunity to question the auditor about the accounting records of the Council.
- From 9am on 1 July 2026 to 4pm on 12 August 2026 a local government elector for the area of the Council or his/her representative may object to the Council’s accounts asking that the auditor issue a report in the public interest or apply for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful under section 28 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. Written notice of the proposed objection and the grounds on which it will be made must be sent to the auditor at the address given above and also copied to the Council at the address given below.
Contact details
Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer
Kathy Wilcox, Head of Corporate Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer)
Oxfordshire County Council
County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND
Use our contact form to request an inspection of the accounts and related documents.