On Tuesday morning, the Housing, Communities and Local Government committee holds a pre-appointment hearing with Bill Butler, the government's preferred candidate for Chair of the Local Audit Office.
\r\nThis role is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the cross-party committee of MPs before formal appointment by Ministers.
\r\nThe session will explore the candidate’s knowledge, experience and skills, and how they would apply these to the role of Chair of the Local Audit Office. It will also ascertain the Committee’s view as to the suitability of the candidate for the role.
\r\n","secondaryDescription":"
The Local Audit Office is a new independent oversight body for local audit.
\r\nThe Local Audit Office will be established by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, Part 4. The Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The November 2025 Transition Plan for local audit predicts that the LAO will be fully established and have absorbed its primary functions in Spring 2027.
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