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PrintThe Role of the Finance Director in Local Government
A new Statement on the role of the finance director has been developed by a CIPFA working group comprising representatives from across the UK and in conjunction with the Treasurers' societies. This Statement replaces the 1999 guidance and takes full account of relevant policy and professional developments since then.
The guidance is designed to provide an authoritative and comprehensive source of advice to finance directors as they carry out their statutory responsibilities and their strategic and policy development roles. It is also intended to be helpful to authorities as they deal with tensions and related risks that can arise when revising political, organisational and managerial structures.
As well as identifying finance directors' key roles and related tasks, the Statement sets out a number of principles that CIPFA believes authorities should observe when considering the finance director's position and influence within the organisational structure.
In issuing a revised Statement now we recognise that further review will be needed as the modernisation agenda continues to gather pace and other policy developments are introduced. However, CIPFA believes that it is important to provide a practical source of guidance to finance directors to help them deal with recent changes and to discharge their increasingly onerous duties. We hope that local authority councillors and other chief officers will also recognise the value of there being a clear statement of the finance director's role and that they will wish to endorse this Statement's conclusions.
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