Grant Thornton
In June 2022 on behalf of all objectors and local community supporters, Tom
Jarman submitted a formal complaint to the Auditors Grant Thornton and their
lead auditors Peter Barber and John Gregory. This complaint has been
notified to the Chief Executive of the Public Sector Audit Appointments –
PSAA.
The cover note below was sent to Jon Roberts, Partner, Audit, Grant
Thornton, now responsible for audit of Gloucestershire County Council.
Documents attached were:
- Email from Barrister Duncan Sinclair, Essex Chambers, to John Gregory,
Grant Thornton - Complaint to Grant Thornton, June 2022
- Email from Tony Crawley CEO Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA)
Sent: 27 June 2022 15:28 Subject: Complaint to Grant Thornton Dear Jon Please find attached a formal complaint addressing alleged serious breaches in duty and professional conduct by Grant Thornton, and certain partners including Peter Barber and John Gregory in dealing with audit of the 2016 £613m contract between UBB and Gloucestershire County Council and an objection under section 27 of the Act. The report into this objection took over four years to produce, and key details of the contract were withheld by Grant Thornton from the objectors for several years in apparent breach of independence and quasi-judicial duties. The report was delayed to be released after the local elections in 2021, and a key conclusion – a Public Interest Report – was removed from the final report. This was in the interests of the current administration of the County Council and their misleading presentation of the contract to the public, this compromised effective democratic accountability. We consider that Grant Thornton have allowed a conflict of interest to compromise their work. This belief is echoed by our barrister who has acted on the matter on a largely pro-bono basis since 2016. For this reason we ask that you immediately consider how this complaint can be investigated independently. Please address the questions set out in the letter. With regards, Tom